425 East 78th Street

A kitchen designed to be
genuinely exciting to live with.

A compact Upper East Side kitchen where the wall between the kitchen and dining was removed to open the two into one and create an island with a bar counter. With a small footprint to work in, the priorities were maximizing storage and giving the clean, modern scheme one strong visual focal point. The bathroom was a partial update.

The owner wanted the wall between the dining area and kitchen removed to make room for an island bar. Because the space is small, cabinet storage was to be pushed as far as possible — carried all the way to the end of the island. The look was to stay clean and modern, but with a clear focal point. The bathroom was a partial renovation, updating the hardware and color palette.

Edison led the project across its stages: board review, design, and construction drawings; material selection guidance and ordering; communication with the build team through construction; and photography of the finished apartment.

Removing the wall between kitchen and dining opened the space, with a Calacatta marble island doubling as a bar. In the small footprint, storage was pushed to its limit — cabinetry carried right to the end of the island. The focal point the owner wanted came from a full field of three-dimensional black diamond tile on the backsplash, a surface that shifts between flat black and iridescent as the light changes through the day; white high-gloss upper cabinets keep things clean against that drama. Unlacquered brass pendants and a matching pull-down faucet tie a warm metal through, and the opposing exposed brick wall was preserved and sealed rather than covered — its texture a third material voice. Gold wire bar stools with sheepskin cushions finish the room. The bathroom was a partial refresh — updated hardware and palette with a navy lacquer vanity, brass fixtures, and full-height Carrara marble tile.

Completed in 2022. The owner has since moved in.