Small Wonder

This Upper East Side studio has a sunken living area and a windowed bathroom and kitchen

By Leah Hochbaum Rosner  | December 5, 2017 - 12:00PM
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The apartment is on East 73rd Street, a block from a new Q station.

Spire Real Estate

A grand entrance that leads to a sunken living area is the most eye-catching aspect of this $449,000 studio at 235 East 73rd St. on the Upper East Side. Beamed ceilings and a sunlit kitchen are nice, too. The sleeping area may not be for everyone, though.

You enter through a narrow foyer with a good-sized closet, then descend three stairs with wrought-iron railings. A second, smaller closet is at the bottom of the steps.

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As the 520-square-foot apartment is currently set up, it offers a decent-sized living area with a couch, a coffee table and a wall-mounted television. There’s space for a teeny-tiny table in the corner that can barely accommodate one, let alone two bar stools, which means you’ll probably eat most of your meals on the sofa in here.

The floor is mostly covered by rugs, so it’s a little hard to discern its actual condition, but in some places it looks like wooden planks, while in others it looks like parquet. If the new owner wants it to look more uniform, the entire thing may need to be replaced.

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The sleeping area is a bit odd. Although this unit is being marketed as an alcove studio, that seems to be pushing it. Most alcove studios come with a separate area that can be used as a pseudo-bedroom or even a dining area. Here, it appears like someone simply built a wooden enclosure around the bed in order to be able to call it an alcove studio. But really it’s just a plain old, garden-variety studio with a strangely short wall near the bed. Or is it a strangely tall bed?

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The windowed kitchen looks relatively spacious and bright, with updated appliances (including a dishwasher, a rare find in a studio), marble counters, and lots of storage space (including attractive glass-fronted cabinets). The sunny yellow on the walls won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but that can easily be remedied by a new coat of paint.   

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The bathroom is also not tiny, and has a large vanity. There’s also a pristine-looking tub, tan tiles on the walls, and a window, so the room can be aired out periodically.

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The apartment is in a full-service doorman building a black from the new Q station at 72nd Street. The building has a gym, a garden, a courtyard, on-site laundry, and a bike room. Private storage space can also be rented for an additional fee. Pieds-à-terre are permitted. Maintenance is $1,029 a month.

 

 

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