London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Nov 24, 2025

Before & After: a retro apartment is unrecognisable after a chic, modern makeover

Before & After: a retro apartment is unrecognisable after a chic, modern makeover

All that remains of the old apartment is the floor-to-ceiling views over Boston's skyline...

A tired and dated penthouse apartment has received a complete transformation and is now almost unrecognisable – all that remains is the floor-to-ceiling views over Boston's skyline.

The owners brought on designer Sashya Thind, founder of Ideate Design Studio (@id8designstudio), to help create a more open-plan layout, and a warmer interior scheme.

Ideate Design Studio gutted the property and reconfigured the layout, then gave it a more modern interior design with a warm colour palette.

Inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese interiors, the designers chose a warm white and oak wood palette, with touches of limestone and marble, to create a timeless, minimalism and airy feel throughout.

KITCHEN - BEFORE


Before, a dated, L-shaped kitchen was separate from the dining space beyond.

                

                

KITCHEN - AFTER


Now, a larger kitchen takes its place and carries right through to the end wall, thus making the most of the skyline views.

                

The new, open-plan kitchen incorporates a dining table that can seat six, while mirrored kitchen cabinet doors help to bounce light around, and break up the wood kitchen theme.

                

The kitchen now offers open plan living, more storage and tremendous, unobstructed 180-degree views over the Massachusetts State house, the Charles river and the Boston Common – the ultimate eat-in dining experience.

The kitchen island also incorporates plenty of kitchen storage.

                

DINING AREA - BEFORE


Before, a dated, metallic wallpaper created a cold, harsh and unwelcoming environment.

                

DINING AREA - AFTER


Now, warm woods make this light and bright space feel warmer and more welcoming.

A long, bespoke bench along the window's edge offers the residents and their guests uninterrupted views.

                

Design highlights include custom cabinetry, Bellini dining chairs, Ethnicraft dining table, Juniper and Secto lighting.

                

HOME OFFICE - BEFORE


The home office already featured a stunning parquet floor, but cried out for a fresh new look.

                

HOME OFFICE - AFTER


Now the home office features a more rustic scheme of woods and leather, to match the scheme in the dining area. The wood desk sits directly in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering stunning views.

                

BEDROOM - BEFORE


The bedroom featured an old, plush carpet, and vintage decor.

                

BEDROOM - AFTER


It now incorporates more storage, and lots of natural materials.

                

BATHROOM - BEFORE


The old, tired bathroom scheme featured a light brown colour palette and dated fittings.

                

BATHROOM - AFTER


A lighter palette has given the bathroom a more spacious feel. Marble chevron tiles in the shower room complement the marble bathroom flooring, while his n hers sinks offer ample space for getting ready.

                

Built-in bathroom storage behind the door makes the most of unused space.

                

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
×