A Couple in New York City Decide to Downsize With Minimalism in Mind

An attorney and her retired husband dreamed of a smaller but still polished residence when they decided to downsize in New York City, and they came across an industrial loft in Chelsea with plenty of potential. They hired Elizabeth Maletz of Maletz Design to refine the rough space, but they still wanted to keep the apartment's industrial history visible. The team started by replacing all of the windows with larger models to maximize natural light flowing into the narrow layout, and then they chose pale oak flooring and white paint to soften the original exposed beams, sprinkler pipes, and track lighting. Once that was finished, Maletz moved on to another important task: coming up with storage options that pushed the pair to discard unnecessary possessions. "They really wanted to embrace minimalism to improve their lives," she said. "We planned accordingly for discreet storage throughout the apartment, but based on the idea of only having what was needed to live simply." With everything in its place, the couple has embraced a life with less clutter, but just as much style.