Kitchen & Bath Design NYC — The Two Rooms That Define How a Home Performs
Full-service kitchen and bath design in NYC — layout planning, custom cabinetry, material and fixture selection, lighting, and complete construction documentation for apartments, co-ops, condos, and brownstones across all five boroughs.
Kitchen and bathroom renovations consistently deliver the highest return on investment of any home improvement in New York City real estate (National Kitchen and Bath Association, 2024).
As a licensed architecture firm, ArcheA Studio seals and files permit drawings in-house — eliminating the need for a separate architect of record on kitchen and bathroom renovation projects.
Experienced with co-op and condo board alteration packages, wet-over-dry restrictions, and pre-war building conditions specific to New York City kitchen and bath renovation.
Kitchen & Bath Design Rooted in Architecture, Not Just Aesthetics
ArcheA Studio provides kitchen and bath design services in New York City for residential clients across all five boroughs. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most technically demanding rooms in any home — involving plumbing, electrical, ventilation, waterproofing, and structural coordination alongside the design decisions of layout, cabinetry, countertops, tile, and fixtures. A kitchen or bathroom renovation in NYC that goes wrong is expensive to fix. One that is designed with architectural precision from the start delivers results that hold their quality and function for decades.
Founded by Ana Kurtsikidze, a licensed architect with over 16 years of experience, ArcheA Studio approaches kitchen and bath design from a structural and spatial foundation — optimizing layout for the way you cook and live, specifying materials for durability in New York City’s humid climate, and coordinating every trade before construction begins. We produce detailed drawings that contractors can build from accurately, reducing change orders and protecting the quality of the finished result.
Because ArcheA Studio is a licensed architecture firm, we stamp and file permit drawings directly with the NYC Department of Buildings. This means your kitchen renovation architect and your architect of record are the same firm — no coordination gap, no added cost, no delays caused by a separate permit professional who was not involved in the design.
Kitchen & Bath Design Services We Provide
Kitchen Renovation Architect NYC
A kitchen renovation in New York City is one of the most consequential investments a homeowner can make — and one of the most complex to execute well. ArcheA Studio provides full architectural kitchen renovation services in NYC: layout design, cabinet specification, countertop and backsplash selection, appliance integration, lighting design, plumbing fixture coordination, and complete permit drawings filed through DOB NOW. We design kitchens for pre-war co-ops with narrow galley layouts, open-plan condos in new developments, gut-renovation brownstones in Brooklyn, and full-floor lofts in Tribeca. A mid-range kitchen renovation in NYC typically costs $45,000–$90,000; luxury projects with custom cabinetry and high-end appliances routinely exceed $150,000 (Sweeten, 2025).
Bathroom Remodel NYC
Bathroom renovation in New York City is consistently the top residential renovation category for New York homeowners, according to Sweeten’s annual survey of NYC renovation activity (Sweeten, 2024). ArcheA Studio designs bathroom remodels in NYC at every scale — from a single bathroom fixture update to a full master bath gut renovation with custom stone, heated floors, a walk-in shower, and a freestanding tub. We handle all plumbing coordination, waterproofing specification, tile layout drawings, vanity design, and DOB permit filing. A mid-range bathroom remodel in NYC for a standard 5×8 foot space costs $25,000–$50,000; luxury en-suite bathrooms with layout changes range from $60,000 to $90,000 or more (Sweeten, 2025).
Custom Kitchen Design Brooklyn
Brooklyn brownstone kitchens present a specific design challenge: typically located on the ground floor or garden level, they are often narrow, poorly lit, disconnected from rear yard access, and lacking in storage. ArcheA Studio specializes in custom kitchen design for Brooklyn homes — reconfiguring layouts to open sight lines, extending into rear additions where zoning allows, integrating custom cabinetry built for non-standard dimensions, and selecting materials that complement the building’s historic architectural character. We work with brownstone owners in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Fort Greene, Bed-Stuy, and across brownstone Brooklyn to design kitchens that transform the most underperforming room in the house.
Galley Kitchen Renovation NYC
Galley kitchens — the narrow, corridor-format kitchens found in the majority of pre-war Manhattan apartments — are among the most constrained design environments in New York City. ArcheA Studio designs galley kitchen renovations in NYC that maximize usable counter space, optimize storage through floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, integrate appliances efficiently, and improve lighting to transform a dark, cramped galley into a functional and visually open kitchen. We specify custom or semi-custom cabinetry built to the exact dimensions of the galley, including solutions for awkward column positions, irregular wall angles, and non-standard ceiling heights common in pre-war buildings.
Luxury Kitchen Design NYC
Luxury kitchen design in New York City is defined by the quality of decisions made at every detail — the thickness of the stone countertop, the precision of the cabinet joinery, the selection of appliance panels that integrate the refrigerator seamlessly into the cabinetry, the specification of a ventilation system that actually clears a professional-grade range. ArcheA Studio designs luxury kitchens in NYC with custom millwork, marble or quartzite countertops, integrated appliance packages, concealed storage systems, bespoke hardware, and architectural lighting plans. We have completed luxury kitchen design projects on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, in Tribeca lofts, and in brownstone owner units across Brooklyn.
Spa Bathroom Design NYC
The demand for spa-quality bathroom design in New York City residences has grown significantly as homeowners invest in the quality of their daily routine. ArcheA Studio designs spa bathrooms in NYC incorporating radiant heated floors, large-format stone tile, frameless glass shower enclosures, thermostatic shower systems with multiple body sprays, freestanding soaking tubs, bespoke vanities with integrated lighting, and steam shower options where plumbing and ventilation permit. Every spa bathroom design is developed with full plumbing and electrical coordination so that the installation matches the design intent precisely.
Open Kitchen Design Architect New York
The open kitchen — a kitchen integrated with the living or dining area through the removal of a separating wall — is one of the most frequently requested renovations in New York City apartments. Opening a kitchen in an NYC apartment requires structural engineering to determine whether the wall is load-bearing, a DOB permit for the structural work, and often co-op or condo board approval. ArcheA Studio manages the full scope of open kitchen design in New York: structural analysis, beam design, kitchen layout reconfiguration, millwork specification, and complete DOB filing. We design open kitchens that are spatially resolved — not simply a kitchen with a wall removed, but a room whose proportions and material palette work as a unified whole.
Custom Cabinetry Design NYC
Custom cabinetry is the single most impactful element in both kitchen and bathroom design — it defines the spatial character of the room, determines storage capacity, and sets the material tone for every other finish decision. ArcheA Studio designs custom cabinetry in NYC for kitchens, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and built-in storage applications. We produce detailed millwork drawings specifying dimensions, material, door style, hardware, interior fittings, and finish — drawings precise enough for fabrication by a custom cabinet shop and for verification during installation. We work with both domestic and European cabinetry fabricators depending on the project’s character and budget.
How We Design Kitchens & Bathrooms in New York City
Existing Conditions Survey
We measure the existing kitchen or bathroom precisely — including all plumbing rough-in locations, electrical panel capacity, window positions, structural elements, and ceiling heights. For pre-war buildings, we document the specific conditions that most affect the design: radiator locations, plaster wall thicknesses, load-bearing wall positions, and any existing DOB violations that must be resolved as part of the renovation.
Regulatory & Building Requirements Review
Before any design is developed, we review the applicable building constraints: co-op or condo alteration agreement restrictions on plumbing relocation, wet-over-dry rules that limit where plumbing can be moved, building management engineer requirements, and DOB permit triggers for the planned scope of work. For co-op renovations, we identify which elements require board approval so that the timeline accounts for the board review process from the start.
Layout Design & Concept
We develop revised layout plans that optimize the kitchen or bathroom for the way you actually use it — work triangle efficiency in kitchens, fixture sequence and traffic flow in bathrooms, storage placement relative to primary use patterns. Layout options are presented as scaled drawings with dimensions so you can evaluate the spatial implications of each alternative before committing to a direction.
Material & Fixture Selection
We select and specify every material and fixture in the kitchen or bathroom — cabinetry, countertops, backsplash tile, flooring, plumbing fixtures, appliances, hardware, and lighting. Selections are presented in a coordinated package that shows how all elements work together, with material samples where relevant. We advise on the durability characteristics of each selection, not just its visual appeal, so you understand what you are specifying before it is ordered.
Construction Documents & Permitting
We produce the full set of architectural drawings required for DOB NOW permit filing and contractor bidding: floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, elevations of all cabinet and tile walls, plumbing fixture schedules, appliance schedules, and detail sections. For kitchen renovations involving layout changes or structural work, we coordinate with structural engineers for beam designs and DOB structural submissions. All applications are filed directly in DOB NOW by ArcheA Studio.
Construction Administration
We conduct site visits during construction to verify that cabinetry is installed as drawn, tile is laid per the layout plan, plumbing fixtures are positioned correctly, and finish details match the specifications. We review contractor submittals for cabinetry shop drawings, tile mock-ups, and stone slab selections. At completion, we file all required DOB sign-offs and conduct a final walkthrough to confirm the result matches the design intent in every detail.
Where We Design Kitchens & Bathrooms in New York
What Sets ArcheA Studio Apart for Kitchen & Bath Design in NYC
Architectural Drawings That Contractors Can Build From
The most common cause of kitchen and bathroom renovation cost overruns in New York City is imprecise documentation. When drawings are incomplete or ambiguous, contractors substitute materials without approval, plumbers rough in pipes in the wrong locations, and tile installers improvise layout decisions that should have been resolved in design. ArcheA Studio produces construction documents at the level of precision required for accurate contractor bidding and unambiguous field execution — protecting your budget and the quality of the result.
In-House Permit Filing
Kitchen renovations involving layout changes, new plumbing rough-ins, electrical panel upgrades, or structural wall removal require DOB permits in New York City. ArcheA Studio is a licensed architecture firm — we stamp and file permit drawings directly in DOB NOW as the architect of record. This eliminates the cost and delay of engaging a separate permit expediter or architect who was not involved in the design, and ensures that the permit drawings match the construction documents exactly.
Co-op & Condo Board Experience
Most kitchen and bathroom renovations in New York City require co-op or condo board approval before work can begin. ArcheA Studio prepares the complete alteration agreement package required for board submission — architectural drawings, scope description, contractor insurance documentation, and any building engineer coordination required by the board. We are familiar with the specific requirements and common objections of co-op boards in Manhattan and condo boards in Brooklyn, and we design within alteration agreement constraints from the first layout concept.
Pre-War Building Knowledge
Over 55% of New York City’s residential buildings are pre-war construction (NYC Department of City Planning, 2024). Pre-war kitchens and bathrooms present specific renovation challenges: aging cast-iron plumbing that may need replacement, knob-and-tube electrical that requires upgrading, non-standard room dimensions that require custom cabinetry, plaster walls that must be handled carefully, and wet-over-dry restrictions that limit plumbing relocation. ArcheA Studio designs kitchen and bathroom renovations in pre-war NYC buildings with direct knowledge of these constraints — anticipating them in the design rather than discovering them during demolition.
ROI-Focused Material Guidance
Kitchen and bathroom renovations consistently offer the highest return on investment of any home improvement in New York City. A minor kitchen renovation recoup approximately 84.9% of cost at resale; a mid-range bathroom remodel returns roughly 67% (Remodeling Magazine Cost vs. Value Report, 2024). ArcheA Studio advises on material selections with resale value in mind — recommending where to invest in quality that buyers will recognize and pay for, and where to avoid premium spending on elements that do not translate to higher valuations.
Kitchen & Bath Renovation in New York City Today
Kitchen and bathroom renovations are the most popular renovation categories in New York City — and the two rooms that most directly determine a property’s market value and buyer appeal.
Bathrooms are the single most renovated space in New York City homes, followed immediately by kitchens, according to Sweeten’s annual survey of NYC renovation activity (Sweeten, 2024). The kitchen and bathroom renovation industry generates an estimated $716 billion annually in the United States (National Kitchen and Bath Association Size of Market Study, 2024) — reflecting the scale of investment that homeowners make in these two rooms relative to all others in the home.
In New York City specifically, kitchen renovation costs in 2025 range from $45,000–$90,000 for mid-range projects to over $150,000 for luxury kitchens with custom millwork and professional-grade appliances (Sweeten, 2025). Mid-range bathroom remodels in NYC cost $25,000–$50,000 for a standard 5×8 foot space; luxury en-suite bathrooms with layout changes, radiant heat, and custom stone range from $60,000 to $90,000 or more (Sweeten, 2025). These figures reflect construction costs only — design fees are additional and typically range from 10–15% of construction cost for full architectural kitchen or bath design services.
For New York City homeowners planning a kitchen or bathroom renovation, the single most consequential decision is whether the design is developed with the precision and documentation quality needed to build it accurately. A kitchen design that looks beautiful in a Pinterest board but lacks detailed cabinetry drawings, coordinated plumbing fixture locations, and a fully specified material package will cost significantly more to build correctly — and may not be built correctly at all. ArcheA Studio closes that gap by delivering kitchen and bath design at architectural documentation standards.
Common Questions
Start Your Kitchen or Bathroom Renovation
Whether you are renovating a galley kitchen in a Manhattan co-op, designing a spa bathroom in a Brooklyn brownstone, or planning a full gut renovation of a New York City apartment, ArcheA Studio delivers kitchen and bath design that is precisely documented, permit-ready, and built to perform. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation and site visit.