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It is tempting to give each borough a kitchen: rustic for Brooklyn, sleek for Manhattan, contemporary for Queens, eclectic for the Bronx, classic for Staten Island. An earlier version of this article did just that. It makes a tidy list, but every borough holds every kind of home, and a kitchen that suits a Brooklyn brownstone would look lost in a Brooklyn glass tower. The better guide to style is the building you live in. Start there, then add your own taste.
The pre-war apartment
An older apartment house often comes with details worth respecting: moldings, paneled doors, wood floors. A kitchen that picks up those cues sits most comfortably. That points to traditional or transitional styles: framed cabinets with inset or beaded-inset doors, or Shaker doors for a plainer version; painted finishes or a classic wood such as cherry or oak; stone or stone-look counters. Kitchens in these buildings are often small and enclosed, so fitted storage and cabinets to the ceiling count for more than ornament.
The brownstone and townhouse
A townhouse gives the kitchen more room and often a view of the garden. The house’s own character can carry the warmer styles the old list gave to Brooklyn: wood with visible grain, open shelves, an exposed brick wall where one exists, lighting with some weight to it. It can equally frame a modern kitchen, as long as the proportions respect the room. In a house this old, the question is which original features to keep and build around. See townhouse renovation in NYC.
The loft
A loft is one large room, so the kitchen is furniture within it and is seen from everywhere. Simple, strong forms work best: flat slab doors, long uninterrupted runs, an island that anchors the space, stainless steel or stone used in large pieces. Because nothing hides an open kitchen, the appliances are usually built in and the storage is planned so the counters stay clear.
The newer condo or post-war apartment
Buildings without period detail leave you free, and they suit the clean lines the old list gave to Manhattan: modern, contemporary or European styles with frameless cabinets and full-overlay or slab doors, quartz counters, and appliances fitted flush behind panels. With plain surroundings, material and proportion do the work, so the quality of the cabinet finish and the alignment of every door matter a great deal.
The detached or row house
In a detached or row house, in whichever borough it stands, the kitchen is often the largest of all and the center of family life. There is room for an island, a table and a full run of cabinets. Classic styles last well here: detailed cabinetry, stone counters, pendant lights over the island. So does color, whether in tile, a painted island or the cabinets themselves. See house renovation in NYC.
The styles by name
These are the terms a cabinet maker will use, and what each means in practice:
- Traditional: framed cabinets, raised or recessed panels, moldings, warm woods or paint.
- Transitional: the shapes of traditional cabinets with the detail pared back. Shaker doors are the standard example.
- Modern and contemporary: flat doors, little or no visible hardware, strong horizontal lines.
- European: frameless cabinets with full-overlay doors and tight, even gaps.
- Rustic, country and craftsman: visible wood grain, distressed or hand-worked finishes, open shelves.
What every New York kitchen shares
Whatever the style, the same rules sit behind it. In a co-op or condo the board consents to the work under its alteration agreement. In a landmarked building or historic district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission requires its own permit for interior work when that work needs a Department of Buildings permit, and it reviews anything that affects the exterior. And every kitchen here has to earn its space, so storage and layout come before style. Our piece on how to make your kitchen unique picks up where this one leaves off.
The kitchen gallery shows our finished kitchens, and kitchen renovation in NYC explains how one is designed and built.
Not sure which style suits your building? Call us or send the request form. We work in Manhattan and the boroughs and can show you options in the showroom by appointment.
Questions people ask
What kitchen style suits a pre-war NYC apartment?
Traditional or transitional styles sit most easily with an older building’s moldings and doors: inset or Shaker cabinets, painted finishes or classic woods, and stone or stone-look counters. A modern kitchen can work too if its proportions respect the room.
Do kitchen styles really differ by borough?
Less than lists suggest. Every borough has apartments, townhouses and houses of every age. The type and age of the building, and your own taste, are better guides than the borough.
Does a landmarked building limit my kitchen design?
Mostly it adds a step. The Landmarks Preservation Commission requires a permit for interior work when the work needs a Department of Buildings permit or affects the exterior. The style of the kitchen inside your apartment remains your choice, unless the interior itself is a designated landmark.