This Renovated Loft in a Former Hotel Is the Perfect Mix of Polished and Playful

After 14 years, Irene Glezos and Julie Chartoff had outgrown their cramped, dimly light apartment in the historic Gilsey House. Built in 1867 as a Beaux Arts–style hotel, the building had retained much of its original charm when it was converted into a co-op space in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood in 1980.

Once Irene and Julie began searching for a new home, however, they quickly found that nothing on the market was a match for the period details and important memories of their current space: It was the home where they’d raised their first child, Max, who passed due to a rare brain tumor. 

Instead of moving on, the couple turned to local architecture firm Worrell Yeung to transform their 1,600-square-foot loft into an open, light-filled home with an additional bedroom and bathroom.