Before and After: Reimagining Hoboken Architecture

PARK AVENUE PROJECT
It was a quaint, 1960s-style kitchen—like something from an old sitcom—but it was definitely not ready for prime time. Fifty-year-old cabinets and appliances were in rough condition. And then there was a wall, totally blocking off the kitchen from the rest of the floor. No light, no flow.
To the rescue: Robert Jenny Design Inc. and Robert Jenny Builders Inc., who promised to cook up something new and awe-inspiring in that kitchen area.

“Seeing beyond the original space to open it up,” explains Robert Jenny, principal of both firms, “we added a waterfall island to create more cooking and entertaining areas, and also designed and built a ‘desk nook’ for added space efficiency and two-tone top/bottom cabinets to best utilize the natural light.”

Of course, tight spaces are frequently an issue when renovating Hoboken’s century-old buildings. “We were trying to figure out how to get a huge cast-iron stove out,” Jenny recalls, “while finding a way to get a 300-pound fridge up a very narrow, old, twisty stairway.”

But for Robert Jenny and his talented teams, that effort is always worth it. “We love creating unique spaces that are functional and beautiful,” he says. “Our greatest joy is seeing the faces of homeowners the day they first see their finished space, and how happy they still are years later.”

Hoboken Architecture — Park Avenue Project; photo by Peter Kubilus, Robert Jenny Design