A Manhattan apartment rebuilt by hand over 23 years

Mike bought his Uptown Manhattan apartment in 2002 with every dollar he had. He's been working on it ever since. He wanted three things: a big kitchen, a dishwasher and an open view. From his window he can see a subway station, the Harlem River and the Bronx.

The kitchen came first, in 2007. It was part renovation and part emergency repair. A friend at Home Depot helped him plan a layout of standard cabinets with filler strips, so it looks custom. Mike installed the cabinets himself, and his uncle taught him to lay tile. After that, he put slate tile on every window sill. He later repainted the dark cherry cabinets in shades from one paint chip to brighten the room.

His style found him through a sofa. When he replaced an old loveseat, he learned the new one was mid-century modern. So was the Sputnik chandelier from his friend Vince. Vince also passed along a coffee table, a fireplace and a saucer lamp.

Mike added French doors to bring light into the room the previous owners walled off. Later he doubled them to four. It's now his recording studio, where he records music. He built a faux chimney to hide the TV wires.