Maximizing Space in New York Homes with Baobab Architects P.C.

Maximizing space in New York homes with Baobab Architects P.C. starts with admitting that “more space” is usually a planning problem

In New York, people talk about space like it’s a physical shortage. And yes, square footage is expensive. But most of the time, the bigger problem is how the space is arranged, what’s being wasted, and what’s being forced to do two jobs badly.

You can have 900 square feet that feels cramped and chaotic. You can have 500 square feet that feels calm and workable. The difference is layout, storage, circulation, and how the renovation respects the building’s constraints.

Baobab Architects P.C. positions itself as a New York City based full-service architecture firm led by Tafadzwa “Taf” Mwandiambira, a New York State licensed architect with an MIT architecture background. Their service lines include residential architecture for one to three-family homes and multifamily buildings, apartment renovations and combinations, gut renovations, and enlargements. They also emphasize zoning analysis and navigating approvals when needed. That mix matters because maximizing space in New York isn’t just interior design. It’s often structural, regulatory, and process-heavy.

This article breaks down the real ways space gets maximized in NYC homes, how Baobab’s approach fits the city’s reality, and what mistakes can make a “space-maximizing” renovation feel like an expensive disappointment.

Why maximizing space matters in NYC beyond comfort

People maximize space for obvious reasons. They want a bigger kitchen, a second bathroom, a real home office, more storage. But there are a few NYC-specific reasons this matters more here.

• Moving is expensive and disruptive, so renovation is often the practical alternative.

• Homes are often in older buildings with odd layouts, meaning there is usually “found” space hiding in bad planning.

• Small inefficiencies become daily stress when you live close to the edges of capacity.

• For owners, better space planning can improve long-term value and marketability because the home lives better, not just looks better.
  
  

Baobab’s work includes both residential renovations and larger multi-family projects. They’ve published examples of multi-unit work at meaningful scale, like an eight-story residential building in Gowanus described as 34 rental units and about 22,953 square feet, and a Crown Heights senior housing project described as 10 stories with 47 senior apartments and a ground-floor community facility. That kind of experience tends to create a practical mindset about efficiency and circulation. Those skills transfer well to individual homes, because small-space planning is basically circulation and storage discipline.

Step one: identify where the home is leaking space

Most New York homes leak space in predictable places. If you can name the leak, you can fix it. If you just say “we need more space,” you end up building more space when you really needed better organization.

Hallways that do nothing

Long corridors eat square footage. They also make small apartments feel smaller because they separate rooms without contributing any function.

Entry areas with no drop zone

If coats, shoes, bags, and packages have no home, the living space becomes the drop zone. That’s not a storage issue. That’s a planning issue.

Kitchens that are too segmented

Tiny kitchens often waste their footprint by breaking counter runs into fragments or placing appliances in a way that forces awkward movement. Replanning can make the same kitchen feel larger without expanding it.

Bedrooms that lack real closet planning

A closet is not automatically useful. Depth, width, door type, and shelf organization matter. Bad closet planning pushes clothing storage into the room, which steals usable area.

Bathrooms that are oversized in the wrong way

Some bathrooms have wasted corners and bad fixture placement. Tightening the layout can create more storage, better circulation, or even free space elsewhere.

Baobab’s renovation and alteration focus suggests they’re used to doing this kind of audit. You cannot maximize space without first admitting where it’s being lost.

The two types of space-maximizing projects: reconfiguration vs enlargement

Maximizing space usually falls into one of two categories.

1) Reconfiguration within the existing footprint

This is the most common and often the best value. You reorganize the home so the same square footage supports more functions.

This includes:

• Moving partitions

• Replanning kitchens and baths

• Upgrading storage and built-ins

• Improving circulation so space feels continuous

• Creating flexible zones that can change through the day
  
  

2) Enlargement, vertical or horizontal

This is bigger scope, higher cost, and more approvals. But sometimes it’s the only way. Baobab explicitly describes enlargements, both vertical and horizontal, as part of their services.

In NYC, enlargements often include:

• Rear yard extensions on townhouses or one to three-family homes

• Vertical additions where zoning allows and structure can support

• Roof-level expansions in certain contexts

• Expanding into previously underused areas, like attic or basement conversions, if legal and buildable
  
  

A smart firm helps you choose between these paths early, instead of letting the project drift into enlargement just because it sounds exciting.

How Baobab’s zoning and approvals focus affects “maximizing space”

The minute you start talking about enlargement, zoning becomes central. Baobab emphasizes zoning analysis and familiarity with NYC zoning complexity, including potential FAR bonuses.

Here’s why that matters.

Owners often assume they can just “add” space. In New York, you may be limited by:

• FAR caps that limit total floor area

• Height limits and sky exposure plane type constraints depending on context

• Required yards and lot coverage rules

• Setbacks that affect upper levels

• Other envelope restrictions tied to zoning district and lot condition
  
  

If you don’t check these early, you waste time designing an addition that won’t be approved. That is one of the most expensive space-maximization mistakes.

Even in interior projects, approvals can matter. Apartment combinations, gut renovations, and major reconfigurations can involve board approvals and DOB filings. Baobab’s mention of coordinating with boards and management companies is relevant because these steps are often the hidden schedule driver.

The real “space gain” comes from storage design, not just open plans

People love open plans. Sometimes they help. But open plans without storage are how you end up with a large-looking room that is constantly messy.

Space-maximizing renovations that actually work tend to include serious storage planning:

Built-ins that replace furniture bulk

Built-in storage can reduce the number of standalone pieces needed. Less furniture bulk means more usable circulation space.

“Dead” zones turned into storage zones

Corners, awkward niches, under-stair areas, and shallow wall spaces can become storage. Not all dead space is usable, but much of it is underutilized because it wasn’t designed intentionally.

Closet systems that are built for real items

A shallow closet with a single rod is a waste. Storage should match what you own. Coat lengths, shoe depth, folding areas, cleaning supplies, luggage, seasonal bins.

Kitchen storage that supports cooking habits

Pantry storage, drawer planning, and counter continuity matter more than fancy cabinet fronts. The kitchen is where clutter multiplies fast.

Baobab’s broader work focus on functional planning and full-service documentation suggests they’re positioned to get storage design right, because storage lives in details and construction documents, not in general ideas.

Lighting and ceilings are silent space multipliers

This is not just design fluff. It’s real.

A space feels larger when:

• The circulation is clear

• There’s consistent lighting, especially in transitional areas

• Ceiling lines are not chopped up unnecessarily

• Doors are planned so they don’t create constant obstructions
  
  

In renovations, lighting often gets treated as the final decoration step. That’s a mistake. Lighting is a planning tool. It shapes how the home is perceived and how comfortable it feels in daily use.

This is also where construction coordination matters. If you move walls and redo ceilings, you have an opportunity to fix lighting and electrical organization in a way that supports the new layout.

Baobab’s step-by-step process is basically a space-maximization control system

Baobab outlines a five-phase process: preliminary design, design development, construction documents, bidding and negotiation, and contract administration. For space-maximizing projects, each phase prevents common failures.

Preliminary design: choose the right strategy

This is where you decide whether you are reconfiguring, enlarging, or combining units. You also identify constraints early so you don’t chase impossible layouts.

Design development: lock in the functional decisions

This is where circulation, storage, kitchen workflow, and privacy strategies become real and specific. If you rush this, you end up changing your mind later and losing time and money.

Construction documents: capture details that create the “extra space”

A lot of the space gain comes from millwork, closet planning, and precise layouts. If drawings are vague, the contractor will simplify. That’s how you lose the functional gains.

Bidding and negotiation: keep scope from getting cut

When costs rise, storage and built-ins are often the first things cut. If those were the core space-maximization moves, cutting them destroys the purpose of the renovation. A good bidding process helps keep priorities protected.

Contract administration: protect the plan during construction

Construction is where the plan gets tested. Without oversight, the home can end up with compromised storage, awkward transitions, and misaligned details that make the space feel smaller again.

Common mistakes people make when trying to maximize space

Mistake 1: Expanding the footprint before optimizing the layout

Many people jump to enlargement because it feels like the obvious solution. Often, the layout can be fixed first and the need for enlargement shrinks.

Mistake 2: Underestimating building constraints

Plumbing stacks, structural walls, and building rules are not suggestions. If you ignore them, you redesign later.

Mistake 3: Treating storage as an afterthought

If storage isn’t planned, clutter takes over and the apartment feels smaller than before.

Mistake 4: Weak drawings that force jobsite decisions

Jobsite decisions usually prioritize speed over function. Function is what you’re renovating for.

Mistake 5: Picking a contractor who isn’t suited to NYC renovation logistics

A good contractor must understand building rules, neighbor impact, and logistics. Otherwise the project gets slow and tense.

What happens if you don’t do it correctly

If space-maximization is handled casually, the outcome is predictable:

• The renovation looks new but doesn’t feel more functional

• Clutter returns because storage wasn’t solved

• Circulation still feels tight because door swings and layouts were not refined

• The budget grows because scope and constraints were misunderstood

• The timeline stretches due to approvals or construction surprises

• In enlargements, you may hit zoning or filing obstacles that force redesign
  
  

The worst feeling is spending the money and still feeling cramped.

The practical takeaway

Maximizing space in New York homes is not just about opening walls or adding square footage. It’s about planning the home to behave better: clear circulation, deliberate storage, realistic kitchen and bath layouts, and a process that respects the building and the city’s rules.

Baobab Architects P.C. positions itself around the exact skill set this requires: residential alterations, apartment renovations and combinations, enlargements, zoning analysis, and a structured five-phase approach that runs through construction oversight.

That’s how space gets maximized in a way you actually feel day to day.