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Types of Apartment Layouts in NYC

When searching for a new rental on Replay Listings, you’ll come across a whole new vocabulary of different types of New York City apartments. Many of these apartment types are exclusive to New York City rentals, such as “Convertible”. Because the names might be confusing and misleading, we’ve compiled a list of the many apartment types that every New York City renter should be familiar with.

Studio

A studio apartment is the most basic of all the apartment kinds in New York City, consisting of a single room with a full bathroom and a kitchenette that pulls out. The kitchen is most typically located adjacent to the sleeping and living areas of a home. A studio with an alcove for dressing or dining may be available if you are fortunate enough to find one.

Convertible

A convertible apartment is a common type of rental apartment in New York City. Convertible flats are frequently configured as a one- or two-bedroom unit with a space large enough to be walled off to create an additional bedroom using a temporary wall or partition. Flex-apartments are another name for convertible apartments.

Convertible Studio

In essence, a convertible studio is an oversized studio with a floor plan big enough to allow tenants to install a temporary partition to divide the room into two sleeping areas.

Alcove Studio

An alcove studio is a one-room studio that includes an alcove (typically L-shaped) that may be utilized as sleeping space when necessary. Typically, the alcove is no more than 100 square feet in size and is situated away from the main living area of the house. It’s also referred to as a half room in certain circles. In certain cases, depending on the size and placement of the space, it may be partitioned off to form a sleeping or eating alcove.

Loft

A loft apartment is usually a big open-concept space with high ceilings. Loft apartments, which are most often seen in buildings that have been converted from commercial to residential use, are distinguished by their high ceilings, large windows, and industrial style. If you’re fortunate, you’ll discover one with exposed brick walls and exposed beams, which is a rare find these days. Historic loft apartments may be found in Soho, Tribeca, and Williamsburg, among other neighborhoods.

Junior 1-Bedroom

A junior one is a studio with a bonus room. They may be a big studio or a loft-style apartment, with separate sleeping space and/or an eat-in kitchen, depending on the building. It is common for the extra room to be tiny and lacking in natural light (even if it does have a door). Notably, by definition, in New York City, a space cannot be called a room unless it is at least 80 square feet in size and includes a window and a door on two sides. This is why a certain percentage of apartments that may seem to be one-bedroom units are actually labeled as junior units instead of one-bedroom apartments. In principle, the extra room may be utilized for storage or as a big walk-in closet, but in practice, how you use the space after you’ve moved in is completely up to your discretion. In both pre-and post-war structures alike, junior ones may be found in townhouses, walkups, and high-rises, and they are often an excellent value.

Junior 4

The junior four, like the junior one, comes with an “extra room,” however unlike the junior one, the bonus room is located in a regular one-bedroom apartment. In this instance, the bonus room might be a tiny room with no windows or a room that is intended to be used as a dining area. There are four rooms in this apartment, which is referred to as the junior 4 since it has four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and an additional modest room.

Three-Room Apartment

The railroad apartment is the finest example of a three-room apartment since it is a typical rental arrangement that has three rooms linked by doors but no corridor. Railroads are usually less costly than other two-bedroom apartments, and they’re not the best option for roommates who want their own space and privacy.

When it comes to couples, particularly those who do not have children, a train layout may provide a great deal of room and solitude at an affordable price. For roommates, though, the train is a whole other story altogether. Unless the space has been renovated (for example, to divide the bedrooms), it is likely that at least one roommate will wind up sleeping in the living room (often known as the “middle room”), which also happens to be the only way to get into the master bedroom in most cases.

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Two-Bedroom Apartment

This apartment plan, often known as a genuine two-bedroom as opposed to a railroad (see above), includes two actual bedrooms, a shared living area, and a kitchen that may or may not be separate. In the event that you will be living with a roommate, a true two-bedroom apartment will be your best option.

Classic Six

An apartment with three bedrooms, known as a classic six, is usually seen in pre-war structures. It has a big dining area, a living room, and a separate kitchen with everything you need. Known for their historic beauty, these homes often include subway tile baths, clawfoot tubs, parquet flooring, and crown molding, among other features. The Upper West Side and The Upper East Side are well-known for their abundance of classic sixes from the pre-war era. In addition, Many pre-war cooperative buildings along Park Avenue, East Fifth Street, and Central Park West were built using the classic six as the default design.

Duplex or Triplex Apartments

Duplexes and triplexes are the most sought-after of all New York City apartment types, with two or three levels of living space on the upper and lower floors, respectively. The levels may be distinct in that the second or third level is reserved only for sleeping, or they may consist of real floors with bathrooms on each of the individual levels. In Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, for example, many pre-war buildings were built for textile storage units. When those units were converted into residential spaces, the final result was many duplexes with high ceilings.

Garden Apartment

A garden apartment, as the name implies, has direct access to a building’s rear yard. Garden apartments are often located on the bottom level of townhouses, brownstones, or modest multi-family apartment complexes. Because they are on the ground level, you may come upon a garden apartment that is really a semi-subterranean flat. Because the apartment is partly underground, the windows will be higher up on the walls.