Architect Robert Garneau didnt have to look far for inspiration when he was asked to renovate a modest apartment inside a prewar building in Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood. A founding partner of Architecture Workshop PC, a boutique design firm noted for balancing elegance with efficiency, Garneau spent a decade living in the building some 20 years earlier and knew virtually every architectural detail of the residence without ever setting foot inside.By the time he toured the spacea 400-square-foot jewel box on the 18th floorthe architect had already envisioned creating a modern enclave that carried a sophisticated dialogue with the dwellings 1920s prewar charm. And despite the deep knowledge of the structure, he says he didnt approach the project with too many preconceived notions. Notwithstanding everything I already knew about the building, it was really a balancing of the old and new that lies at the core of the project, explains Garneau, a small-space expert whose firm has carved out a niche embracing projects with compact footprints. We wanted to maintain its rich character, but also offer the client a cozy, more contemporary space.Moving through the space and experiencing it, you only have so much to work with spatially, Garneau says of the 400-square-foot apartment. Its a challenge to unlock that real potential that I think is a great opportunity for an architect to revel in. The architect worked with Barbara Feinstein for the interior decorating of the small space. The sofa and lounge chairs are from Lawson-Fenning. The coffee table is Arteriors and the living room rug is ABC Carpet & Home.That client is television executive Tracy Underwood, a former president at ABC Signature who recently transitioned into an exclusive producing gig at 20th Television, a production company owned by Disney Television Studios. Based in Los Angeles, she purchased the apartment in 2021 as pied--terre for her frequent trips to New York City. At the time, she was living inside a Spanish bungalow-style home in LAs Silver Lake community and said she wanted the interior aesthetics of the Manhattan apartment to be a departure from her life on the West Coast.Robert really understood how important it was for me to preserve as much of the apartments history and character, says Underwood (right).