The Beautiful Wreck: First impressions

I had been warned that the apartment I was going to see was in terrible shape.
That it was a 'fixer upper'.
The listing even said "The apartment features two exposures, a decorative fireplace, step-down living area, separate windowed kitchen, windowed bath and dressing area, abundant closet space and large entrance foyer. NEEDS EVERYTHING, BRING YOUR CONTRACTOR!"
So I was expecting the absolute Pit of Hell.
I got off the elevator with David and the selling realtor and was immediately charmed by the hallway, a cozy floral wallpaper on the walls and sconces adding a nice glow to the space.
The key went in the front door and we walked into, yes, an apartment in dire need of some love, but far from the disaster it was billed as.
You could tell in an instant that the place had 'good bones' and that it had tons of potential.
Now make no mistake, the place was gross: dark, dingy, and dirty. Peeling wallpaper. Chippped sooty wall paint. Rusty windows that didn't fully shut. Cracked linoleum and sad, dull hardwood floors.
But the layout had possibilities.

The original apartment layout

Right off the entry was a big walk-in closet and small vestibule. I liked that you had a break from the outside upon entering, you weren't walking right into the apartment proper.

The entry vestibule

View into main room, bathroom door on right

The odd space off the entryway, doors to bathroom and kitchen are to the left.

To the right, you passed into a large space that was much too wide to be a hallway and too ill-placed to be a dining area. Off this was an outdated kitchen and a scary bathroom, where old Kleenex tissues were stuffed around the non-closing window and rust stains lined the tub.

Bathroom window

Bathroom sink

Toilet

All of this opened onto steps that went down into the main room.
Since this part of the apartment was on a corner, there were large windows on two sides that let in good Southern exposure light and a view of the small courtyard behind the building.