Contemporary Townhouse

Greek Revival Rowhouse

This Brooklyn Heights renovation was brought to us by a family that was happy with the amount of space the house provided, but wanted to rethink a few key, under-utilized elements and spatial connections in order to provide a better flow for the family's daily life and spaces for entertaining.

The family wanted open concept living spaces on the parlor floor, while still keeping the integrity of spatial separation common in many townhouses in the neighborhood. We considered this floor as a sequence of spaces and thresholds, each with their own identity, but heavily connected with large openings from one to the next.

After
Before
On the garden floor, removing walls allowed us to assemble a spacious, light-filled entertainment space at the rear.

To achieve this, we combined three disparate volumes of space – this historic brick house; a full-width, but shallow, extension; and a partial-width, secondary addition.

After
Before
Updating and reconfiguring the kitchen with a walk-out deck created a lighter, more inviting space for the family while taking advantage of the under-utilized exterior space.
After
Before
Widening the kitchen created ample room for storage, and all new millwork makes the entire full-width kitchen feel cohesive and well-organized, creating zones of use that are denoted by the change in material palette.
After
Before
The existing first floor extension that houses the kitchen was expanded with a pop-out bay, unlocking the flow at the rear of the house while creating a more functional kitchen and a connection with the outdoors. The roof of the kitchen was also repurposed for exterior space off the second-floor office.

On the top floor, bright colors, fun accents, and a chamfered skylight opening created a charming space for the kids to hang out.

Collaborators
  • Marie Fuer Design Studio
  • MLZ General Construction
Photography
  • Adam Kane Macchia