Before & After: Carroll Gardens Brownstone

This Carroll Gardens brownstone is a classic example of a historic Brooklyn townhouse. It was originally a single-family home that was converted into a three-family sometime in the middle of the 20th Century. We were excited by the opportunity to restore the building to its original single-family occupancy, setting out to create a space that could support modern living while maintaining the character and proportions that had survived throughout the years. Our goal was to achieve all of this within the building's existing footprint.

The poor condition of the building and the intended change of occupancy necessitated a full-gut renovation. We utilized passive house measures to ensure that the home performed as well as it looked. The transformation is evident from the moment you walk in the front door.

One of the few elements that remained from the original home was the historic staircase. The midcentury conversion into separate apartments left the staircase closed off from the parlor-level building, clad in linoleum with metal nosing protectors. When we stripped back the coverings and paint, we uncovered beautiful mahogany rails and a structurally sound staircase.

Although the stair treads and cove moldings needed to be replaced after a century of wear, the rest of the stair remained intact for refinishing. By restoring the newel post and handrails and opening the stair hallway on the parlor level, the historic staircase was able to become a central design element on the parlor floor and helped preserve the impossible-to-replicate historic quality of the house. Luckily, the wall that previously closed off the entryway was built around the staircase, so the wall could be removed without affecting the stair. In response to our clients' goal to have a completely open parlor floor, we incorporated large, cased openings to clearly delineate the three programs of living, dining, and kitchen on the floor. The arrangement is reminiscent of a 19th century floor plan but feels updated.

The parlor floor previously contained two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living area. We relocated the kitchen from the garden floor to the rear of the parlor floor in order to create one main living floor.

Removing the bearing wall opened up the kitchen to create a true gathering space. Passive house construction methods allowed us to remove heating and cooling elements from the rear wall. Large lift and slide doors from Zola Windows lead out to the new deck connecting to the rear yard. Combined with the large eat-in kitchen, this large opening creates an indoor-outdoor experience that floods light into the main living spaces. A steel and wood slatted shading structure was installed at the exterior to minimize solar heat gain at the south-facing exposure.

The living room was shifted to the front of the house, replacing what was a bedroom.

The front room was already well-proportioned and lent itself well to a front living room and center dining room open to the kitchen and hallway through large openings.

Lowering the windowsills at the front of the house to their original level increased the window height and ability for natural light to enter the space.

An ethanol burner was installed within a new Chesney's limestone mantel and surround to centralize the seating area.

Interior designer Katie Lydon furnished the spaces with colorful and varied styles to ensure that each of these three spaces were visually distinct, but still cohesive with one another. Keeping each space open to the others allows a continuous flow from the front to the rear of the home.

The living room is full of rich jewel tones in varying colors. As you move into the dining room, the color palette cools down, while maintaining the luxe jewel tones. At the rear of the house, light blue millwork in the kitchen communicates well with the cool tones in the dining room while allowing natural light to bounce into the center of the home.

One of the most important, but often overlooked, areas in a townhouse is the garden entry, typically under the stoop. Although small, this area was optimized to allow for comfortable, easy storage, ensuring the rest of the house is free of clutter and can function smoothly.

When the building was configured as a multifamily home, the area under the stoop was integrated into the interior space. To return the front facade closer to its original state and improve the building's overall performance, we relocated the entry door to its original location. The original stair to the garden level had to be replicated, as it had been replaced with a wood and iron staircase at some point.

The space became a functional mudroom complete with plenty of storage for the family to use as an everyday drop zone. We finished the space with fun accents that create an appealing space that doesn't sacrifice functionality.

Moving the kitchen up to the parlor floor provided flexibility when programming the garden floor. This garden-level family room is a great example of what is possible.

A large, comfortable family media room became the perfect complement to the living floor above, situated just far enough away to buffer the sound system, but close enough to feel like an extension of living. Removing the radiators at the rear allowed for large lift and slides leading to the rear yard. These doors not only connect the garden to the rear yard for indoor-outdoor living, they also bring much needed natural light into the garden floor, where lower ceilings can feel oppressive. Similar to the kitchen above, we removed the bearing wall to maximize livable space and flexibility. A fun mix of color and materials round out the informal living space.

Keeping the historic staircase in place provided the opportunity to update the hallways and create a better relationship between each floor of the house. We stripped and refinished the staircase and relocated interior doors to create more front-to-back site lines on each floor. This allows natural light into the hallway, in addition to the skylights at the top floor that bring light into the center core of the lower floors, emphasizing the beauty of the historic staircase.

On the top floor, we reimagined the stair landing to create a shared gathering space for the kids' rooms at the front and back of the house. The space can transform through the years, from playroom to hang-out spot, ensuring the kids have a light-filled, open, designated space to convene.

The original skylight above the staircase was augmented with a second skylight to ensure the play area felt full of natural light despite not having any windows. The roof access hatch was also replaced with a glass version to introduce even more light into the center space.

The finished product is a culmination of spaces we were able to create to meet the family's needs. Close collaboration with the design team, client, and contractor ensured that the house met the needs of the family. Passive House measures, including a filtered fresh air system, minimal mechanical systems, and natural daylighting, allowed us to incorporate efficient building details with high quality design into a building that will perform optimally for many years.