Before & After: Grand Brooklyn Townhouse

When our clients, who we've worked with on a previous renovation, purchased this Brooklyn Heights townhouse, we were excited by how many opportunities there were to revise and restore the home, from the front parlor and cellar all the way to the roof. The combination of a creative client and partnership with the talented Rinehardt | Miller Interiors, SMR Craftworks, and Project Plant allowed us to arrive at interesting solutions. Together, we were able to accentuate the incredible details of the home while creating modern, open spaces that flow from one to the next.

Installing a staircase that better matched the original intention also allowed us to create a light-filled, arched view that extends from the front door all the way through to the rear yard. The staircase itself culminates in a beautiful skylight that allows light to pour into the center of the home, creating a calming experience all day long.

The kitchen blends true functionality with the ability to entertain and casually dine at either the eat-in island or cozy, round table.

In the new kitchen design, we rotated the island to elongate the functionality of the space. The Lacanche range in blue canard was one of the client's first selections and became a focal point in the kitchen.

The millwork is a blend of painted cabinetry and metal, perfected through collaboration with the artisans at SMR Craftworks. Calacatta Noir marble countertops from BAS Stone are treated with MORE AntiEtch slab treatment to protect them from etching and staining.

Throughout the project, we took care to respect the existing historic details, carefully considering how to blend the historic and contemporary elements in the design. The restored leaded glass windows in the bay and hallway are a nod to the building's history in the modern, bright kitchen.

The study is a deeply personal space, reflecting the owner's creativity from eclectic furnishings to curated artwork to bold color selection.

The wall color in the room calls to mind the Lacanche range in the kitchen. Patterned curtains and an antique desk are surrpounded by the owner's fiddle leaf fig tree and painting by artist Caroline Kent.

The space suffered from a lack of connection to the rear yard. By converting a window into wide, glass French doors, we provided direct access to the patio. New steps gradually make their way up to the rear yard. This new access point connected the garden level to the outdoors, and updated furnishings completely changed the feeling of the entertainment room.

By adding a full height door, we were able to create easy access to what is one of the home's nicest outdoor spaces, with multiple levels for different seating arrangements and expansive views of the rear yard below and neighborhood beyond.

In the wet bar area, pops of color in the pink cabinetry and blue light fixture make the space shine.

Improving indoor-outdoor access to the rear yard on the garden and parlor floors and reenvisioning the roof deck proved ample spaces for the family to enjoy their home, all year round.