On the Market: Cobble Hill Brownstone
In this Cobble Hill brownstone, we envisioned the lower three floors – parlor, garden, and cellar – as a next-level entertainment space, with physical connection between levels and striking visual elements.
At Ingui Architecture, we see cellars, which are often wide open and under-utilized, as opportunities to create truly interesting and exciting programs. The addition of natural light is an unexpected and highly effective way to create interest and enhance indoor comfort in subgrade spaces. In this recently completed project, an exterior lightwell pours in light from the rear yard. Often, we use open stairwells and skylights to pull light into the center of the house. In this project, the reconfiguration of floor plates amplified that effect to create open, programmatically organized, and naturally light-filled spaces.
The rear parlor, garden, and cellar floors were reoriented to create a multi-level arrangement connected by a sweeping, sculptural staircase. Each level has its own character and use but is visually and physically connected to the others. Light flows from formal living room to kitchen to the spaces below, conversations can happen across levels, and families can feel connected from the different floors of the house. Whether used for formal entertainment or everyday living, the home fosters a sense of spatial and visual connection.
On the garden level, a study at the front of the floor is easily closed off with sliding doors front the informal seating area, which maintains strong visual connections to the cellar below, parlor above, and the rear yard.
Incorporating the cellar into the floors above created one of the most compelling spaces in the house, as the lower floors have been opened enough to create 30-foot vertical sightlines. Interesting design elements like the arched openings to a wine room, multi-story wall for showcasing artwork, and curved detailing on the stairs create an elevated cellar. From there, one can take in the striking view up two stories, unified by wide plank white oak floors and a dark mahogany railing that extends to the top floor.
Our interventions on the lower level were some of several spatial transformations that reshaped the house. Stay tuned for future posts about the other architectural moves that define the project.
This home’s story is one of connection, designed for family living and entertaining loved ones. Want to see more of the house? It is currently on the market, listed by Lindsay Barrett of Compass. Check it out here: 205 Clinton Street | Compass
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