House in Brooklyn

Townhouse
Brooklyn, New York

A three-story, three-apartment walk-up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn became a single family home. A warren of small, dark rooms was transformed into a series of light-filled, largely open spaces, where exterior vegetation completes the interiors and allows the home to feel detached from the dense urban setting. The middle floor is the heart of the new home. It is where the street entrance is located and from where you descend to the terraced back yard. Most importantly, this floor’s open plan allows natural light from fenestration on both facades to saturate the space. Undersized windows were replaced with floor-to-ceiling glazing throughout the building. In addition, numerous skylights were cut into the roof garden, washing otherwise windowless rooms on the top floor with natural light. A large skylight set over the main stair allows light to travel from the top floor all the way into the central floor. Finally, the home’s exterior makes no apologies to its neighbors. The facades are meant to defy their context.

Gross area – approx. 4,000 s.f.
Completed 2024