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Houzz Tour: A Brooklyn Row House Renovation
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
This historic Brooklyn row house needed a sophisticated but family-friendly update. The renovation took advantage of natural light, created a strong connection between the first two floors and the backyard, and respected the beautiful historic details in the home.
"These row house neighborhoods are in many ways very close to perfect environments for human habitation and civilization," says architect Brendan Coburn. "The fabric that exists in New York is such a blessing, and I really enjoy trying to preserve it, modify it and in general riff on what is here."
Please join me on a tour of the project with Brendan and interior designer Erin Fearins of Coburn Architecture and Interiors. I should also mention that the project architect was Sarah Ramsey, who has moved on to graduate school and is sorely missed by the firm. Let’s take a look:
"These row house neighborhoods are in many ways very close to perfect environments for human habitation and civilization," says architect Brendan Coburn. "The fabric that exists in New York is such a blessing, and I really enjoy trying to preserve it, modify it and in general riff on what is here."
Please join me on a tour of the project with Brendan and interior designer Erin Fearins of Coburn Architecture and Interiors. I should also mention that the project architect was Sarah Ramsey, who has moved on to graduate school and is sorely missed by the firm. Let’s take a look:
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| The row house was built in 1863 and is located in Brooklyn’s historic Boerum Hill neighborhood. The clients are special friends of Brendan's (he and the husband have known each other since childhood). This made the stakes high. "These are clients whom I love dearly,” he says. “I worked very hard to make this house a home for them."
This room is the parlor, where Brendan and Erin preserved the historic details but added modern touches. Note how the mirror reflects light, practically making it an extra window. |
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Creating a strong connection between the garden story (one floor up from the garden) and the garden was the first important design move Brendan knew he needed to make, and much of the design grew from this large first design decision. The bottom two floors you see here were the scope of the renovation. Note the new staircase slot on the right.
Click on the green arrow below to learn more about the steel and wood structure, called a bris soleil.
Click on the green arrow below to learn more about the steel and wood structure, called a bris soleil.
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| "Row houses typically have straight run stairs that are stacked one atop the next," he says. The clients wanted to find a way to make movement between the garden floor (the floor above the cellar) and garden easier.
“We decided to turn the staircase that connects the garden floor to the cellar around, pointing it down toward the garden. In doing so, we created a double-height slot of space in the staircase area with a two-story wall of glass that opens directly to the garden. This slot also offered a great opportunity to create a two-story bookcase that could hold the clients' collection of books and antique model trains. The randomly hung lights "are meant to feel a bit like stars in the night sky." |
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| The open stairway keeps the family room visually connected to the bookcases and lets mom and dad "hear what sort of nonsense was going on in the playroom below," Brendan says. "Most of the bookcases are within reach without requiring excessive gymnastics, but we did design the bookcase so you could put a board across the gap from one side to the other and stand on it to fill the shelves." |
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| "We love to find unique pieces for our clients that can be mixed with things they already own," says interior designer Erin Fearins. This includes sourcing things from all over. "There are great local stores such as antique stores and fabricators where we have things custom made or refurbished." |
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The fireplaces and mantles are original to the house. "We wanted to mix modern elements with the more traditional detailing in the room," Erin says. "One of these elements is the Bubbles Glass Chandelier by Solaria Home. The natural bamboo mirror is from Hickory Chair. The cerused oak console is from Global Views and the lamps are from
Bungalow 5. The oil painting was obtained at auction.
Bungalow 5. The oil painting was obtained at auction.
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Erin calls this area the kitchen sitting room. It's a small area that connects the kitchen to the front parlor/dining room. The Greek Key patterned mirror is faux shagreen and is from Global Views.
The clients found these fabulous vintage swivel chairs locally, and Erin had them reupholstered in this vibrant textured chenille fabric from Duralee.
The clients found these fabulous vintage swivel chairs locally, and Erin had them reupholstered in this vibrant textured chenille fabric from Duralee.
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Glass tile from Nemo Tile was chosen for the bathroom. The photograph is from the client's collection.
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| As for the garden-level floor, Brendan says, "The space at the bottom of the stairs is a kids' playroom—the odd leftover space under the stair was turned into a playhouse—with portholes and a small tunnel for toy trains and toy horses."
Oh, and about those circles Brendan says, "Portholes are way fun! It needed to be whimsical, and yes, there is a fort behind the portholes and the stair—good times!" |
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| Natural light "is an obsession of our practice," Brendan says. "Probably any architect in NYC shares this obsession. This house happens to have a south-facing garden. Because of that, we decided to open as much of the wall as was physically and financially possible to the garden and south light. Bringing light deep into a dark row house and creating a strong physical and visual connections between the inside spaces and garden spaces is always very important to us."
The sea-anemone inspired light fixture from Robert Abbey adds a touch of whimsy. |
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| Brendan packed a variety of uses into the backyard. "The driving idea was to create a kids' play space in the garden—the lawn and the bluestone patio next to the house, and a sandbox that is hidden below the wood that is just beyond the glass. There is a nice adult dining area at the far back. The dining area has a big planter behind it will be very lush when it fills in. They also plan to plant a tree closer to the house to provide additional shade," he says.
"I love these buildings—and buildings in general," Brendan says. "I do think well designed buildings and spaces have the ability to make peoples lives better." Amen! All photography by Francis Dzikowski of Esto |
Ideabook updated on Dec. 16, 2010.
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