Stuyvesant Heights Brownstone

Brooklyn • 2018

The transformation of a traditional brownstone into a contemporary home for a family of four radically simplifies the plan while preserving the memory of its original layout. The removal of existing, load-bearing walls was achieved by introducing hidden steel framing between the floor joists. Groups of small rooms merge into large, airy spaces. Hidden behind the traditional facade, an unexpected open floorplan creates an experience of surprise and detachment from the urban environs.

The design preserves the historic flooring pattern of the old rooms. Marble inlays along the footprints of former walls create a map of the ancestral house within the cleared spaces, reminiscent of an archeological excavation site. Selected classic features of the typical townhouse fabric such as stair railings and window trims are recontextualized within restrained white walls and under recessed lighting. A new garden door and exterior stair connect the parlor floor level to a garden.