This two family, four-story townhouse residence in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn was transformed into an open, light-filled single family residence for an artist, her film producer husband, and their two children. Working within a tight budget, the renovation was limited to the bottom two floors; with the relocation of the kitchen to the Garden Level and the establishment of a studio and living area on the Parlor Floor.  The intention at the ground floor was to remove the existing warren of old, dark rooms and open up and connect this floor visually to the rear yard through a large, frame-less window (inspired originally by the Noguchi Museum and garden) while providing direct access to it with new French doors.  This allowed the Garden Level to function as a nexus and gathering space for cooking, dining, entertaining, and lounging while simultaneously expanding the space with a  much stronger physical and visual connection between interior and exterior.

At the Parlor Floor- which had been badly reconfigured and renovated to accommodate the double occupancy- the intervention was more subtle and stayed within the existing language of the townhouse. Original moldings were retained or copied and the layout at this floor- previously sectioned off into small rooms and a bath- was opened up again, but within the traditional structure and logic of the house; allowing a more light-filled Living Room and Studio for the artist.

In collaboration with Selldorf Architects