For a couple embarking on their first renovation while expecting their first child, we were asked to reimagine a historic brownstone. The home had fallen into disrepair but still revealed moments of beauty and architectural promise beneath the wear of time.

Beyond refreshing the interiors, the project required a deeper reconsideration of how the house worked. The clients envisioned an open duplex for themselves while preserving the flexibility for a future top-floor apartment that could one day accommodate aging parents. Achieving that vision meant reworking the architecture of the house—from the layout and structural systems to the way light moves through the narrow townhouse footprint.

Throughout the renovation, we restored the building’s historic character while layering in a colorful, contemporary sensibility. New façade openings draw daylight deeper into the home, including a sliding ribbon window that carries light from the patio through the kitchen and into the dining room. On the garden and parlor levels, existing side-wall windows that could not remain under code became an opportunity: we transformed and enlarged them into translucent glass block, preserving daylight while establishing a material that quietly repeats throughout the house.

Photography by Nicholas Venezia.