Sackett Street Townhouse
The clients, recent empty-nesters with their own consulting company, were looking to refresh their townhouse following the departure of their daughter for college. The scope of work included adding another floor to an existing extension to create a primary suite and a third bedroom and to update their living spaces to meet their changing circumstances, which included increased time spent working from home following the pandemic. The finish palette included bright jewel tones mixed with neutrals and textured surfaces.
Location:
Brooklyn, New York
Photographer:
Gieves Anderson
Stylist:
Philippa Brathwaite
The kitchen at the center of the space is wrapped in textured wood painted a blue-gray with cutouts that provide views into the dining room and back toward the living space. The cabinets inside are paneled in white oak, and patterned porcelain tile and recessed lighting along the drop arch define the boundary of the workspace.
The blue-gray toned interior of the entry vestibule volume is expressed as a red volume that separates it from the adjacent dining room. A pendant by Anony zig zags over the dining table, framing a display of the client’s ceramic vessels.
The clients wanted an open plan that maintained separations between spaces. The design approach was to configure certain spaces as semi enclosed volumes that would provide boundaries and define edges through materiality, lighting, and color.
The living room looks out on the rear yard through floor to ceiling glass. A Marenco sectional in blue Kvadrat wool wraps a coffee table by Hinterland Design A rug by Philippe Malouin defines the space.
The powder room tucked under the stairs is painted in a deep blue-black with a pop of yellow provided by a Kast concrete sink. A reeded glass and steel stair rail echoes the tambour texture of the kitchen enclosure.
Upstairs, the new primary suite is defined by white oak and painted built-ins that define spaces in a similar way to those in the living spaces. The sleeping and dressing areas are divided by a volume that acts as a headboard on one side and storage on the other. The custom bedframe and side tables face a wall of shelving and sliding panels.
A window seat frames the view to the rear yard. The custom closet wall is painted the same blue-gray from the main floor. The primary bath features a vaulted skylit ceiling and porcelain tiles that pick up the same muted color palette.
Recent weather events prompted a re-examination of the finishes on the lower level of the house. The spaces were revamped to create a secondary living area separated from a workspace by floor to ceiling sliding reeded glass panels. Porcelain tile provides a practical floor covering for a house in an area prone to flooding.
