Brooklyn brownstone – a place to grow
This playful project was designed alongside a young couple moving from their Manhattan apartment into a Brooklyn brownstone. During the renovation, the construction scope expanded as the family grew with kids. This gave Annie Leslau the exciting opportunity to expand design and adapt to the needs of the family.
Originally the kitchen was located in the rear extension which was tight and felt disconnected from the rest of the house. The studio’s solution was to centralise the kitchen space in the middle of the parlour floor, connecting the dining room at the front of the house and the living room towards the back. Annie Leslau transformed the original dark wood paneling and floors of this historic Park Slope townhome into an open and bright space for a young family. Clean, simple materials distinguish the fun lighting choices – vintage pendants in the kitchen and a connect-the-dots trail of globe sconces in the guest bathroom. The resulting parlour floor is a perfect space for both living and entertaining.
The home’s original architectural interior details were composed of mismatched dark wood finishes, creating dark spaces. To combat this, lighter colours and finishes we chosen and new openings and enlarged existing openings when possible.
The existing staircase was located in the centre of the floor plan, which created non-functional spaces on every floor and interrupted the circulation. The studio moved the staircase against the party wall, expanding the functional space on each level of the house and creating a beautiful entryway.
Along with the interior renovations and re-programming of the space, an existing rear extension was redesigned and enlarged adding a deck off the new extension, creating direct connection between the backyard and the main living floor.
