A Historic Townhouse Preserved—and Sustainably Transformed
Townhouse living offers privacy, space and the luxury of gardens and greenery. It also presents challenges and opportunities for the homeowner.
This New York City retrofit features restoration of historic architectural detail, from recreating missing carved panels, to removing a century of paint layers, to restoring original door handles, hinges and light fixtures.
The trend toward open-plan modern living blends seamlessly with the original rowhouse layout, so that the kitchen was relocated to the back of the house, overlooking the garden.
The nook created by the bay window provides space-saving seating at the kitchen table, while the large pocket door was restored to bring light into the dining area. Two family room—one on the ground level and one off the master bedroom— feature spacious seating and a large-screen TV.
Floors were saved whenever possible and a mirror was salvaged, painted in a gold guilt and relocated to the small powder room on the first floor. Historic wallpapers were installed in the entry hall and master bedroom and with more modern, large-scale metallic paper was used in the dining room, subtilely reflecting light from the vintage fixture.
The townhouse dining room, before and after. Missing carvings were recreated and paint layers removed. Metallic wallpaper reflects light and cabinetry is backlit with LED lighting.
