Also Office Collaborate with Colony to Remodel a Bed-Stuy Townhouse
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And the award for Most Diplomatic Turn of Phrase goes to…Evan Erlebacher, founder of architecture firm Also Office, for this description of a project pre-intervention: “Like many townhouses in Brooklyn, this one had been maintained piecemeal over decades and not always in a professional way.” [Emphasis ours.] Translation: The building was a mess, a hodgepodge of DIY home improvement projects from the 1970s through the 1990s—all of it dated and bad.
The three-story townhome in the historic district of Bed-Stuy was built in 1881. Its new owner hired Evan and his team to bring cohesion to the chaos. “[The project] required a different design approach to each floor depending on their respective states of disrepair and architectural quality. This entailed executing a contemporary gut renovation with a new single story addition and a new garden design on the ground level, while preserving and renovating the historic parlor level, and overseeing a modest cosmetic restoration of the second floor,” explains Evan.
Once the house was nudged into the 21st century with sensitivity and in a holistic manner, interior design firm Colony was brought on to “play a part in unraveling it into the present moment,” says its founder Jean Lin.
Above: Preservation was the priority on the parlor floor, which consists of the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Here in the living room, Colony appointed it with the Camaleonda Sofa by Mario Bellini and blue vintage Alky Chairs by Giancarlo Piretti.
Above: Architectural woodwork was gently restored, with signs of wear and tear—cracks, color variations, and imperfections—allowed to remain. “The textured patina of the woodwork contrasts with the newly plastered walls and other fresh decorative features, like the new base and crown mouldings.” Wall shelves by Raaks provide elegant storage for record albums, books, and beloved objects.
Above: The vintage dining table is by Thygeson & Sorenson, sourced from Home Union. The dining room credenza is by USM.
Above: A colorful corner of the dining room thanks to the coral-hued Chiclet Chair by Ray Wilkes for Herman Miller. The old windows were leaky, so they were all replaced with Lowen double-hung wood windows.
Above: The garden level rooms were especially “dark and musty,” says Evan. “The worst part was an uninsulated rear extension that had deteriorated over time due to roof leaks and water damage from condensation.” Post-remodel, the extension now houses his favorite part of the project: a wood-clad sunroom that sits between the bedroom and the overhauled garden.
Above: “The sunroom is fully clad in white oak (floors, walls, and ceiling), with built-in white oak cabinetry. The sliding glass door is also clad in white oak to match. The sunroom is pretty small and open on both sides to the bedroom and garden, so the single-material palette gives the space its own boundary and identity,” says Evan. (See The Niche Workspace: 17 Efficient Favorites from the Remodelista Archives.)
Above: A cutout window between the bedroom and sunroom frames a garden view. The EAE Lounge Chair is by Erickson Aesthetics; the cork Arch Drinks Table is by Grain.
Above: The yard, once “wall-to-wall concrete slab with some weeds growing through the cracks,” has been replaced with lush plantings, decomposed granite, and an ipe fence. “I really love how the sunroom, parlor level terrace, and garden all come together. For me, the most elegant expression of that intersection is the spiral staircase landing in the garden,” says Evan.
