Houzz Tour: A Tired Brooklyn Townhouse Gets a Radical Reinvention
Before and after pictures show the creativity that went into designing what is now light and bright New York family home
Sitting in south Park Slope, the expanding frontier of gentrified Brooklyn, New York, this three-storey townhouse was something of a mess. But it afforded the young family of four who bought it the ability to rent out the ground floor while living on the top two. For architect Jeff Etelamaki of Etelamaki Architecture, the lack of preciousness was a great opportunity. ‘We felt we could be adventurous, because it wasn’t a landmark block of brownstones,’ he says.
Working with a limited budget, Etelamaki and his team nevertheless were able to maximise the potential of the nondescript building to create a ‘modern, light-filled home that acknowledges the building’s past while envisioning the neighbourhood’s future,’ he says. Etelamaki’s fresh viewpoint, and his use of stylish yet inexpensive materials, gave this townhouse a charming and bright personality without breaking the bank.
Working with a limited budget, Etelamaki and his team nevertheless were able to maximise the potential of the nondescript building to create a ‘modern, light-filled home that acknowledges the building’s past while envisioning the neighbourhood’s future,’ he says. Etelamaki’s fresh viewpoint, and his use of stylish yet inexpensive materials, gave this townhouse a charming and bright personality without breaking the bank.
The Park Slope block has an eclectic array of early 20th century multi-family buildings mixed with newer and larger condominiums. ‘The lack of uniformity presented an opportunity for a bold facade design,’ Etelamaki says. He chose an asymmetrical mix of large and small windows, with a nod to the original facade ‘in the rhythm of window placement and in the geometry of the exterior cladding materials’.
For the building’s primary cladding, Etelamaki opted for simple corrugated galvanised steel. He chose it both for its affordability and ‘to blend in with the gritty, eclectic architecture adjacent to the site,’ he says. With a fine-tuned whimsy that is a hallmark inside as well, Etelamaki installed framed accent panels of perforated aluminium in front of flat fibreglass panels painted the project’s signature red. The layering of materials, colours and textures provides complexity and balance to the facade, he says.
Paint in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert.
For the building’s primary cladding, Etelamaki opted for simple corrugated galvanised steel. He chose it both for its affordability and ‘to blend in with the gritty, eclectic architecture adjacent to the site,’ he says. With a fine-tuned whimsy that is a hallmark inside as well, Etelamaki installed framed accent panels of perforated aluminium in front of flat fibreglass panels painted the project’s signature red. The layering of materials, colours and textures provides complexity and balance to the facade, he says.
Paint in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert.
With a broad view of the neighbourhood as the backdrop, the main floor’s open kitchen and dining room are the family’s centre. Etelamaki’s minimalist approach includes the simple colour scheme: white for the walls and ceiling, touches of attention-grabbing bright red for interest and a quiet strip of robin’s-egg blue cabinets as a complement.
The homeowners originally thought to set the breakfast table in the front room and create a more elaborate dining room down the hall and at the back of the second storey. As the design evolved, they decided to keep the dining room adjacent to the kitchen in the front, so the back room became a combination living and family room.
Dining table and chairs, vintage Formica, homeowners’ own. Walls painted throughout in White Dove OC-17, Benjamin Moore.
The homeowners originally thought to set the breakfast table in the front room and create a more elaborate dining room down the hall and at the back of the second storey. As the design evolved, they decided to keep the dining room adjacent to the kitchen in the front, so the back room became a combination living and family room.
Dining table and chairs, vintage Formica, homeowners’ own. Walls painted throughout in White Dove OC-17, Benjamin Moore.
Completing the front room layout: a music practice area and sofa that ‘fit into the idea that this would be the informal family space, where someone could play an instrument while someone else is cooking dinner,’ Etelamaki says. The bright red accent wall gives the room a strong focal point, and a brilliant counterpoint to the city’s greenery.
It’s the expanse of glass, however, that is transformational. Etelamaki replaced the original three small windows across the top two floors with ‘the largest windows the manufacturer could make’ – 9ft 8in wide and 7ft 8in high for all three combined. ‘But we tried to leave traces of the original windows,’ he continues. ‘The divisions in the larger windows reference the original window placement.’
Windows, LePage Millwork, available through Architectural Building Components. You Make It chandelier, Lindsay Edelman. Feature wall painted in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert.
It’s the expanse of glass, however, that is transformational. Etelamaki replaced the original three small windows across the top two floors with ‘the largest windows the manufacturer could make’ – 9ft 8in wide and 7ft 8in high for all three combined. ‘But we tried to leave traces of the original windows,’ he continues. ‘The divisions in the larger windows reference the original window placement.’
Windows, LePage Millwork, available through Architectural Building Components. You Make It chandelier, Lindsay Edelman. Feature wall painted in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert.
For the kitchen décor, Etelamaki and his crew took the time to experiment. ‘We tried different things,’ he says. ‘Different colours for the splashback, the blue cabinets, a bunch of iterations until we found one that worked.’ An early thought was to go bold with green glass mosaic tiles for the splashback. ‘That was always going to be the big, bold statement,’ he says, ‘but in the end, it just seemed like too much.’ He opted for pale grey and white 8 x 8in porcelain tiles that left room for the blue cabinets, two of which house the cooker hood, which they thought blended well with the exposed brick.
The column may look like an old chimney, but it’s not. It never was a fireplace, Etelamaki says. We made the opening ourselves and took out some brick to make it look like a chimney.’ Its presence, however, adds warmth and a sense of history to the space. ‘It gives it character,’ Etelamaki says. ‘It makes it almost picturesque.’
Akurum wall cabinets, Ikea. Duo tile splashback in Nacar, Porcelanosa. Profile hob, GE. Cooker hood, Miele. Ascenta dishwasher, Bosch. Caesarstone worktops in Nougat.
Discover 10 splashbacks with personality
The column may look like an old chimney, but it’s not. It never was a fireplace, Etelamaki says. We made the opening ourselves and took out some brick to make it look like a chimney.’ Its presence, however, adds warmth and a sense of history to the space. ‘It gives it character,’ Etelamaki says. ‘It makes it almost picturesque.’
Akurum wall cabinets, Ikea. Duo tile splashback in Nacar, Porcelanosa. Profile hob, GE. Cooker hood, Miele. Ascenta dishwasher, Bosch. Caesarstone worktops in Nougat.
Discover 10 splashbacks with personality
Etelamaki was able to provide the homeowners with ample storage ‘without filling the back wall with cabinets. We wanted to avoid that and not fill up the space too much,’ he says. The major cabinets run floor to ceiling along the back wall in addition to the wall, worktop and island cabinets. An aluminium appliance garage with roll-up front sits adjacent to the worktop.
Bredskar sink, Ikea. Simplice tap, Kohler. Soap dispenser, Franke. Aquaversa water filter, Multipure. Refrigerator, KitchenAid. Glenn bar-stools, Ikea.
Bredskar sink, Ikea. Simplice tap, Kohler. Soap dispenser, Franke. Aquaversa water filter, Multipure. Refrigerator, KitchenAid. Glenn bar-stools, Ikea.
The homeowners asked for an open, loft-like space on the main floor. ‘People often make that request, especially when they buy,’ Etelamaki says. ‘The proportions don’t always work in every scenario. In talking it through, we thought it might be nicer to have some complexity in the floor plan.’
The brilliant slash of the red-carpeted staircase carries through the red accent motif that so enlivens the interior. The existing red oak flooring was bleached and lightly stained to generate additional brightness in the hall to the combination family and living room at the back.
Cord carpet in Chili 616, Tretford.
Cord carpet in Chili 616, Tretford.
More whimsy greets family and guests as they climb the stairs. Etelamaki painted the facing wall with blackboard paint for an ever-changing gallery of the children’s artistic moments. The wall masks the coat cupboard and one for cleaning supplies and additional storage. Etelamaki made the hallway bench of simple natural-oil finish wood planks with steel hairpin legs.
Magnetic primer and blackboard paint in black, Rust-Oleum.
Magnetic primer and blackboard paint in black, Rust-Oleum.
The main floor guest bathroom – ‘a powder room with a shower’, Etelamaki calls it – offers the most tongue-in-cheek design touches of the project. The red-on-white wallpaper reads as French toile, but it’s France by way of Brooklyn. It was originally commissioned by Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys for his Brooklyn brownstone. The vision was to pay tribute to all things Brooklyn, according to the manufacturer, with images of the Brooklyn Bridge, the subway, Coney Island, Hasidic Jews, pigeons and The Notorious BIG; Etelamaki upped the ante by installing an elaborate mirror he painted the signature red.
Brooklyn Toile wallpaper, Flavor Paper. Ung Drill mirror (painted by architect). Odensvik sink; Dalskar tap; Godmorgon cabinets, Ikea. Acquia II toilet, Toto. Eyeball sconces, Urban Outfitters. Wall painted in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert. Stillness thermostatic control and showerhead, Kohler. Sant Agostino Basalti floor tile in Perla. Tea for Two wall tile in gloss, Crossville.
Be inspired by the back-to-nature Brooklyn look
Brooklyn Toile wallpaper, Flavor Paper. Ung Drill mirror (painted by architect). Odensvik sink; Dalskar tap; Godmorgon cabinets, Ikea. Acquia II toilet, Toto. Eyeball sconces, Urban Outfitters. Wall painted in Red Statement 3-16, Pratt & Lambert. Stillness thermostatic control and showerhead, Kohler. Sant Agostino Basalti floor tile in Perla. Tea for Two wall tile in gloss, Crossville.
Be inspired by the back-to-nature Brooklyn look
Part of adding complexity to the main floor plan meant creating a combination living and family room in the area originally thought to be for a formal dining room. ‘The back is where you go to have time alone to work or watch TV,’ Etelamaki says. ‘It evolved as we worked on the preliminary designs.’ The low cabinet and shelving arrangement echo a smaller version next to the brick fireplace in the front dining area.
The blackened-steel staircase railing seems the perfect choice here, playing nicely against the white walls and red staircase. The truth is, ‘it was economically driven’, Etelamaki says. ‘It was less expensive than doing a curved railing.’ The matt black comes from a chemical treatment, not paint. ‘We kept it simpler, more industrial to fit in with this spare aesthetic,’ he continues. ‘We made it look like it was intentional and considered, not that we were putting in a cheap material.’
Tour an industrial London loft extension
Tour an industrial London loft extension
The roofline slopes downwards from the front of the building to the back, which gave Etelamaki the opportunity to install a window combination that is 9ft 8in wide and 8ft 4in high, including a transom window, in the front-facing master bedroom. ‘It’s carved into the attic space,’ he says. ‘The space goes from nothing at the back to 2ft at the front. We used that space to pop the ceiling up and make the window more dramatic – and,’ he adds, ‘have a view of that tree.’
The master bedroom connects to the master bathroom, with double mirrored medicine cabinets and double basins, through a steel-framed pocket door with acid-etched glass. Wardrobes are to the right.
Etelamaki had to move the master bathroom plumbing to accommodate both a bath and a walk-in shower. The elevated tub sits on 18 x 24in porcelain tiles and is accessed by way of steps made of teak– the same wood used for the splashback. The surround for the shower window is made of mahogany. The casement window itself sits where the original window was set, but, at 54in, is much taller.
Basins, Toto. Purist basin taps, Kohler. Godmorgon cabinets, Ikea. Caesarstone vanity top in Nougat. Pierce wall sconces, Schoolhouse Electric. Sant Agostino Basalti floor tile in Perla. Tea for Two wall tile: Tea in gloss, Crossville. Stillness thermostatic control and showerhead, Kohler.
Basins, Toto. Purist basin taps, Kohler. Godmorgon cabinets, Ikea. Caesarstone vanity top in Nougat. Pierce wall sconces, Schoolhouse Electric. Sant Agostino Basalti floor tile in Perla. Tea for Two wall tile: Tea in gloss, Crossville. Stillness thermostatic control and showerhead, Kohler.
A boldly articulated red painted steel canopy clearly marks the common entrance to the ground-floor rental flat and the homeowners’ upstairs living space. Its strong red lines are copied and counterbalanced on the building’s upper left in the jutting vertical frame of the third-floor frosted glass window, which is in the master bathroom’s walk-in shower.
At night, the building’s expansive windows become warm, welcoming beacons of light in this rejuvenated neighbourhood.
The three-storey floor plans, from top floor at left to bottom rental flat at right. The entire project, including the exterior renovation, was completed within a £225,000 budget, but reads as much more expensive. Etelamaki’s fine eye and knowledge of materials were the keys here.
‘Inexpensive things don’t need to be necessarily equal to being bad,’ he says. ‘It’s picking the right combination. We used paint because that’s inexpensive. The other materials were relatively inexpensive. It’s getting the right mix so it looks intentional, and not that the contractor picked out cheap stuff for you.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Brooklyn townhouse? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
‘Inexpensive things don’t need to be necessarily equal to being bad,’ he says. ‘It’s picking the right combination. We used paint because that’s inexpensive. The other materials were relatively inexpensive. It’s getting the right mix so it looks intentional, and not that the contractor picked out cheap stuff for you.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Brooklyn townhouse? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A couple in their 30s with two children, ages 8 and 10
Location Brooklyn, New York
Size 1,800 sq ft (167.2 sq m) in the homeowners’ two-storey space; 2,600 sq ft (241.5 sq m) total including the ground-floor rental flat; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Architect Jeff Etelamaki
First to go during the exterior renovation was the fire escape. But the architect had bigger problems: an unstable wall where the mainly wood-framed building was once attached to another structure was no longer there. ‘The house had started to deteriorate,’ Etelamaki says. ‘When we opened it up, it was really scary – the contractor was terrified at what we found. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could see without opening up the walls. We had to do a lot of structural work to stabilise the house.’
Fortunately, the team discovered that the upper storeys had been built over a one-storey masonry garage that had been incorporated into the ground-floor plan. They used that solid shell to support the wall that was in danger of coming down.