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Developer-led residential projects often result in predictable white boxes, but what happens if the developer is also a custom client? A townhouse renovation in Gowanus, Brooklyn, by New York-based Sarah Jacoby Architect (SJA) offers a unique opportunity to deviate from the typical townhouse renovation and challenge new developers to reimagine client relationships . A developer who lives nearby purchased the townhouse with the intention of renovating and selling the 2,962 square feet of space on the corner lot. Unlike past renovations undertaken by SJA, this project was a blank slate, giving Jacobi “the freedom” to design a house for “an imaginary client,” as she describes it.
“It’s more up to us, which makes it harder and easier. You think it’s going to be easier, but then you think, wait a minute, we usually respond to people who have some limitations or interests,” Ya gibi told one.
The three-story townhouse had been renovated several times before Jacobi arrived on site. Its staircase has been relocated and its brick exterior has become outdated. From the outset, the need for natural light was evident. The architects responded to this in a number of ways: first, by relocating the staircase to the front, strategically placing windows to admit light and privacy, and installing skylights on the roof and third floor to bring light in through the corridors.
The position of the stairs integrates with the layout of the townhouse, creating an open-plan living and kitchen space on the first floor and positioning the bedrooms and bathrooms two floors above, along more private corridors. Jacoby reflects that in other projects she has been involved in, the staircase has usually been an architectural feature left intact: therefore, being able to freely design the structure “felt like a pleasure”. The new wooden staircase is simple in structure and material, with soft texture and curved handrails.
Stairs are jumping points that bring warmth to the interior. The windows and cabinets were then wrapped in timber frames and a large island base was made from the wood. This attention to small details (not always evident in developer-led projects) is visible throughout: the bold red used on the powder room walls, the curved door handles, and the quirky closet hidden within the living room wall .
The joy of the project lies in its speculative nature and the opportunity to make changes without restrictions or client judgment. Does a blue front door match the tones of red faucets or the simplicity of wooden elements? does it matter?
“People always think a house needs to have a vision,” says Jacobi. “If you have a vision, that’s great, but I think if people ask, ‘Will this tile go with this color?’ If everything is beautiful in itself, maybe natural, then it gets lost. “
This is not to say that design decisions are made haphazardly. Like most features in the house, the blue color of the front door was a carefully considered choice. Its cheerful tone is carried over to the exterior: the colors are taken from Marvin Windows’ standard range and match perfectly with the brickwork on the building’s front and rear facades. In addition to the restoration of the brickwork and existing lintels, the exterior of the building, like the interior, also underwent a complete renovation. Its east facade was originally planned to have a similar brick cladding but ultimately had to be painted in the same blue as the front woodwork and the roof extension housing the stairs.
“Part of the process is determining what people like or don’t like, and what doesn’t make us feel too sad to change,” Jacoby said.
Project specifications
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- Design Architect: Sarah Jacoby Architect
- structural engineer: Celin Muñoz-Consultancy
- Electrical Engineer: Council
- General contractor: Gowanus Custom Builders
- Facade system: stow
- Windows: Marvin Windows, SkyFloor
- Door: Trustil
- roof: luxury wood products
- water proof: stow
- Fire protection: 3M
- Door hardware: DND
- Grille: American Vent and AAG
- watt: Cle, Mutina Lane, Futura
- light: Apparatus, RBW, Allied Maker, Cedar and Moss, Lenson, USAi, In Common With, Astep
- Fixtures and Appliances: Vola, Duravit, Miele, Moen, Watermark, Bluworks
- mesa: bath stone
- Tailgate: Heather tiles
- wooden product: luxurious
- stairs: building atlantic staircase
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