Project: Macdonough Brownstone
Architects: Sonya Lee Architect
Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Size: 2400 sq ft
Photo Credits: Mark Wickens
Courtesy of Sonya Lee Architect
Located on a tree-lined street in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, this late-1800s, three-story brownstone had been held within a family for decades- and with it, fell into disrepair and in desperate need of a thorough renovation. Windows had decayed, leaving large gaping holes to the elements beyond, building systems in archaic fashion and a lemon-lime themed kitchen that had been clumsily renovated in the early 1990s. The 1970s weren’t kind to the house either — a deep blood red wall-to-wall carpet covered each floor and was complimented with a patchy stucco interior finish; we stripped all of these finishes back to the historic bones, sensitively restoring what remained and introducing contemporary elements where relevant. Detailed inlaid wood, decorative plaster and wood moldings of a different era were carefully returned to their former glory.
Modern kitchen and baths were introduced with clean details, a soft palette of materials, and more comfortable proportions for modern living. Like most New York city dwellings, storage was lacking and we inserted custom cabinetry throughout.
