Project: Cube | House / Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn, N.Y. / Architects: Palette Architecture LLC / Location: New York and Los Angeles / Builder: Grant Davis Thompson / Structural Engineers: KCE Consulting Engineering / Landscape: Isobel Herbold Design / Photography: Emily Gilbert
This late-1800s historic Italianate townhouse had seen better days. Previous owners had stripped away the original details, partitions and materials, so the building’s spirit had become muddled. The new owners called New York City-based Palette Architecture to revitalize the house’s original character but add a contemporary volume to bridge the two.
“The architectural approach was twofold,” says Peter Miller, a partner at Palette Architecture. “In addition to creating a threshold to the historic qualities by carving a 17-foot square hole into the rear of the home, we endeavored to create new contemporary connections through a 20-foot cube located in the rear yard.”
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The removal of the rear wall exposes the contrasting qualities of the parlor and garden levels. While the upper level retains much of the building’s original detailing, the lower floor does not. A thin metal portal outlines the opening, drawing attention to the contrast. On the lower level, the incision allows for a continuation of an open plan. On the upper level, a gridded glass wall infills the portal and creates a delicate veil to the more traditional character of the upper floors. Taking cues from 19th-century Brooklyn building traditions, the glass wall becomes a porous threshold between the old and new.
Palette’s cube addition is a minimally adorned, double-height extension that stands in contrast to the upper floors. It is free of all moldings and partitions, a characteristic that extends throughout the garden level. The firm set a contemporary aesthetic on this floor, including narrow edging for the kitchen cabinetry, thin borders of the custom herringbone floor and thin lines for the light fixture. Ancillary programs such as the pantry, cellar stairs, powder room and wine storage fill the narrow space along the western edge of the kitchen.
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“The form of the cube allows for a variety of outdoor spaces, and the carefully crafted openings accentuate connections to nature,” Miller says. “For example, the upper face of the cube features a large, asymmetrical skylight that provides a tangible connection to the exterior environment, allowing residents to track the passage of time and weather from the interior.”
The skylight also creates a visual link between the partially sheltered rooftop terrace above, and the people inside. The rear face of the cube features four full-length doors and a gridded glass curtain wall that faces onto a sunken brick court and manicured gardens beyond. Nestled amongst the native grasses and shrubs are hidden seating areas and a patio for entertaining.
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In contrast to the lower floors, the upper levels are more partitioned and intricately programmed. On the first floor, guests are welcomed into an open, yet formal parlor. Large pocket doors open into a rear library leading down into the cube below. Unique Italianate trims, moldings, and colors distinguish the library and parlor, evoking a true sense of the building’s original 1800s character. A refurbished wooden staircase leads from the entry hall to the more intimate second floor where there is a personal study and a pair of glass doors leading to a roof terrace overlooking the garden. The second floor also includes the primary bedroom suite, which features a working fireplace, a restored bedroom niche and a marble-clad bathroom. The third floor features a pair of bedrooms and bathrooms, each with unique wall coverings, fixtures and lighting.
“The traditional and tailored aspects of the upper floors stand in contrast to the simple and airy qualities of the garden level and cube,” Miller says. “However, the cube harmonizes them and mediates the interaction of interior and landscape, just as the incision and ‘veil’ mediate the two distinct interior characteristics.”
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