You are reading

Take the Stairs: A Brooklyn Apartment with a ‘Hobbit-Like’ Attic and Double-Height Ceilings

Start typing to search...

House Tour Issue 32 — Design Cool

Take the Stairs: A Brooklyn Apartment with a ‘Hobbit-Like’ Attic and Double-Height Ceilings

Fan Winston August 8, 2022

It was the sky-lit double-height living space that clinched the deal and convinced architecture firm Khanna Schultz‘s clients to buy the three-level Brooklyn apartment sight unseen (the pair were out of state and had to rely on real estate listing images)—this despite the home’s small, “Hobbit-like” attic and an unusual upside-down layout: “In the 1980s the townhouse was divided into two large apartments. Our clients’ apartment, occupying three floors at the top of the building, had been modified to include a double-height space taking over part of the old attic. This space is unexpected and bright, especially after the trip up two flights of stairs. It also has access to a rear terrace, so it made the most sense to put the public spaces there, with bedrooms below,” explains the architects.

While the couple kept the inverted floor plan (along with the original marble fireplaces), they gutted nearly everything else. “The clients wanted to completely overhaul all the finishes, fixtures, and appliances, all of which were badly in need of an upgrade, rethink the millwork to maximize storage, upgrade the glazing, and make something of the deck area.” Follow along as the architects give us a tour—starting from the top.

Photography by Julian Wass and styling by Carin Scheve, courtesy of Khanna Schultz, unless otherwise noted.

Attic

&#8\2\20;our favorite moment is the walnut wood box hovering above the doub 17 — Above: “Our favorite moment is the walnut wood box hovering above the double height space which makes an exciting moment that is unusual in the context of a townhouse,” says the Khanna Schultz team. The wood-clad attic sits above the living area and has windows that overlook the dining space. The ceiling is low here, measuring just 7 feet high, lending the room, which is used as a den and guest room, a distinctive coziness. The Mario Bellini “Le Bambole” Lounge Chair & Ottoman are from B&B Italia.

Third Floor

the walnut wood walls in the attic wrap around and turn into a walnut wood ceil 18 — Above: The walnut wood walls in the attic wrap around and turn into a walnut wood ceiling for the living area. A pair of Gwyneth Swivel Chairs, designed by Gwyneth Paltrow for CB2, were reupholstered in brown velvet. On the walls is Benjamin Moore Calm.

no detail was too small. khanna schultz redesigned all the built ins, the stair 19 — Above: No detail was too small. Khanna Schultz redesigned all the built-ins, the stair railing, as well as the HVAC vents (in the shape of slim, rectangular cutouts).

garden place brooklyn townhouse khanna schultz deck — Above: The owners don’t have access to the garden below, but they do have this lovely deck, just off the living area, designed by Julie Farris of XS Space.

looking from the living space to the dining area, to the right of which is the 21 — Above: Looking from the living space to the dining area, to the right of which is the kitchen.

&#8\2\20;materials were carefully selected to be both earthy and modern.&am 22 — Above: “Materials were carefully selected to be both earthy and modern.” Chairs by Simonini (purchased from 1stdibs) surround the oak Bok Table from Industry West. The chandelier is from Apparatus.

the lower cabinets in the kitchen are painted benjamin moore westcott navy. the 23 — Above: The lower cabinets in the kitchen are painted Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy. The floors throughout are white oak—rift and quarter sawn, stained, with a matte finish.

Second Floor

&#8\2\20;careful thought was given to tie the spaces materially and visuall 24 — Above: “Careful thought was given to tie the spaces materially and visually up and through the apartment especially given the upside-down nature of the floor plan which asked the visitor and inhabitant to move up two floors before arriving at the public spaces. In this vein, the stair was rehauled and railing updated to create a continuous visual line up to the public spaces. ” Photograph by Navajeet Khatri.

a bedroom with built in closets with rattan doors. 25 — Above: A bedroom with built-in closets with rattan doors.

a closeup of the marble fireplace in the bedroom. 26 — Above: A closeup of the marble fireplace in the bedroom.

the team designed storage built ins to surround the windows in the main bedroom 27 — Above: The team designed storage built-ins to surround the windows in the main bedroom, using walnut wood panels to reference the attic box. Note that the same cabinet door knobs, from Schoolhouse, are used for the built-ins on every floor. The black ceiling light is from In Common With.

First Floor

garden place brooklyn townhouse khanna schultz navajeet khatri — Above: Guests enter on the parlor floor and immediately head up the stairs to reach the apartment. The floors are made up of Belgian Reproduction Circle and Losange terracotta tiles in Flemish Black, from Clé Tile.

Aside from the team at Khanna Schultz, the couple worked with:

General Contractor: REDOnyc
Landscape Design: XS Space
Structural Engineering: Ross Dalland, P.E.
Mechanical Engineering: On Point Engineering
Loose furnishings: Mims Design Co
Selective artworks: by Nancy Hubbard and Alex Strada via 3walls

For another project designed by Khanna Schultz, see The Architect Is In: A Brooklyn Townhouse Grows Around a Roof Garden.

For another landscape project designed by XS Space, see Landscape Designer Visit: A Small Brooklyn Backyard Where ‘Every Detail, Every Inch’ Is Important.

(Visited 1,591 times, 1 visits today)

You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Add to Collection

Product summary

Take the Stairs A Brooklyn Apartment with a HobbitLike Attic and DoubleHeight Ceilings portrait 3

Sofas & Couches

Gwyneth Ivory Boucle Chair

$1,899.00 USD from CB2

arundel surface mount

Wall Lights & Sconces

Arundel Surface Mount

$525.00 USD from In Common With

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Current Obsessions: En Vacances

The Modern Weaver: Combining Cycladic Minimalism with the Beauty of Undyed British Wool

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

przystup catskills living room rip tan christian harder

Upstate Update: A Writer’s Warm, Lived-In Catskills Farmhouse

by Annie Quigley

November 18, 2024

dun guaidhre 2

A Scottish Fisherman’s Cottage Gets an Update, with Make-Do-and-Mend Spirit

by Morgan Goldberg

November 11, 2024

heidi lachapelle treehouse mudroom

The Treehouse: ‘New England Sensibility With a Twist’

by Fan Winston

November 1, 2024

×

Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Become a Member

Member benefits include:

Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.

Subscribe Subscribe

Annual ~~$119.88~~ $59.99/year - SAVE 50%

Monthly $9.99/mo

Subscriber benefits include:

Unlimited access to all three sites
Weekly access to subscriber-only content
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

×

Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.

Subscribe Subscribe

Annual (Save 50%) $59.99 USD/yr

Monthly $9.99 USD/mo

Subscriber benefits include:

Unlimited access to all three sites
Weekly access to subscriber-only content
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Become a Member

Member benefits include:

Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account