Photography by Michael Moran, courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects.
Buildings, like cats and the Dalai Lama, can have multiple lives. Currently occupied by real estate agent Sam Sullivan and his partner, David Moench, the townhouse was once a synagogue.
After a fire (possibly set by the rabbi himself), Sam’s grandmother bought the property and had it converted into multiple apartments.
An open kitchen and dining area, perfect for entertaining, looks out onto the terrace. A breakfast nook is tucked into a corner just beyond the kitchen.
Fostering a relationship between the outdoors and the interior is always a priority for O’Neill.
O’Neill’s firm oversaw the architectural elements and the hardware, but Sam and his partner decorated the home themselves with vintage finds and modern art.
High on the clients’ wish list was a hard-working kitchen (Sam used to be a chef).
Art plays a central role in the home, both past and present.
A window seat with a view.
Near the front door is a suspended bench, echoing the stairway design, for putting on and taking off shoes.
The view from the second floor landing.
From the den is access to a small terrace.
The master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling windows and access to a small deck that overlooks the backyard.
All the bathrooms in the home are clad in subway tiles, including the master bath, which also features chic black sconces by Areti lighting and stone-like porcelain tile flooring from the Graffiti line at Stone Source.
An oversized awning window provides ample light and air circulation in the steam shower room.
The view from the outside into the breakfast nook.
“We essentially built the garden around the wisteria,” O’Neill says, of the tree on the left. It’s the only plant they kept from the original backyard.
The outdoor space is anchored by a custom steel trellis.
The rehabbed front exterior.