Scandinavian sensibilities have taken over a “Little Poland” townhome. The Greenpoint renovation project was by Lea Architecture, a Brooklyn office founded by Jane Lea. The project “remixes Scandinavian living with Falu red-inspired color blocking,” the designer said. The renovation happened across all three of the townhouse’s floors; it prioritized making the 4,975-square-foot home more aesthetically pleasing, spacious, and energy efficient.
From outside, the Greenpoint Townhouse still looks like its neighbors; the stately brick, white lintels and door frames don’t cry out for attention from passersby. The building has a commercial unit on the ground floor and a single-story garage to its side. Lea Architecture and the client opted to keep much of the exterior intact while material exploration happened inside. The team also leveraged the top of the three-car garage for added outdoor space. This deck is connected to the kitchen area, which offers nice space for outdoor dining in the warmer months.
Enter the front door, and visitors parse through a tall, narrow space. A wood stair greets them, inviting them to ascend upward, leading to a well-lit, spacious, second floor area. A fireplace lined in striated, smoky red tiling anchors the living space, as well as the bathroom. Splashes of color adorn the furniture, which contrasts nicely with the muted, white walls. An island partially divides the kitchen and leisure area, maintaining a fluidity between both.
The client was a Scandinavian family which sought to feel more at home in North Brooklyn. Lea Architecture opted to use Rift white oak and Falu red in the material palette to achieve that effect. The house’s central sculptural stair uses this color and material motif. The main stair, which designers called the house’s “backbone,” was left partially exposed to allow natural light into the second floor from the first floor living area. For this bit, Lea Architecture worked closely with Land and Shore Creative to get things right. The stair connects all three levels, culminating in a wraparound feature that terminates as the bedroom’s headboard.
Note Design collaborated on the bathroom addition, while Land and Shore Creative served as the general contractor. Solar panels were added to the roof, mounds of insulation were inserted in the walls, and the supply systems were made all-electric to meet the client’s energy goals.
The smoky reds and somber oaks contrast nicely with the floor, ceiling, and wall surfaces, which are off-white. The aesthetic strategy ultimately reconciled, as the architects said, “the multinational client’s itinerant lifestyle with the rooting sensibilities of home.”