It’s any kid’s childhood fantasy to have a dedicated space they can call their own: A room that can overflow with toys and reflect their style and interests. For a family with three kids living in Dumbo, the opportunity to acquire a one-bedroom apartment adjacent to its current unit couldn’t be passed up. It allowed the family’s living space to be expanded enough to create a special area just for the kiddos. Sarah Jacoby Architect led the renovation located inside a converted loft building. The Queens-based firm transformed the existing children’s rooms into a space the entire family could enjoy and touched up the existing living quarters too.

Following the acquisition of the neighboring apartment, and prior to the renovation, the two units were “dated and disjointed spaces,” Sarah Jacoby Architect shared. “We focused on connecting the two units while preserving a sense of privacy between zones in the home. ”

Using a the same flooring in the communal living spaces was a sure way to make the living spaces mesh with one another. Live Sawn French Oakwood flooring from the Hudson Company was used here; its warm hue and minimal graining made for a great base for personalization and decoration to take hold.

A sitting room, located off of where the children’s bedrooms were relocated, dons dark blue walls and custom floor-to-ceiling cabinetry painted the same color. The storage unit was designed to house toys and board games.

For any family the need to stay organized (or hide mess) is paramount. Additional custom built-ins in the kitchen and pantry accommodated space for exactly that. In the apartment’s new office a bookshelf—equipped with a sliding wood ladder—created space for the family’s collection of books, as well as the display of photographs and handmade artwork.

The family’s personality lets loose in the bedrooms. Each of the rooms play with pattern and texture and is unafraid to mix and match. One child’s bedroom is covered with a Brooklyn toile wallpaper, while another is decorated with a chevron pattern. In a bedroom with pink walls, an animal print rug makes a playful statement, while in another layered rugs and green shades introduce more flare.

“Through these thoughtful measures, alongside the incorporation of personalized touches and modern amenities, we created an inviting, functional, and aesthetically pleasing environment tailored to the family’s needs,” the architects added.

The use of color and pattern comes through in the bathrooms too. In the main washroom, which was completely redesigned, the midcentury double vanity lifts up off the tiled floor, so as to appear to be floating. Fixtures were sourced from Waterworks and the sconces from local lighting company In Common With do their job, so as to not compete with the seafoam green tiles that wrap around the backsplash, shower, and free-standing tub.

For this Brooklyn family, expanding its living quarters to encompass a neighboring unit permitted a renovation that hit all the marks: more room for play, additional space to stay organized, and new areas where family life can unravel.