For the dining room, Freeman and Feldmann swapped their tiny table for developer John Walker's larger one since he was moving into a smaller space. They topped it with a $12 pendant lamp from Ikea and finished the "room" with a counsel from West Elm.

While Brooklyn brownstones conjure up memories of their turn-of-the-century roots, they also remain the modern-day face of New York’s coolest boroughs. With brownstone living, however, comes responsibility—many of these classic beauties are in need of renovation and restoration. Here are 10 standout, renovated brownstones that retain their original charm with added contemporary cool.

GM 15 Pendant Lamp by Grethe Meyer

GM 15 Pendant Lamp by Grethe Meyer

A George Nelson Saucer Pendant hangs over the table. Behind it, a vertical slot window frames a Douglas fir tree while editing out the windows of a nearby town house. “All the openings were composed in direct response to appealing fragments of the site and to avoid relationships that would leave the owners feeling exposed,” Schaer says.

Already established in Europe, Burks has his eyes on the U.S. market. "I'm really making a push in America this year," he says. "It's about being generous—offering the product and making it accessible." He hopes to collaborate with more American manufacturers and retailers, but in a selective way—Burks says he's turned down opportunities to start collections with major retailers because the terms did not feel right with the goals of Man Made. "The artisans are a kind of hand factory—they are the producers. What I bring is some type of creative direction. It's not about keeping this world of basket weavers on a dirt floor. Everyone is entitled to progress and design is a transformative force that can make that happen." Stephen Burks for Parachilna, Anwar LED lighting collection in copper, brass, and black-plated steel, 2013

In need of more room for their growing brood, Eric and Emma Gimon, with Luc, Paul, baby Louise, and their dog, Nefi, asked for a private space to accompany the house designed for Eric’s great-aunt.

The collection combines influences from modernism and the Arts and Crafts movement. The Cedar & Moss pendants with a brushed satin finish are shown here.

The PH 50 Pendant was released in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the PH 5 pendant, originally designed in 1958 by Poul Henningsen. An undeniable statement maker, this light is a truly special gift for a midcentury design lover.

Don designed and built the white-oak kitchen table, which is cantilevered so knees don’t bump the underpinnings.

Neyer is also working on prototype for a pendant lamp inspired by a yo-yo.

The classic American Modern pitcher.

The couple designed the master bedroom, choosing a new red carpet inspired by the original and a Half Moon pendant by Allied Maker.

The Globo di Luce pendants in the kitchen are by Roberto Menghi for Fontana Arte.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

In 1962, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architect Arthur Witthoefft won the AIA's highest honor for a home he built in the lush woods of Westchester County. Having fended off a developer's wrecking ball, Todd Goddard and Andrew Mandolene went above and beyond to make this manse mint again.

The GM—Grethe Meyer—Pendants are balanced pendant lights that can be used for overhead lighting in a dining room or kitchen, and can also be grouped together to create a graphic lighting installation. Shown here, the GM 30 Pendant Light in Copper is made of lacquered solid copper and is suspended from a black fabric cord. Shown with Menu’s Afteroom Chair, Kaschkasch Mirror, and Marble Wall Clock.

In the DoghousePaul and Shoko's dog, Mei, has lucked into a small prefab home of her own. Making use of a water jet cutter at his office, and using Adobe Illustrator as his design tool, Paul fashioned a series of panels that slot together without any nails or screws.

This Saucer Pendant showcases the Criss Cross technique used in many Bubble Lamps. Other Criss Cross Styles include Ball, Pear, and Cigar.

George Nelson’s Bubble Lamps were first conceived in 1947. Since they were first produced, the Bubble Pendant Lamps have been a staple of modern lighting, and can be used in a variety of interior spaces. The Pear Criss Cross Pendant is an authentic member of the Bubble Lamp family, and can be used over a dining room table, or with other Bubble Lamps to create a graphic, sculptural display in a living room.

In the 2EM lounge, light fare like duck confit cassoulet and flatbread with lamb, blue cheese, and caramelized pears is served. Beacon-based vendor Niche Modern crafted the chandelier above the bar, and the stools come from Rexhill. A major philosophy of the Roundhouse is “keep it local.” Photo by Eric Laignel.

Above the sink in the kitchen, you can see one of Bocci’s first 57 chandeliers. Photo by José Mandojana.

Just because your kitchen is on the smaller side doesn’t mean you can’t make it as efficient and effective as possible.

The house is located on a 25-acre site. It sat unsold on the property for two years before the couple discovered it.

Their creative confections may ruin our diets, but we’re happy to be their taste testers anytime.

The open-plan living-kitchen-dining area is a repository of design icons, both classic and contemporary. There’s a Louis Poulsen pendant lamp over the Eero Saarinen dining table; Mirror Ball pendants by Tom Dixon over the kitchen counter; and Tab F1 floor lamps from Flos behind the Edward Wormley–designed Dunbar sofa. In the living room, chairs modeled on Jens Risom’s swivel design enable people to face either the sofa or to spin 180 degrees toward the kitchen.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

“The client wanted an interior space where you could read the materiality of the building elements like understanding the ingredients in a recipe,” principal architect Elizabeth Webster explains. The extension features distinctly textured materials: an exposed timber ceiling, painted brick walls, and polished concrete floors. Warm lighting by Brinklicht unifies the space.

A double bowl sink is also quite self-explanatory, created either out of one large sink with a divider or from two distinct bowls framed into a single sink.

This dreamy, glass bedroom by the lake was created as an early prototype for the prefabricated greenhouse/she kits known as the Kekkilä Green Sheds.

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.

Van Beek’s extra space is home to her office. She works on a Tense table by Piergiorgio and Michele Cazzaniga and Flow chairs by Jean Marie Massaud, both for MDF Italia.

The architect placed the windows at Sabrina’s eye level so that she’d be able to see her son, Rocco, playing in the yard outside. "You can feel the seasons changing here," says Chiavelli. "I grew up three miles from here, outside in nature. This is a house for experiencing life."

Beat Stout lights by Tom Dixon glow over the the custom dining room table designed by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design and built by Lakeland Interiors, which also did some of the millwork in the house. The dining room chairs are from the Tauro Collection by Lievore Altherr Molina for Andreu World.