If you had walked through this apartment in downtown Brooklyn in 2018, you’d be forgiven for not realizing the pedigree of the site. It’s located within a landmark 1929 building that’s an iconic example of the Art Deco style, however the interior finishes—leftover from when the building was converted to condos in the late aughts, were bland and uninspired.

This particular top-floor apartment also suffered from a strange layout and water damage from a burst pipe. The owners, a Scandinavian family, asked interior designer Nina Garbiras of FIG Interior Design and architect Joseph McGuier of JAM Architecture, to intervene. “The top of these buildings are a little bit weird to begin with, and they just sort of made sense of it as best they could when they redeveloped it into condos,” says McGuier.

“The clients loved the fact that it’s an Art Deco building, so they were quite eager to have the redesign reflect that,” says Garbiras. “At the same time, they didn't want to do vintage Deco—they wanted to do a more modern, contemporary Deco.”

To that end, Art Deco detailing was subtly threaded throughout the home— such as the fluted glass doors, vintage furnishings, white oak floors laid in a herringbone pattern, and rich, jewel-toned color palette. Curving elements are a repeated motif—from the ceiling soffits that hide pipes to the kitchen cabinetry, and the dramatic spiral staircase. “The curves kept multiplying,” says McGuier.

Before: Entry and Bedroom

Before, the main entry to the two-floor apartment was at the lower level. The door opened to a long hallway flanked with closets, with much of the interior space wasted. “It was a crazy amount of closets,” says Garbiras. “There was a gigantic washer-dryer room, with nothing in it but a washer/dryer and 10-foot ceilings.” This hallway then met the apartment’s only bedroom.

On the first walk-through, Garbiras immediately envisioned a different layout, wherein the sleeping quarters would be upstairs and the lower-level entry would open into the living spaces. Then, in the process of gutting the apartment, the pair made a delightful discovery.

“When we took down the perimeter walls, there was a lot more space behind them—between what was the interior wall and the exterior of the building,” says McGuier. Their discovery gave the team anywhere from eight more inches to a foot around the perimeter. “It was really about taking it all the way back to the exterior of the building and then making more regular, well-proportioned, shapes out of what we had,” says McGuier.

After: Living Room

In addition to gaining more perimeter space throughout the unit, the team was able to lower the floor height in the living room, as the area had previously been built on a platform by the developer to make it flush with the exit to the outdoor terrace. “We dropped the whole floor and it gave us higher ceilings,” says McGuier. The team sank the living room by two steps, which also created a nice “stage” for the revamped spiral staircase.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Before: Lower-Level Bathroom

After: Lower-Level Bathroom

Before: Upper Landing

After: Upper Landing

Shop the Look

After: Bedrooms

Before: Upper-Level Bathroom

After: Upper-Level Bathroom

Related Reading:

An Art Deco Dwelling Receives a Sleek, Contemporary Extension

A Modern L.A. Home Mixes California Mediterranean With Art Deco Vibes

A Heritage Art Deco House in Australia Gets a Modern Update

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: JAM Architecture / @jam_architecture

Builder: Advanced Remodeling Solutions

Structural Engineer: Martos Engineering

Interior Design: FIG Interior Design / @fignyc

Cabinetry: Sophia Cabinets