“Typically, row houses in New York are very long and narrow, and only have exposure on either end to the outdoors,” says architect Shane Neufeld of Light and Air Architecture (L/AND/A). “A lot of the space in the middle ends up being dark.”

Such was the case with this 1900s townhouse in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. At only 16 feet wide—meaning a 15-foot span on the interior—and about 40 feet long sans windows on either side, the building desperately needed more light. “So, we actually made it longer,” says Neufeld.

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

Neufeld designed a two-story, steel-and-brick rear addition capped with a long, linear skylight. This, along with a set of sliding full-lite glass doors on both levels, does a lot of work to bring sunshine deep into the home. Then, the challenge was making the 16-foot-by-55-foot space seem less long. “We wanted to get it to flow, feel seamless, and like something that will draw you through the space rather than feel confined,” says Neufeld.

This was accomplished with a light material palette of white walls and oak to help reflect all the new, incoming light and knit the addition to the existing structure. The homeowner had grown up in the row house, and when he moved in with his family after his parents had passed away, he knew he didn’t want to live in a time capsule.

“The opportunity to give our children a great home and to keep the house in the family was very powerful, as was the need to renovate,” says the owner. “We wanted the process to keep the history in mind, but also to try and make it unique and our own.”

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Neufeld reorganized the floor plan to enhance sight lines between the living areas and carve out an additional bedroom. Whereas the kitchen and dining room had been inconveniently located on the lower garden level, and the living room on the parlor floor above, the addition allowed all the living spaces to coexist on the same level. The revitalized garden floor now holds a principal suite for the parents, and the top floor has two bedrooms and a bathroom for the children.

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After: Living Room

Since the project wrapped in 2020 and the family moved in, there have been many benefits beyond the obvious addition of space and light. For instance, the skylight “goes beyond just the additional light. It gives you an atmospheric quality in the sounds,” says Neufeld. “You track the sun throughout the day. You hear the rain. These are just not things you [necessarily] get in New York.”

For the homeowner, that connection between inside and out, past and present, is held dear. “I love that we have a home that feels like ours,” says the owner. “Also, in a weird way, it feels like the relationship between my kids and parents—whom my youngest never met—is fostered through us being here.”

Before: Staircase

After: Staircase

Before: Garden Level

After: Main Suite

More Before & After:

An Architect Couple in Amsterdam Turn a Garage Into a Gauzy, Light-Filled Home

An All-Too-’80s Condo Trades Its Popcorn Ceiling for a Chic Sunroom

Project Credits:

Architecture: L/AND/A Architecture (@landa_arch)

Builder: Ameripride Construction Corp

Structural Engineer: Grant Engineering

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Before & After: A Narrow Row House in Brooklyn Stretches for the Sun