Adaptive Reuse

Merlin Eayrs and Zoe Chan Eayrs with their daughter.

In the primary bedroom, wood and Mediterranean aesthetics provide the common thread. The bedside lamps are from the Spanish decor chain Natura.

The open living/dining area gives a good impression of Tas’s catholic approach to decorating, which includes mixing Panton chairs with antiques and homemade pieces.

The exterior is still clad in the original boards — Mitanidis guesses they’re either cedar or larch.

The Pierre Frey mural of an 18th-century French countryside scene is visible to passersby when the blinds are open. The bottom half is clad in ribbed tambour wood giving the space a more modern feel.

When architects Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard toured the raw industrial space, they were struck by how much light streamed in, a gift bestowed by large windows and the rare presence of a private patio.

That’s how Milla Novo and her husband, Nigel Nowotarski, came to live in the top of what was once a chapel. As you step into their apartment, large arched windows hint at its ecclesiastical past, but the couple’s eye-catching textiles and artworks—set against pristine white walls—make the biggest impression.

The punchy-colored base of the kitchen work table is a note of contrast against the predominant green accents. The table was custom-designed by Mariana de Delás & 2Monos Studio.

A large sectional both defines and cozies up the living room in the open plan.

Renovated on a budget of approximately $100 per square foot, this 1,000-square-foot Brooklyn loft in a 1947 chocolate factory is an honest celebration of affordable materials. New Affiliates transformed the formerly dark and cluttered space into a warm, light-filled home that smartly fits two sleeping areas, a bathroom, a study, a new kitchen, and a living/dining area without losing the loft’s airy and open feel. The key to the project’s success was leaving materials and elements exposed—from the pine plywood used for the walls, panels, and cabinets to the existing pair of three-and-a-half-foot-wide Art Moderne columns that were painted white and integrated into the design, rather than hidden.

“The challenge was how to make the space feel comfortable without dividing it into small units,” says Karsten.

During the renovation, workers uncovered frescoes painted on the walls, and the couple decided to leave portions of them uncovered.

Two friends spent three years reviving this 16th-century Basque church near Bilbao, Spain. Abandoned since the late 1970s, the church was in need of serious repair. The roof had caved in and vegetation had thoroughly invaded the structure. Built in the mid-16th century, with some add-ons in the form of an 18th-century bell tower and sacristy, the church had obvious archaeological and historical value.