Brooklyn

Oversized windows look out onto up-close views of the neighborhood's most iconic sights, including Brooklyn Bridge park and the Brooklyn Bridge itself.

Behind the living room is a dining space, separated by a columned partition with inset fretwork screens along the top. The original woodwork adds an elegant and stylish look to the space.

From the garden, an illuminated view into the bi-level extension.

Rear Facade

When OSSO Architecture first began renovating this loft in a Brooklyn paper factory, it hadn’t been touched since the 1980s. Owner Malik Ashiru says the project achieved his goal of “a big, open space where people could come in and not feel cramped.” The formerly constrained spaces in the 1,400-square-foot, two-story apartment have been reconfigured into an open-plan living space with an office on the first floor and a loft guest bedroom above. On the second floor, the primary bedroom and bath open up to a rooftop terrace. Level changes delineate different spaces in the open-plan first floor, which is stylishly furnished with Ashiru’s midcentury furniture and artwork collected from his travels around the world.

An abundance of natural light effortlessly brightens the home's spacious living room.

Custom shelving now flanks the fireplace, now composed of encaustic tile from the Cement Tile Shop and a marble hearth. A floating cabinet on one side balances an uncovered radiator on the other, and Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace unifies the scheme. Throughout the first floor, Bona Traffic white oak floors with a matte finish is laid in a herringbone pattern.

White built-in cabinetry delightfully contrasts with the home's original wood beams and pillars, which the architects have left exposed (along with the aluminum ductwork and perforated metal) to pay homage to the building's industrial past.

The light-filled parlor features two original wood and tile mantels (one at either end) and 11-foot ceilings.

The living room features the birch plywood table with circular voids that inspired the kitchen design.

“We chose a gray veined marble (Vermont Royal Danby, from ABC Worldwide) for the kitchen counter,” Barker says. “We found bleached walnut floors from Madera to tie the parlor floor together.”

Jason lounges in one of two armchairs by midcentury designer Milo Baughman in the parlor-floor living room. The wood block coffee table is by Eric Slayton, a friend of the couple, and the modular Carmo sofa is from BoConcept. A 1952 piece by French industrial designer Serge Mouille, the Three-Arm Floor Lamp—widely referred to as the "Praying Mantis," for its looming trio of arms—is a nod to the couple’s love of Parisian interiors; a branch-like chandelier by Los Angeles–based artist Gary Chapman hangs overhead.

Wooden carved out a cozy sitting area by the back window. The walls are painted with Farrow + Ball's Great White. The chime on the wall is from The Tienda at Hotel San Cristobal in Baja California. The backsplash features glazed Moroccan zellige tiles from Cle.

The firm also widened the room and raised the ceilings. A coat of bright white paint modernizes the historic details.

The light-filled lobby, located in the basement, is at once industrial and warm.

The home's furnishings and decor reflect the couple's personal style, with a blend of midcentury modern and Scandinavian-inspired pieces.