Duplex Renovations

After buying adjacent apartments in a 19th century tenement building in Brooklyn, Alex Gil and Claudia DeSimio created a multi-level space that included a rooftop addition clad in Cor-Ten steel. While the interior is both modern and whimsical, the couple also made an effort to incorporate many of the building's original features that were revealed during the renovation process.

Double-height windows in the dining room accompany sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. The light fixture above the dining table is a Tam Tam by Marset.

Prior to renovating a recently purchased duplex on a historic street in Kansas City, the homeowners and architects had to attend numerous meetings with the Landmarks Commission. The design, which was finally approved after six months, reads as a modern variation of the city's famous Shirtwaist style houses.

In the late nineteenth century, the area surrounding the Avenue G Residence was home to the annual Texas State Fair. Though the corn dogs and cattle barns are long gone, remnants of the fair’s horse track are still evident in the supersize dimensions of the Avenue G property. The generous lot is unusual in light of the rather small footprint of the house. In fact, as Alter suggests, “the land value far exceeded that of the building.”