For Brooklynite Augustine Sedgewick, life as a writer and a single dad often converge in his one-bedroom Clinton Hill co-op apartment. The building was originally constructed in the early 1940s as housing for workers in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and while Augustine appreciated his home’s generous living areas, he knew at some point adjustments would need to be made for his growing son, who lives with him half time.

“The minute I moved here, I had an idea that I wanted to use bookshelves to carve out a room for my son, Arthur,” says Augustine.

While using freestanding Ikea bookshelves to create a makeshift second bedroom worked for a while, by the time Arthur turned five, Augustine knew they needed a more permanent solution. Add to this his growing research for his new book, Fatherhood, which will be released in May, and Augustine felt the call to elevate his single-dad lifestyle.

“Some designers didn’t have the vision for what I was talking about, but Corey did,” says Augustine of his decision to work with architect Corey Kingston of New York and San Francisco–based firm Le Whit. After talking with Augustine, Kingston quickly realized it was about more than just building a second bedroom in the flat. “Having a workspace and a child’s bedroom became really important,” says the architect. “He also just needed a lot more storage.”

Eventually, the design evolved to include updates to the kitchen (with the addition of a new island peninsula), and an entryway open closet/bar area, which serves double duty as a new wall for Arthur’s room. Built-in bookshelves—complete with a hidden door leading to Arthur’s room—make up the other wall facing the living area. “Apartments in New York are small, and kids’ bedrooms are often just an afterthought,” says Kingston. “But we wanted this to feel really special for Arthur. Plus, there’s something kids really like about secret stuff and surprises.”

With the release of his book on fatherhood fast approaching, we talked with Augustine about the renovation and how it functions for both his writing work, and his life as a dad.

What originally attracted to you to this apartment?

My first job in New York was at Rockefeller Center, and one of the architects who worked on that project was named Wallace Harrison. When I moved to Brooklyn, a transition inspired by the birth of my son, I moved into this building in Clinton Hill, which was also designed by Harrison. It felt like a nice symmetry.

Plus, these apartments are really well laid out with a big living room since they were largely built for workers with families. Even though it’s a one-bedroom, it’s so much bigger and brighter than a lot of one-bedrooms in the neighborhood. I moved here fully knowing I was going to raise my son here part time, and because the living room is so big, I thought I could carve out part of it as his bedroom and still have plenty of space left.

How do you use your apartment?

My son is with me half the time (the other half he’s with his mom, who lives on Park slope, very close by). By trade I’m a writer. My first job in New York was as a journalist working at Rolling Stone, but after a few years I decided I wanted to learn how to write books, so I went back to school to get my Ph.D. in history. Now, I write books about history.

My job means that I spend a lot of time sitting down alone, but that’s kind of what I’m good at in a weird way. Most of the time, I write at home at my kitchen table. My bookshelves are sort of obscure books that I use for work. People come over and say, “I don't recognize any of these books.” But these are the books I need for my research.

Before the renovation, I had built a makeshift room for my son, Arthur, using Ikea bookshelves. I had anchored one to the pillar in the middle of the apartment using brackets, but it was open on both sides. That was also six years ago, so it was starting to look its age. The renovation was about making a fully private room for Arthur and giving him a space that felt like a real room, a real retreat.

What else did you decide to include in the renovation?

The kitchen was part of the renovation, too. We added the island so it could be an additional eating space in case I was using the dining table as my workspace. My favorite part of the updated kitchen is the marble that we used for the island and backsplash. It’s from Vermont, and it’s so beautiful. I’m from Maine originally, but Vermont is my favorite state. In the morning light, the marble looks so amazing.

We also added an entry closet and bar, which has a secret door underneath in the cupboards that opens to Arthur’s room. He loves having that secret “escape hatch.” There are windows above that open into his room, so now it feels like a real solid wall. The bathroom was also part of the renovation, we updated all the finishes and fixtures and turned the tub into a shower.

How does the apartment work for you now that the renovation is complete?

Another thing we did in the renovation that was a big difference-maker is that we soundproofed the walls. It’s huge, because honestly, the one thing I need for my basic sanity is quiet. I work from home most of the time, so I need to find a certain level of focus. It also helps that when Arthur is not here, I can put all his stuff away in his room and find a kind of visual quiet in the apartment.

When Arthur is here, we spend most of our time together in the living room. More than anything else, Arthur loves to make people laugh, so when I’m here, I’m the audience. He also loves to talk on the phone with his grandparents, so he’ll often go in his room and look at the map on his wall and pick out a place that he wants to go with his grandparents and talk about it with them. I asked him what he likes about his room, and he said, “When someone is being annoying, I can just go in there and *bop* shut the door.” I don’t know who he could have been referring to, but it’s great he has his own space.

When he’s not here, the door is usually closed. One thing I love to do when he’s not here is sit in the orange chair in the living room and read. Honestly, my idea of a good time is just sitting in a chair and being quiet.

With your new book on fatherhood, and making this room for Arthur, what have you learned about being a dad?

The book really came from all these questions I had after Arthur was born about what it meant to be a man and a father. Not long after he was born, my father had a stroke that really changed his personality, and I was struggling to understand what it meant for him, and me, and us as a family. In that moment, I really wanted to connect with my father and my son, but I didn’t know how I should do it.

The book tells the story of the history of fatherhood, and the interesting thing I learned is that nobody really knows where the idea of fatherhood came from, or how it started. It made me step back from the idea that fatherhood needed to be just one thing, and instead, listen to what my child is telling me he needs, and prioritize that.

The renovation was part of that, and it’s honestly been the best feeling in the world to do something for Arthur that excites or surprises or delights him. I learned fatherhood is less about me stepping into a role that needs to be filled, and more about really listening to what Arthur is asking for and what he needs. Ultimately, we’re in this together.

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Project Credits:

Architecture: Le Whit / @le.whit

Builder: Precision Construction & Design

Custom Cabinetry: Stand and Build / @standandbuild

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My House: This Bookish Brooklyn Dad Built a New Room for His Son Behind a Secret Door