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Antarctic White marble from STS Stone makes up the vanity in the principal bath.

The eponymous founder and principal of Michael K. Chen Architecture resuscitated a four-story, 3,600-square-foot home in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood that was built in 1895 and had been abandoned for 20 years. Its newest owners—a tech investor and an art teacher at a public school—were inspired by the playful color palette that was still apparent underneath the building’s decay. "We had epic color palette meetings, looking at deck after deck for paint colors that spoke to us or provoked a particular sensation,” says Chen. “You don’t look at the color, you inhabit it.”

After: "We don't believe in the hierarchy of materials,

The grey tones on the wall are separated by a dark red smalto stripe. The faucet is from Officina Nicolazzi and the lights are Tooy.

Bunk Room

Stewey is sweet, very loving, and extremely cheeky. His favorite game is to steal a cushion, run outside with it, and wait to be chased. He is also an enthusiastic participant in family cuddles, jumping on heads, and nibbling on ears. Architect Austin Maynard designed a clever dog-door system so that there was no need to install one in any of the windows (of which there are many). When family members arrive home they can see Stewey waiting with toy in mouth to present to them as a welcome-home fit.

A closer look at the sculptural steel stair connecting the two main levels.

A suspended steel stair adds a sculptural element to the home.

A skylight floods the central stair with natural light. Partly perforated treads let daylight filter through multiple floors.

The family’s two Siamese cats also have their own private escape route to the walled-in back garden in the kitchen.

A white-painted steel-plate staircase leads from the third floor to the attic level.

The stairs that connect the main level to the mezzanine appear to float weightlessly without any visible support.

The spiral stair leads up to a second level.