Malik Ashiru was in Bali when he heard that his ambitious plans for renovating a Brooklyn condo could move forward. He had an exacting vision for the space that required nearly gutting it. To pass the time while the city reviewed the paperwork, Malik had taken a sabbatical from his business development job at Google, traveling around the globe to Africa, Europe, and Asia. “The moment they told me the approval was almost done,” he says, “I was on an airplane back.”

The 1,400-square-foot, two-story apartment is in a former paper factory that was converted into lofts in the early 1980s. Malik hired Douglas Segulja and Margot Otten, of OSSO Architecture, to transform it into a warm, flexible space where he could host family and friends and display art he collects on his travels. The first floor comprises an open-plan living room, kitchen, dining area, and mini-office, as well as a bathroom and a small loft guestroom/storage space. A spiral staircase, steep and seemingly never-ending, has been restored with a fresh coat of paint and refinished steps. It leads to Malik's bedroom, a bathroom, and a terrace.

With the home’s postindustrial charm came a few unexpected challenges. When the factory was converted into apartments, for example, communal hot tubs were put in on the rooftop above Malik’s unit. The tubs themselves didn’t last long—they were removed after a flooding incident—but installing them left a big impact on Malik’s apartment.

His plan had been to replace a brick wall that bisected the original living area and a bedroom with simple steel beams to open up the space, but during demolition, the designers discovered that too much concrete had been poured to support the hot tubs for this approach to work. Instead, Segulja and Otten, in collaboration with structural engineer Gerard Santora, designed a custom U-shaped steel beam and column supports to manage the extra weight, keeping the project moving forward and close to budget by using already purchased materials.

“The idea was to have a big, open space where people could come in and not feel cramped.” —Malik Ashiru, resident

Malik has outfitted his home with mid-century furniture he’s collected over the years; an eclectic array of artwork from Korea, Poland, and other locales; and a system of Google devices that adjust lighting and sound. To demonstrate the audio system during a recent tour of his home, Malik instructed it to play Leon Bridges at high volume—so loud it didn’t hear him when he asked it to tone the music down.

Next to the entrance, an illustration-in-progress is clipped to an easel. Malik is working on a drawing of a waterfront vista he saw on a recent trip to Selma, Alabama; it reminded him, he says, of the Italian coast. Perhaps the finished product will end up in one of the three empty frames hanging above the living room’s George Nelson rosewood credenza. Malik intends to fill them as he gets a feel for his new home.

If the rest of the space is any indication, their contents will be meticulously selected. More generally, though, Malik says he is trying to restrain his impulse to make tiny alterations and finishing touches. “The key,” he says, “is knowing when to stop.”

Project Credits:

Architect: OSSO Architect

Builder: CPM Builders

Engineer: Santora Engineering 718-850-8533

Cabinetry Design: Fernando Gonzales

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