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Collection by Kelsey Keith

Top-to-Bottom Brownstone Renovations

A classic New York or Brooklyn brownstone may not be the obvious Dwell-style dwelling—at least not until an enterprising architect has opened it up for a modern renovation. Here are six great examples of the brownstone's new wave.

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When architects Hayes and James Slade of Slade Architecture renovated a three-story brownstone in Brooklyn, they took an atypical approach to storage: "rather than concealing, it reveals and celebrates," says James. To tie the three floors together, the architects devised a blackened steel wall that acts like a multi-story magnetic board, running from the parlor floor to the roof.
When architects Hayes and James Slade of Slade Architecture renovated a three-story brownstone in Brooklyn, they took an atypical approach to storage: "rather than concealing, it reveals and celebrates," says James. To tie the three floors together, the architects devised a blackened steel wall that acts like a multi-story magnetic board, running from the parlor floor to the roof.
The exposed steel beams delineate access areas from the rooms. The staircase system and fireplaces were fabricated by Wesley Martel.
The exposed steel beams delineate access areas from the rooms. The staircase system and fireplaces were fabricated by Wesley Martel.
Julie Torres Moskovitz, who designed New York’s first certified Passive House, recently finished her first book, The Greenest Home (Princeton Architectural Press), about the first wave of ultragreen homes in the United States (following the 40,000 already constructed in Europe). The title hits shelves in May 2013. Here, a custom stainless steel stair with treads of perforated steel replaces the old wood staircase in the rehabbed Park Slope brownstone.
Julie Torres Moskovitz, who designed New York’s first certified Passive House, recently finished her first book, The Greenest Home (Princeton Architectural Press), about the first wave of ultragreen homes in the United States (following the 40,000 already constructed in Europe). The title hits shelves in May 2013. Here, a custom stainless steel stair with treads of perforated steel replaces the old wood staircase in the rehabbed Park Slope brownstone.
A family enlists Brooklyn design-build firm MADE to renovate a brownstone using surplus and salvaged materials for a budget-conscious patina. In the kitchen, the island and cabinets, fashioned from remilled Douglas-fir beams salvaged from upstate New York, sport inexpensive drawers from Ikea.
A family enlists Brooklyn design-build firm MADE to renovate a brownstone using surplus and salvaged materials for a budget-conscious patina. In the kitchen, the island and cabinets, fashioned from remilled Douglas-fir beams salvaged from upstate New York, sport inexpensive drawers from Ikea.