I was fortunate enough to catch up with author Ingrid Abramovitch. Her new book, Restoring a House in the City is flying off the shelves in local bookstores for good reason. Anyone who is undertaking a brownstone renovation, is thinking about it, or just enjoys looking at all kinds of row house styles and decor, will enjoy this book. Here’s what she has to say about old houses, craftsmanship, and living in Brooklyn.

Ingrid, your book, Restoring a House in the City, introduces the reader to town and row houses located across the country, and even one in Montreal. With so many apartment and condo choices available in all of the cities featured, why do you think row house living has such a passionate appeal for so many people?

Living in an antique town house is a conscious lifestyle choice–as much a statement of identity for a certain type of city dweller as buying a Richard Meier condo would be for a very different set of urban folk. In the case of row houses, there is the powerful allure of living in a house that has been crafted by hand, from materials that few of us could afford to buy new today, complete with architectural grace notes like ornamental plaster details and fretwork and marble mantels. They are practically stage sets in this era of sheet-rock and cheap construction, romantic anachronisms that help to ground us from high-speed lives filled with high-tech gadgets and devices. There is a solidity to an old house that is as comforting as it is charming.

I love brownstone neighborhoods for their human scale–entrances on the street, stoop culture, a mix of homes and shops, and people of all types and ages–all the things Jane Jacobs advised us were so essential to a healthy urban experience. And as for the houses themselves, antique row homes were the original green architecture, with window shutters to keep rooms cool, and shared walls between homes for insulation–not to mention proximity to public transportation so you can live and work in the city without having to drive anywhere. The privacy and space of having one’s own house (and garden if you’re lucky) in the middle of the metropolis really makes you feel like you can have your cake and eat it too.

You and your family live in Brooklyn, and you are a Brownstoner reader. What are your predictions for Brooklyn living in 2010?

Montrose, I know the last couple of years haven’t been easy in Brooklyn real estate, but the strong response I am getting to Restoring a House in the City makes me feel very optimistic. Just as the slow food movement made us appreciate the value of food that is locally sourced and made by hand, equally a new generation is rediscovering the craftsmanship, beauty and livability of the borough’s brownstones. These homes are in finite supply and any neighborhood that has a good stock of (not overly renovated) homes should thrive. It’s happening where I live, in south Carroll Gardens. I went on the Bed-Stuy house tour a couple of months ago, and saw all those amazingly intact homes, and while I was there I checked out Brownstone Books and that wonderful restaurant Saraghina. If I had to put my money down, I’d do it in Bed-Stuy.

Many thanks to Ingrid, and to Chrissa Yee at Artisan Books. More information about the author and book can be found here.