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November 25, 2008

Brooklyn Modern #2: Gut Renovated in Boerum Hill

This week, we're looking at homes featured in Brooklyn Modern by Diana Lind, with photographs by Yoko Inoue. Here's Diana's installment #2:
From the outside, Jordan Parnass's Boerum Hill townhouse looks like almost any other. Inside, he gut-renovated the dilapidated building by keeping only a few small details like a marble mantelpiece and chucking everything else. With about 2,000 square feet to work with, he opened each floor to the next, allowing light to flow through from the third floor's ceiling to the basement which serves as an airy office for his wife. The result is an intensely customized house — from site-specific artworks made by friends to a built-in spice rack for his wife — that perfectly suits his family.




Posted by lisa at 10:30 AM | Comments (46)
Categories: Boerum Hill, Interiors

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Comments

Wow--that house is really cool. Even though it preserves very little of the original detail, the overall effect is light and homey and original. Dig it.

Posted by: wasder at November 25, 2008 10:44 AM

Although I know people on this blog tend to hate modern, I think it looks amazing...the best of both worlds...

Posted by: FtGreeneCorey at November 25, 2008 10:50 AM

Yeah corey, that's exactly it. It has modern finishing touches obviously but the space still feels like its inside a classic brick rowhouse.

Posted by: wasder at November 25, 2008 10:52 AM

Im doing a gut reno of a 1898 Victorian/Farmhouse...we are going modern (could not save anything as the prior owners stripped everything out!). I wanted to post in the reno blog here but I thought Id just get an earful! Maybe I will try it.

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 10:54 AM

i see recessed lighting under a loft bed. it's nancy from elm street screaming privileged dorm room suite. (it's pretty im just jealousing in case you cant tell hahaha)

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 25, 2008 10:55 AM

I love it! I love the red glossy kitchen, the overall attention to detail, the flow of the space, the light.....I can go on and on. Many times modern renos feel too stripped down and cold, but not this. Just really well done.

Posted by: Schultz at November 25, 2008 10:56 AM

PT Cruiser. I like. It aint so bad if you find a fixer-upper with no details.

Posted by: 25 to 50 Percent Drop at November 25, 2008 10:57 AM

more piccies here

http://www.dwell.com/products/slideshows/18804249.html?itemID=18804249&articleID=18812454#id=a_1&num=1

and here

http://www.jpda.net/projects/boerum-hill-house

beautiful place.

Posted by: the chicken at November 25, 2008 10:58 AM

yowza - beautiful. i wish we could see a floor plan and dimensions.

Posted by: gkw at November 25, 2008 10:59 AM

Wow, what a beautiful house. I love it! If I am ever renovating a brownstone, I'm bringing these pictures.

Posted by: ebklyn at November 25, 2008 10:59 AM

No problem with doing a brownstone in modern when there's nothing left to it. This looks spectacular.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 25, 2008 11:00 AM

Very well done modernization. If done right as this home was you have a beautiful turn of the century home that is worthy of its design and architecture.

Posted by: commonsense at November 25, 2008 11:00 AM

I LOVE modern and comtemporary design. This is my style. This is how I live (don't hate me people cause I don't have crown moulding). I do appreciate classic design very much and can probably live like that also, with very modern furniture.
Wish there were more photos of this house. I love the floors.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 25, 2008 11:02 AM

House is lovely but I could not live there. How do you keep the kids from climbing those short fences and hanging over the abyss or trying to jump to the floor below? Maybe the kids in my family are just bad.

Posted by: bedstuy11216 at November 25, 2008 11:17 AM

Ya...arent these types of railings dangerous for small kids? Maybe they are more sturdy then they look. We are thinking about doing stairs and railings like this...Im just not sure how safe they are.

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 11:29 AM

There are building code sections that address railings and such. I'm sure these are in compliance.

Don't know what the gap is in NYC, but I do know that in a lot of places 4" is maximum between cables or other supports.

I have to chime in and say that i absolutely love this house. There's no substiture for skilled design and construction, as well as deep pockets...my personal preference is for traditional details with modern furnishings, but if all the deets are gone, no sense in replicating them.

Posted by: Bolder at November 25, 2008 11:39 AM

gorgeous. it's easy to fall in love with a place that has tons of light, common space, "lounges" and private work spaces! but yeah, floorplan and dimensions (and bedrooms!) would be nice to see. it must have cost a pretty penny, even with all of the trade discounts and bartering this guy was probably able to arrange. definitely something that feels out of reach for us mere mortals.

Posted by: i disagree at November 25, 2008 11:41 AM

omg you people yapping about "kid safety". kids aren't stupid. i mean unless you coddle and stupify them that is. if a kid is gonna jump that railing, then well... they get what they deserve. did you all grow up in rubber padded rooms or something!? nothing better than a good fall or tumble as a kid to prepare you for life.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 25, 2008 11:42 AM

Love the way they opened up the cellar. Brilliant way to get more space with light. I would love to see pics of the rest of the place.

Posted by: Susan Elkins at November 25, 2008 11:44 AM

Who was the architect?

Posted by: Susan Elkins at November 25, 2008 11:45 AM

Rob,

Im talking about kids I dont have yet...we plan to have kids next year...so Im not sure how smart a young child would be...I dont want anything to happen.

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 11:50 AM

the architect is one of the owners (the husband). "the chicken"'s second link will take you to his site.

Posted by: i disagree at November 25, 2008 12:07 PM

I saw this place on the Boerum Hill house tour a few years back. It's a small place, and was very well done.

Posted by: 1842 at November 25, 2008 12:11 PM

This is nice, though it is a little magazine-ey. One would have to be very very neat and obsessive about fingerprints and reading matter.
I think these little houses are so much prettier with their plaster rooms and ceiling medallions and multi-pane windows. It is not an ideological thing, I mean you own it you can break it, it is just how I feel. Even if a house is stripped, putting back the details is just so right. At least on the parlor level. I like mixing new and old but this is just new. no old. And what did they do with the front windows? they look blank. is it tinted glass? Yuk if it is.

Posted by: Inigo at November 25, 2008 12:13 PM

yeesh, rob. it has nothing to do with stupidity or "coddling." people of any age don't and can't learn anything until they have the relevant experiences and/or the ability to communicate, understand, and remember things. a toddler has motor skills that far outpace his judgment. and, suffice to say, some "tumbles" are minor enough not to be concerned about the risk. a 16 foot drop onto a concrete floor isn't one of them.

that said, i can't remember what stair design is supposed to be safest for them. but, based on the narrative, it sounds like the architect specifically contemplated having young kids - his own - in the house, so i'm guessing those things were taken into consideration.

Posted by: i disagree at November 25, 2008 12:14 PM

One, please!

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 25, 2008 12:15 PM

Nice clean look with great lines. I want that garden! Simple, easy to maintain. I hate how much time it takes to maintain my garden. That and the fact that it's mosquito-infested during the entire summer.

Posted by: FatLenny at November 25, 2008 12:23 PM

These stairs are bad for children and dogs. Cats would not have a problem. But this looks like the kind of home that is suited neither for kids or dogs. It is for an extremely disciplined and attenuated couple. She's a fine arts major, he's a corporate attorney. They both carry their shoes in bags to the car when its raining and they clean the inside of the dishwasher before turning it on.

Posted by: Inigo at November 25, 2008 12:31 PM

Hats off to the architect. Those little houses can be dark and cramped inside, but the light and flow to this one are spectacular. And unlike much modern design, this house seems imminently livable.

As the parent of two children, I can tell you that your own children learn pretty quickly to navigate the hazards of their home. Mine don't throw stuff down the central shaft, jump off the top bunk, or try to slide or swing down the spiral staircase. But visiting kids do. So, if you have a house like that, you have to lay down the law for visiting children and police them.

Posted by: Brooklyn Chicken at November 25, 2008 12:32 PM

Overall this is much better than that modern brownstone renovation that was featured in the Times a couple weeks ago.

This place is nice but I have problems with the kitchen. The glossy flat cabinets are such a fad. In fact, they are already a little dated. I do like the deep red color though. Stainless steel back splash is a little too much for me.

But the biggest problem is that stove hood? WTF!?!? Did anyone else notice that thing? It's completely ridiculous.

Posted by: TD at November 25, 2008 12:32 PM

TD -

What is rediculos about it? are you referring to the fact that it looks like it should be hung from a ceiling but is not?

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 12:44 PM

LOL Rob-

Come on, you can't tell me that you didn't do reckless things as a kid. My nephews come over to my mom's house and no matter how many times we say don't do this or that they can't help competing to see who can jump from the highest part of the stair or slide from the top of the step to the bottom. My daughter doesn't usually do anything crazy until she is under the influence of her cousins. There is nothing stronger than the mob behaviour of a group of kids between 4 and 9.

I still think it is a beautiful house and I wouldn't say no if someone was giving it to me. But I am paranoid that way, I'll just add padding to all the open spaces.

Posted by: bedstuy11216 at November 25, 2008 12:44 PM

quote:
a 16 foot drop onto a concrete floor isn't one of them.

oops i guess i missed that part. hahaha sorry.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 25, 2008 12:44 PM

Yes, exactly. you don't need an exhaust pipe if it's not exhausting to the outside.

They should have switched the arrangement of things on that wall. The stove should be below an area with cabinets and something else should be where the stove currently is.

Posted by: TD at November 25, 2008 12:49 PM

i cant tell the difference between the stove, sink?, and what is the other thing? a dishwasher?! it is nice tho. nice clean look. some of you people are so nitpicky hahahah


*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 25, 2008 12:54 PM

lol...yes TD...that is odd...the one they bought is the one to hang from the ceiling...I wonder why they didnt get the one for the wall.

However, I bet they altered it to vent through the back...but it looks funny.

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 12:54 PM

sure it's a little nitpicky. overall it's a very nice design.

Posted by: TD at November 25, 2008 1:05 PM

The architect is Jordan Parnass, of Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture. http://www.jpda.net

Posted by: ccollister at November 25, 2008 1:55 PM

This is really beautiful. The fact that it is not to my taste is a really good thing for me though, as I couldn't begin to afford it. I'm lucky that my taste matches my pocket book.

Our goal, when decorating our house, was to make it look as if it had been in one family for many years, with gradual additions. After 34 years that effect is genuine, rather than an illusion:-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at November 25, 2008 2:04 PM

Re: the child-tempting railings, interestingly, in Canada there are building code regulations that prohibit horizontal wires or balusters, anything climbable.

Kind of limiting aesthetically but I see the point. Of course determined kids can always find a way to hurt themselves.

Posted by: Brooklyn Cat at November 25, 2008 2:09 PM

jordan parnass. "parnass" that made me giggle

*Rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 25, 2008 2:20 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm the architect and I want to thank you guys for all the great comments. to clear up a couple of points:

- the house was a complete disaster when we bought it, and there were literally no historical details other than the marble fireplace trim that were salvageable.

- for the safety police: these photos were taken before the house was 100% finished, and we installed welded rods between the stair stringers to reduce the riser gap to below 4 inches.

- my wife and I have two small children, and we do occasionally have cheerios and other bits of food flying through the rails and down to the basement space. we've never had any other issues with the railings, but note that the incoming NYC building code will not allow horizontal cables like we did.

- the entire project was actually done on a very tight budget, and while I did have a great contractor, we saved a bundle by using Ikea cabinets and other off-the-shelf components.

- no, the front windows are not tinted. we have full-height screens (so you can open the windows from the top or bottom) which look very dark in that photo.

- the stove vent hood is designed to exhaust either up or to the rear. there is a concealed vent duct in the wall that runs all the way up an old chimney to the roof.

thanks!

more pix and info at:

http://www.jpda.net/projects/boerum-hill-house

Posted by: jparnass at November 25, 2008 4:13 PM

jparnass -

Regarding the code for the stairs...is it in effect yet? We are building our house now, so Im wondering if we can still use this style. Also, do you have final pics of the stairs? Lastly, do you feel this railing/stair system is truly safe for young children? I am contemplating this style as we speak.

Posted by: nybk01 at November 25, 2008 5:33 PM

jparnass - Beautiful job. Simply stunning.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 25, 2008 6:06 PM

nybk01

You should still be able to do the horizontal railing - as long as the building permit was/is filed before July 1, 2009 under the old code. The new code was enacted July 1, 2008, but there is a 1 year overlap where you can choose which code to file under - old or new.

That said, the code is changing for a reason...to my knowledge NYC was one of the last jurisdictions to allow this type of rail, largely to prevent kids from climbing them like a ladder.

Posted by: squaredrive at November 25, 2008 7:40 PM

How much is a "tight" budget? Is it possible to do this kind of project for under 300,000?

Posted by: michellefk at November 27, 2008 11:40 AM

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