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January 22, 2009
Ultra Modern Reno on South Portland Avenue
Here are some very cool before and after shots of a renovation of a South Portland Avenue brownstone that took place in 2007. The architect was Field Lines Architecture, an Lower East Side-based duo with clearly modern leanings. We have to admit to mixed feelings about the whole thing: On the one hand, the finished product looks really amazing, what modern architecture should be; on the other, the intact interior of a brownstone on the definitive brownstone block in the city was lost in the process. At least there are no Fedders boxes! Update: The architects just sent in another view that shows how they did in fact maintain original details where they could. Great to see that our fears were misfounded! "We at Field Lines believe that the real magic occurs when palimpsest of the past are not erased but rather incorporate as unique opportunities for design," they wrote. Check out the new image on the jump.
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Comments
I would live there in a second.
Posted by: wasder at January 22, 2009 10:41 AM
minus the cheesy stair railing, this place is ser deec. nice one!
Posted by: bowl of dicks at January 22, 2009 10:44 AM
i would live there in a MILLI second. why does it matter what it's like on the inside? you dont have to live there. yeah you can tell people to go buy new construction but i think for a lot of people that just isnt as fun and they prefer the outside look of an older place. not everyone wants to live their lives inside their homes like hellen keller and annie. sorry that made no sense
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at January 22, 2009 10:45 AM
oh and minus the cheesy glass floor too.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at January 22, 2009 10:46 AM
A little personal for resale but blazing hot to me.
"...the intact interior of a brownstone on the definitive brownstone block in the city was lost in the process."
Bittersweet. So it goes. Classic aint for everybody.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at January 22, 2009 10:46 AM
I feel a crescendo of hate building. No pun intended.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 10:48 AM
I love this! Especially how the spaces flow and allow for so much light.
Posted by: bklynrosie at January 22, 2009 10:49 AM
"on the other, the intact interior of a brownstone on the definitive brownstone block in the city was lost in the process"
Unless we know for sure that they ripped out a ton of architectural detail (which, by the one photo here, they DID NOT)then there's absolutely nothing wrong with what they did.
Even if they did rip out a ton of architectural detail, its still THEIR house and THEIRS to do whatever they please. It's not what I'd do but you can't dictate other people's interiors, no matter how much you would like to.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 10:56 AM
I need to wipe the drool from my mouth!
Minus the hanging pots and pans over the kitchen island, I can be very happy here.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at January 22, 2009 10:57 AM
I think it looks great, and the renovation of the garden floor is exactly what I would do with respect to the rear glass wall.
If they did, however, gut an intact, or 19th century detail filled, interior, it would be a shame. It does not detract from the quality of the job, but there are places in the area that do not have the detail left that could have been gutted. Do we know the extent of what was removed?
Posted by: 1842 at January 22, 2009 11:00 AM
My great great grandmother used to wear the same dress thats hanging over the kitchen table. Her whalebone corset wasn't as tight tho.
Posted by: dittoburg at January 22, 2009 11:03 AM
At this point I'm wondering if Brownstoner intentionally tries to provoke a debate and lots of posts with these threads, because he always assumes the homeowner took some gorgeous, ultra-unique house chock full of perfect details and ripped it all out. When we know that very likely didn't happen. Homeowners and architects know full well the value of really good details IF a house has them. Many houses here don't. Also the degree to which they're historic and special can be very little. A bit of molding and maybe one fireplace doesn't count as a historic interior worth preserving in my book. If that's all a place has people should feel free to do whatever they want with the interior.
Posted by: traditionalmod at January 22, 2009 11:04 AM
We're not trying to dictate anything to anyone. We said we thought this was a beautiful renovation but we were a little sad at what may have been lost in the process. Hardly a controversial or rancor-baiting sentiment.
Posted by: brownstoner at January 22, 2009 11:09 AM
And besides, it doean'y make much sense to pay up for a place "dripping with architectural detail" with the intent to gut it.
You're probably right tradionalmod, since that discussion is generating about 50% of the posts here and we've all been suckered in.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 11:10 AM
Also, if they did gut original architectural detail, that just creates more salvage for other people who want to stick it in their homes! (Unless they just threw it out. Creating more garbage sucks a LOT more than getting rid of decor you don't like...)
Posted by: Brownstonerlogin at January 22, 2009 11:12 AM
Num Yummy!!! Exactly what I want for my next abode. Now if only my wife let's me sell the old money pit and get a new one.
Posted by: Ozymandius at January 22, 2009 11:13 AM
The concept of placing ultra-modern interiors inside historic buildings is actually an old one. Brooklyn Heights and the Upper East Side have plenty of examples of wild 1950's and even 1940's interiors in old building. The difference is that in the old days, prior to the landmarks law, the rehab would be reflected on the exterior through the elimination of stoops and old-fashioned windows, fussy cornies, etc.
Then the fashion changed and people rediscovered the beauty of period design. Many 1950's Zoom-Zoomy interiors were replaced with Victorian and Edwardian formality. Reproduction cornices and stoops went back up on houses that had been "updated" the generation before.
Now, again, the style seems to be swinging back to ultra-modern. Fortunately the Landmarks Commission will not let owners replace their brownstone facades with glass curtain walls (you know they would if they could) so it becomes a more private phenomenon. One has no idea until inside that a vintage house has an ultra-sleek interior. Not so many years ago the concept of "pre-war layout" was a marketing plus, but no more. Now it's all about loft living. Tastes change, affluent people will pursue the latest trends to express their taste and individuality. In that sense "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose".
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 11:14 AM
I'm confused, some of the before photos look like the below grade cellar, but I don't see corresponding finished photos. I love the opened up the ground floor access to the garden.
Posted by: Schultz at January 22, 2009 11:23 AM
Some of the ultra-modern touches don't do it for me, but overall it's a nice job. That open wall on the back of the kitchen, leading to the deck, is absolutely killer.
Posted by: cwbuecheler at January 22, 2009 11:40 AM
People with the kind of money to do this kind of renovation usually buy the nicest houses, which in historic districts usually means the ones with the most detail. People will not pass up a good house because it has too much detail.
In thirty years a talented young architect may be hired to turn this back into an 1860's interior. By that time the freshness and crispness of the design will be gone, it will be beat-up and altered and look terribly tired and dated.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 11:42 AM
If you check architect's website it seems like the major part of this renovation happened in cellar, garden floor and back of parlor floor. The house seems to have all the beautiful details well preserved on parlor floor. It is a great mixture of modern and traditional. Take a look at the architect's photos and sketches(under Dalton house) Good job. I do not want to even ask about the cost.
Posted by: mg1 at January 22, 2009 11:44 AM
They blew out the floor (at least at the rear) between the garden level and parlor level, how could they not have changed the parlor level?
I really dislike that double-height mezzanine business. I think its McMansion-ey and a little vulgar frankly.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 11:50 AM
Actually Brownstoner, your post WAS "a controversial or rancor-baiting sentiment." Claiming now that you were just wondering if some detail may have been lost is not at all what you posted. Here it is: "on the other, the intact interior of a brownstone on the definitive brownstone block in the city was lost in the process." You don't know what was lost, if anything. That's rancor-baiting inn my book.
Personal revisionist history is hard to pull of when there's a written record posted on your own website.
Posted by: roberto at January 22, 2009 11:52 AM
They did a magnificent renovation that is well intended for the modern and sophisticated. I can see this place in Architectural Digest or Metropolitan Home.
Posted by: pottedmum at January 22, 2009 11:57 AM
I like the cellar renovation, and using the arches as design elements. I'll have to remember that for the great Someday. I also like totally opening the back wall on the ground floor. They do that a lot in the English design magazines I read. I like the light and access to the yard.
The rest is certainly very well done, but not my taste, so I can't get excited, personally. I wonder about it getting dated very fast, but if the owners love it, who cares what I think. Looking at the photos on the architect's site gives you a better idea of what went into the project. All I can say is this cost some serious ca-ching. If you told me a couple million, I wouldn't be surprised.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at January 22, 2009 11:59 AM
This does strongly remind me of a scarano building I once lived in off Bedford Ave., but with more expensive finishes.
Posted by: dittoburg at January 22, 2009 12:03 PM
"Palimpsest" by definition are erased and written over. Talk about pretentiousness!!!!!
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 12:03 PM
New image...GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at January 22, 2009 12:04 PM
I love the front parlor.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 12:05 PM
That's a great room. I could do without the wavy mullions on those doors.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 12:07 PM
I agree with Dave that architects should stop using the word palimpsest incorrectly. especially "palimpsest of the past" -both wrong and redundant!
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 12:09 PM
I WANT THAT SOFA!!!!!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at January 22, 2009 12:18 PM
Personally, I'm just happy that people are starting to appreciate brownstone living with modern updates. My biggest gripe with the "traditional" brownstone are the horrible floor plans that you find.
Call me crazy but I enjoy open floor plans. No need to stow June Cleaver in the kitchen while the rest of the family participates in familial activities. I probably cook more frequently than my wife and it's nice to be able to interact with the rest of the family while I'm whipping up a veal saltimbocca.
Plus, nothing sucks more than having to fight over who gets to go to the bathroom first who gets to go fewest number of steps to get there. Plus there's never a fan to vent the poo haze.
Posted by: Ozymandius at January 22, 2009 12:18 PM
And stop referring to "clerestory" windows unless you've built a catherdral. (These folks are not guilty of that one at least).
Posted by: dittoburg at January 22, 2009 12:22 PM
In this layout June Cleaver better keep her kitchen anal compulsively neat and tidy 'cuz it will be out there for all to see, even when she is cooking and trying to drop the lobster into the pot or picking up the dropped turkey from the floor.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 12:29 PM
I don't like the furnishings. That's got to be the most uncomfortable sofa in the universe.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 12:30 PM
I think it's gorgeous but since I love old and moldy, obviously this would not be my dream house. i think sam is right about how styles change and i would hope they didn't rip out incredible details just for style. But after looking through the pictures on their sit it looks like they did on the room in the new photo. It was originally a yellow room and going back there was a beautiful entryway with columns. Is that still there but any chance? Did I miss it in the new photos?
And is anyone else totally annoyed by their poorly designed but architecturally precious website?
Posted by: bxgrl at January 22, 2009 12:32 PM
The architecture, layout and design are beautiful.
The interior design, furniture and accessories are 1 step above IKEA.
Seriously...
Posted by: Prodigal_Son at January 22, 2009 12:33 PM
Can't believe it, but I'm with Sam on this one.
I do love the outdoor shots of the accordion sliding doors/windows, and love the open and bright feel, but I can't stand the rounded walls with a mix of exposed brick and Land of the Lost elements, the curvy metal stairs and railing - very Beetlejuice - and troubled by the idea of blasting out half of the parlor floor.
It just seems that if you want a bright, high ceiling-ed loft, and you have this sort of money, then buy a loft.
Posted by: Nokilissa at January 22, 2009 12:35 PM
"Hardly a controversial or rancor-baiting sentiment."
Yeah. It's not like you singled the place out as a "Horror Show of the Week" or anything like that.
Posted by: East New York at January 22, 2009 12:40 PM
Agreed - the architect's website is over designed.
It always puzzles me when I see glass floor, what if I am wearing a skirt, and it is summer, and my guests can look up and ....
Unless glass becomes opaque at the flip of the switch.
There are a lot of very personal design elements/choices in here, but I guess whoever is going to be able to buy/afford it in the future will have enough $$$ to change it to their own liking.
Posted by: mg1 at January 22, 2009 12:44 PM
I cant find this project on the architect's seizure-inducing site. What is it under?
Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at January 22, 2009 12:47 PM
I can't get the site to launch. maybe they don't want any more hedge fund clients.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 12:52 PM
'I cant find this project on the architect's seizure-inducing site. What is it under?'
I gave up! I'm still blinking my eyes to get them to adjust again. And when I close them for a long time, I still see white lines.
Furniture one step above Ikea is better than furniture one step below Ikea!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at January 22, 2009 12:55 PM
nokilissa,
why can't you believe that you agree with me?
Am I such a curmudgeon?
-That is a rhetorical question btw.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 12:57 PM
Not what I would do if it were my place. But it is nice.. THUMBS UP...
Posted by: HOBOKENROCKS at January 22, 2009 1:05 PM
lordee this must have cost over 500k. is this place for sale?
Posted by: BrooklynLove at January 22, 2009 1:07 PM
Simply a stunning job by everyone involved: Owner, architect and builder. My hats off to them.
Posted by: Brownstonebabe at January 22, 2009 1:23 PM
Traditionalmod...Missed the opportunity to comment early on, but couldn't have said it better than you.
"..really good details IF a house has them. Many houses here don't. Also the degree to which they're historic and special can be very little. A bit of molding and maybe one fireplace doesn't count as a historic interior worth preserving in my book. If that's all a place has people should feel free to do whatever they want with the interior..."
I'd add one thing however. Some of the "restorations" Sam refers to are total garbage. I'm sorry, but you don't get a preservation award for adding some fake brass ceiling fans and switchplates etc. etc., which is what most PS "restorations" have. And if you're not really "restoring", you're not restoring.
Posted by: new2 at January 22, 2009 1:29 PM
Ypu've all seen the story about ex-Merrill chief Thain's $1.2MM office makeover??
Here's the furniture list.....
Area Rug $87,784
Mahogany Pedestal Table $25,713
19th Century Credenza $68,179
Pendant Light Furniture $19,751
4 Pairs of Curtains $28,091
Pair of Guest Chairs $87,784
George IV Chair $18,468
6 Wall Sconces $2,741
Parchment Waste Can $1,405
Roman Shade Fabric $10,967
Roman Shades $7,315
Coffee Table $5,852
Commode on Legs $35,115
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 1:31 PM
dave - he was trying to support merrill's long position in sothebys. ken lewis should be thrown out as well.
Posted by: BrooklynLove at January 22, 2009 1:39 PM
I've met Ken Lewis several times....he bought the firm I used to work for...he's a pompous asshole. There's no way those top Merrill guys were going to "report" to him. Thain sold BofA a bill of goods and Lewis swallowed it without doing the due diligence over the weekend. How could he?? Lewis bought it based on his own ego and arrogance. And then uh oh.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 1:43 PM
Sorry...just wanted to add the furniture bill to this thread...didn't mean to hijack it with a BofA discussion.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 22, 2009 2:28 PM
Speaking of glass floors and personal tastes, has anyone noticed the yellow and green clapboard house on Cumberland (between Greene and Lafayette) sold...I think for nearly asking price, no?...and is now being renovated? I went to an open house and found the place, which had had a huge rehab (I knew the house prerehab in the "good old days")not that long ago, and I believe the huge rehab was after a modest rehab in the 90's...Hhh...the noive...That's a lot of money to spend. Anyway, I hope the new work improves the back part of the house and they manage to fix some of the exterior wood window casings that obviously needed work at the time of the open house.
Speaking of ML...what to say?...I left Merrill in the nineties. All I can say is it was a men's club and women were usually written off (to put it nicely and not use profanity). It was awful. You would hear about the stripper'n'cigar parties. I was revolted.
...I have to say, I loved the view at the WFC. Oh, well. That was a while ago. You take the bad with the good.
Regarding the house on this thread. We live in "old-fashioned"...but I really like this house. I'm trying to figure out which house this is...is it, by any chance, on the block between Fulton and Lafayette or Atlantic and Hanson...one of those shorter houses? I think there may be only one or two (if any) three-storey houses on the big block of South Portland between Lafayette and DeKalb.
Will the house be on the Fort Greene House Tour?...food for thought...
Posted by: BrooklynGreene at January 22, 2009 3:20 PM
Ooops...sorry. I just realized this is a four-storey house, that it is the extension that led me to believe it was only three.
Posted by: BrooklynGreene at January 22, 2009 3:22 PM
Love it, love it, love it. The back of the parlor floor and patio garden look like some kind of awesome hotel or chic private restaurant. While I find some of the finishes a touch cheesy for my taste, this is the nicest blend of traditional and modern styles in a brownstone I think I've ever seen.
I am very jealous.
BTW, that green and yellow house on Cumberland did sell for close to asking, and had definitely been recently renovated.
Posted by: Gravy at January 22, 2009 4:21 PM
Much as I usually hate that "McMansion-y" (as someone put it) mezzanine cathedral ceiling thing, in this case, it is the perfect solution for what I've always hated about most renovated brownstone layouts-- the segregation of dining/kitchen area from living/room area by an entire floor. In this case, the levels are at least visually unified by the mezzanine. And how glamorous, really, to step from the historic details of the front living room to the modern clean lines and bright sunlight of the back dining/kitchen area. That kind of contrast -- to have both eras in one house, and be able to experience either extreme -- is the ultimate luxury. I can't take too much contemporary for too long (feels like Chase Bank after a while), nor too much Victoriana gloom. The balance of both, though, is heaven.
Congratulations, architects and owners.
Posted by: iz at January 22, 2009 4:37 PM
And I agree vehemently with Prodigal Son:
"The interior design, furniture and accessories are 1 step above IKEA.
Seriously..."
Posted by: iz at January 22, 2009 4:40 PM
is it possible to "agree vehemently"?
Daveinbed, what do you say?
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 4:46 PM
Sam, yes it is. You can agree half-heartedly, grudgingly, wholly, among other things.
It's also possible to pick vehemently on people for no reason.
Posted by: iz at January 22, 2009 4:51 PM
iz, I may be wrong, but the word vehemently implies a certain amount of anger, so one can disagree vehemently, but agree wholeheartedly.
But I defer, as in all matters, to Dave.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 4:57 PM
"...I have to say, I loved the view at the WFC. Oh, well. That was a while ago. You take the bad with the good."
BG, you'd love the view from 1 Bryant!
Posted by: denton at January 22, 2009 4:59 PM
Yr wrong sam:
1. Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction;
Perhaps you should defer/infer less, and verify more? Just a suggestion.
and why Dave? Pardon my newbieness. Not really up to date on the latest insider jokes here.
Posted by: iz at January 22, 2009 4:59 PM
iz, lighten up, this is a friendly, somewhat overly-chatty, brooklyn blog.
Posted by: sam at January 22, 2009 5:09 PM
Denton,
I have to admit that I am kind of used to and really appreciate the views from our house in FG. We happen to have a great, long view into the lot and there are a lot of nice trees and mix of buildings. It's rather picturesque. As much as I liked my walks along the Battery Park Esplanade, I don't know if I want to live in a hi-rise...even on a lower floor. I think I might associate views of the harbour similar to the ones I once had from the WFC with bad memories! ;-)
Posted by: BrooklynGreene at January 22, 2009 5:36 PM
Oh...one thing I should mention, there are a lot of mosquitoes in our neck of Fort Greene around the corner from this house...what happens when you open those big doors downstairs? Ugh! I shudder to think! I can barely put toe-one out the door into the backyard in summer...not just in the evening but any time of day. I don't remember it ever being this bad. The last couple of years were miserable with the mosquitoes. I had to wear heavy, voluminous gardening clothes even in the heat. I was almost thinking of getting a beekeeper's outfit!
One (lousy) mosquito gets into the house and I wake up the next morning with welts...hhhh...
Oh, well. I hope the owners of this house have some solution for the problem and none of their neighbors has a "fish pond" or other such feature serving as a breeding ground for the critters.
Posted by: BrooklynGreene at January 22, 2009 5:41 PM
i think this is way more than a bump above ikea. could be wrong but that couch is probably 5K. rug is huge could be a few thousand, and the light in the LR could be hundreds.
the dining room table is really nice too. altho, it's just a picture, so harder to tell.
Posted by: wine lover at January 22, 2009 7:35 PM
I saw the big open doors downstairs and immediately worried about mosquitoes too. It is a shame because we were so excited to use our deck but found the bugs to be overwhelming this summer in our CG backyard. That said, I think this is a really cool and smart renovation for anyone who likes the modern feel. Our own feel is a bit more old shabby chic but if I were going mod and had the budget, i'd be using this as one of the models.
Posted by: Colonel at January 22, 2009 7:37 PM
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