Gil's Creative Duplex Reno in Fort Greene
Apartment Therapy had a great reno slideshow yesterday of a brownstone duplex in Fort Greene. The owner did a fairly radical reno that included creating a massive skylight and making transparent plexiglass flooring. Except for the bathroom (which we think will look a little trendy and outdated as time marches on), this strikes us as…
Apartment Therapy had a great reno slideshow yesterday of a brownstone duplex in Fort Greene. The owner did a fairly radical reno that included creating a massive skylight and making transparent plexiglass flooring. Except for the bathroom (which we think will look a little trendy and outdated as time marches on), this strikes us as a very successful design that is both fun and modern while being respectful of much of the space’s original detail. Agree?
Gil’s Path to Enlightenment [Apartment Therapy]
What the brownstone Victorian “Periodistas” (as I like to call them) are missing with their complaints, here, is that Gil bought a house from which virtually all original detail appears to have been completely stripped long, long ago. Thus, in my view, unless you actually believe he should hire Italian plasterworkers to restore his wedding-cake ceilings in 2006, as neat-o as that would be, it makes more sense to me to approach this venerable but careworn house from an adaptive re-use point of view. (Of course Gil must preserve the exterior front facade–but I’m sure he would agree.) Now, if the house had been packed with pier mirrors, marble fireplaces, gorgeous plaster, chandeliers, and an intact dumbwaiter, I would argue that Gil deserves the gallows, but that’s not the case. There’s nothing whatever wrong with blending modern design ideas with old ones–in fact, it’s much more creative, interesting, and difficult than slavishly re-enacting the 1870s as so many people oddly feel the need to do (in which case, do you wear top hats and tails, too?) Gil’s ideaas are pretty cool.
I think the glass floor would freak me out – imagine being groggy in the middle of the night and stepping on to that. It imagine it would be how those cartoon characters feel when they pause in mid-air for a few seconds after running off the cliff.
Jesus people on this site are soooooooo obnoxious, not to mention boring. I like this place a lot. It’s so sad that just because it’s not the dark and dingy restoration to Victorian grandeur that every grump here apparently would have done it has to get trashed. Either way, this is pretty old news. I’m pretty sure this has been on AT for going on a couple of years.
I love ultra modern details or add-ons to old houses. It’s one era speaking to another, a conversation. Cool. How come Europe gets to do it to their buildings, and we don’t?
“…I am calling the DOB again”. Oh my jp — grow up sheesh and mind yer business.
…I am calling the DOB again. Oh my grow up sheesh and mind yer business.
My 1890s house has an original thick glass panel set into the hallway floor of the 4th floor. It transfers light from one of the roof skylights to the hallway and bathroom below. About 3/4 of an inch thick and absolutely safe to walk on (although it took some getting used to.) A friend has a bunch of similar green glass panels salvaged from a library upstate. Needless to say, they would look a whole lot better and hold up better over time than plexiglass.
im not anonymous i am jp, also glass and plexiglass are two differnt things my love. Artisans moonlighting as plumbers, I am calling the DOB again. And if you want the real deal on glass floors check out circle redmont and get of the glass block kick – its over.
I was pretty impressed. I don’t think much history was destroyed. I would think it could easily be restored to it’s original charm if desired. To preserve the see-thru floors, “ABSOLUTELY NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE”. (Ladies wear skirts at your own risk.)
Guy’s got a personality and expressed it well. I respect that.