The Insider: History and Modernity Live Side by Side in South Slope Reno

Often, the renovation of a vintage townhouse for 21st century homeowners blends two strains of interior architecture within each room, typically preserving historic detail while inserting contemporary elements.

reBuild Workshop took a different tack in this three-story late 19th century row house, giving each half of the parlor floor its own distinct identity. The living room at the front remains generously laden with Victorian woodwork, while the kitchen/dining room at the rear is a totally new, mid-century-inspired space with a California vibe, filled with light and overlooking the garden. The modern additions were kept deliberately restrained in order to foreground the house’s historic character. A cohesive palette of muted earth tones and warm woods runs throughout, tying things together.

Key to making the synthesis work: a defined threshold in between the disparate spaces. “That was a challenge,” said architect Themis Haralabides, founder of the Gowanus-based design-build studio. “What happens when the front meets the back?” This central zone, containing closets and a powder room, is painted dark, with a lower ceiling that hides mechanicals above and differentiates the space from the rooms on either side. “We gave that area the feeling of a portal,” said Felipe Torres, reBuild Workshop’s lead architect on the project. “It creates a transitional moment into the more modern part of the house.”

The building had seen many uses over the years, as a multi-family and even a yoga studio. Haralabides described the job as “an extensive but not full gut.” When reBuild Workshop arrived on the scene, “It was all divided into little rooms, with a disjointed nature.” The new layout includes a primary suite framed by curved bay windows on the second floor, plus additional bedrooms and baths, while the garden level houses a guest room, family room, and home office,

The work entailed leveling and refinishing original parquet floors, restoring plaster, and spiffing up historic woodwork. “We didn’t try to re-create anything old,” Haralabides said. But they did retain some elements of the past that impart character, like cast-iron radiators and decorative radiator grills.

The mostly contemporary, mid-century-coded furnishings and lighting were orchestrated by Jeff Hannoosh, reBuild Workshop’s in-house interior designer.

reBuild Workshop didn’t do much on the landmarked exterior beyond painting it. The front doors are original; usable windows were already in place.

New floor tile in the vestibule is contemporary, “with the air of those used historically,” as Haralabides put it. The new homeowners relocated from California. “Early in the process, we identified California mid-century modern to unify new elements like tiles and other finishes,” Torres said.

Original carved woodwork is a mix of painted and unpainted. “Things that already had layers of paint we sanded and gave a fresh coat,” Haralabides said. “Elements that existed in wood we let shine.”

A pendant by Gino Sarfatti illuminates the front hall.

A Room & Board sofa (top photo), Maker’s armchairs from Lawson-Fenning, and a Dixon six-light chandelier from the same source furnish the front parlor.

Vintage panel doors with glass knobs in the central threshold zone were repurposed from elsewhere in the house.

The wood mantelpiece in the front parlor was moved from the rear and spruced up with a surround of navy Heath tiles.

One of the project’s main goals was to maximize daylight, achieved largely by swapping out two ordinary windows on the rear wall for large sliding glass doors.

Custom white oak cabinetry with a contemporary feel was designed by reBuild Workshop. Glazed handmade Heath tile from California supplies rich color and texture.

The dining banquette, too, was an in-house design, accompanied by a walnut table from Abrego, Danish side chairs from Design Within Reach, and a pendant light from In Common With, a local maker.

Snazzy tiles from Zia and a mustard yellow sink make the new parlor floor powder room, accessed from the front hall, pop.

A velvet swivel chair from Lulu & Georgia and a textured rug cozy up the primary bedroom.

Reflective handmade tiles from Heath bring movement to the primary bathroom wall. A semi-custom medicine cabinet and vanity from Rejuvenation continue the warm wood leitmotif.

A fun tile treatment from Zia enlivens the skylit children’s bath. Every inch of available space was utilized, including the shelving in what was once an old dumbwaiter.

The home office at the front of the garden floor was painted a deep, moody green.

All the window and door openings on the two lower floors at the rear of the house are new, as are the steel deck and stairs leading to the backyard.

[Photos by Jonathan Hökklo]

Got a project to propose for The Insider? Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com

The Insider is Brownstoner’s weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design/renovation project, by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday morning.

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