Located in the landmarked Greenwich Village Historic District, this five-story townhouse conveys a simple elegance. It is architecturally grand, yet remains very much a home in feeling and function. For the renovation, we excavated a new cellar, extended the rear wall of the house, completely rebuilt the rear façade with all new openings, added a steel and glass greenhouse room, rebuilt the penthouse, decks, and rear skylights, and installed all landmark-approved windows on the front and rear façades.

Working closely with our European clients and considering every detail, we created a townhouse that reflects and accommodates their lifestyle. Our design for the parlor floor provides an openness and scale that are unusual in a townhouse and allowed us to create an urban great room with 11-foot high ceilings, 10-foot high windows, a spacious living area that flows into the kitchen, and a greenhouse dining area that opens onto the rear garden. A two-story high steel and wood bookcase rises from the parlor floor through to the second floor and master suite. The children’s rooms occupy the third floor. The penthouse, which we transformed into a highly customized sanctuary for the client, an author who works at home, has decks on the front and rear of the house. The basement, which opens on the garden, has guest quarters for visiting family, a media room and a kitchenette.