Houzz Tour: New York Apartment Doubles Down on Details
A designer creates a calming refuge in the city for 2 actors and their cats
Designer Sarah Zames approached the renovation of this apartment in Brooklyn, New York, with the precision and artistry of a couturier. She carefully selected each material, incorporated a range of handmade elements and thoughtfully created a space for the two homeowners, who are actors. With the apartment measuring just under 800 square feet, Zames couldn’t overlook any usable space. “It’s similar to getting a suit tailored,” she says. “You don’t take one inch for granted.”
Visitors enter the apartment through a staircase that leads directly into the bright living room. Natural light comes in through the existing windows and a new skylight.
For the existing fireplace, Zames chose a troweled-finish concrete with a dark stain to anchor the space and create a lot of nice color variation. “Concrete is a little more matte than what you’d see for plaster,” she says. New architectural details and storage cubbies add a sculptural quality, heightened by the distinct concrete finish.
One of the homeowners plays piano and made sure Zames accommodated it in the design. A projector screen can be pulled down from the ceiling; the couple and their friends use it to watch movies.
For the existing fireplace, Zames chose a troweled-finish concrete with a dark stain to anchor the space and create a lot of nice color variation. “Concrete is a little more matte than what you’d see for plaster,” she says. New architectural details and storage cubbies add a sculptural quality, heightened by the distinct concrete finish.
One of the homeowners plays piano and made sure Zames accommodated it in the design. A projector screen can be pulled down from the ceiling; the couple and their friends use it to watch movies.
The apartment doesn’t have a dining room or an eat-in kitchen, so the living room acts as the primary gathering space. A sectional sofa the homeowners commissioned frames the room; the new coffee table and rug also help define the space.
The simple palette and clean lines create a soothing backdrop that allows the homeowners to fill the apartment with their own pieces to give it more life and personality. “It was so nice to walk into that apartment after it had been lived in for a while. Their layer of warmth brought so much to it,” Zames says.
Wall sconce: Trapeze, Apparatus; white paint (used throughout apartment): White Dove, Benjamin Moore
The simple palette and clean lines create a soothing backdrop that allows the homeowners to fill the apartment with their own pieces to give it more life and personality. “It was so nice to walk into that apartment after it had been lived in for a while. Their layer of warmth brought so much to it,” Zames says.
Wall sconce: Trapeze, Apparatus; white paint (used throughout apartment): White Dove, Benjamin Moore
The kitchen got a refresh, but the overall footprint remains the same. There wasn’t much room to expand, and the plumbing locations were set. To make the most use of available space, Zames had all the cabinets custom built.
Cabinet hardware: Liz’s Antique Hardware; range and hood: Bertazzoni; floor tile: Mews by Mutina large chevron in Soot, Stone Source; lower-cabinet paint: custom mix matched to Black Blue by Farrow & Ball; upper-cabinet paint: custom mix matched to tile backsplash
Cabinet hardware: Liz’s Antique Hardware; range and hood: Bertazzoni; floor tile: Mews by Mutina large chevron in Soot, Stone Source; lower-cabinet paint: custom mix matched to Black Blue by Farrow & Ball; upper-cabinet paint: custom mix matched to tile backsplash
The oversize Kohler sink is the only holdover from the kitchen before the renovation.
The countertops are poured concrete, continuing the apartment’s material theme, and feature a narrow ledge for extra storage. Light-hued chevron porcelain tile runs up the walls to the ceiling.
The kitchen’s open shelving and the millwork throughout the apartment are white oak. “We worked so hard on these little tiny details,” Zames says. “We wanted to put the budget into the millwork.”
Sconce: Workstead; backsplash tile: Mews by Mutina small chevron in Chalk, Stone Source
The countertops are poured concrete, continuing the apartment’s material theme, and feature a narrow ledge for extra storage. Light-hued chevron porcelain tile runs up the walls to the ceiling.
The kitchen’s open shelving and the millwork throughout the apartment are white oak. “We worked so hard on these little tiny details,” Zames says. “We wanted to put the budget into the millwork.”
Sconce: Workstead; backsplash tile: Mews by Mutina small chevron in Chalk, Stone Source
A home office-guest room sits off the living room. A new built-in desk adds storage while maintaining a streamlined profile. Above the desk area is a track for a ladder that can be used around the apartment to access harder-to-reach storage.
Zames swapped the master bedroom and guest bedroom’s locations, shrinking the size of the original master and expanding the guest bedroom to accommodate their new uses.
Desk hardware: Waterhouse, Rejuvenation
Zames swapped the master bedroom and guest bedroom’s locations, shrinking the size of the original master and expanding the guest bedroom to accommodate their new uses.
Desk hardware: Waterhouse, Rejuvenation
A twin-size daybed and built-in bookcase line the opposite wall. The small Japanese futon can be used as a guest bed, and a second mattress is stored in the cabinets below.
The light fixture above the daybed is one of many in the house made by local artists. Zames relied on natural light and these artisan fixtures for most of the apartment’s light. “We just liked the idea of having these little objects on the wall,” she says, adding that the effect at night is especially cozy.
The light fixture above the daybed is one of many in the house made by local artists. Zames relied on natural light and these artisan fixtures for most of the apartment’s light. “We just liked the idea of having these little objects on the wall,” she says, adding that the effect at night is especially cozy.
Black paint: Black Blue, Farrow & Ball
Outside the home office, new built-in shelves frame new wood pocket doors as a nod to the apartment before the renovation, when someone would have to walk through a bookcase to get to the master bedroom. “There were a lot of surprises,” Zames says. While the original bookcase needed to be torn out during the renovation, the effect was re-created.
The apartment has a lot of height, so the team installed a rail and ladder for additional storage above the bookcase — tracks can be seen elsewhere around the apartment too. “When you’re working in New York, it’s about every single square inch being efficient,” Zames says. A salvaged-wood shelf brings a rougher, reclaimed quality and adds even more book storage.
Ladder: Putnam Rolling Ladder Co.
The apartment has a lot of height, so the team installed a rail and ladder for additional storage above the bookcase — tracks can be seen elsewhere around the apartment too. “When you’re working in New York, it’s about every single square inch being efficient,” Zames says. A salvaged-wood shelf brings a rougher, reclaimed quality and adds even more book storage.
Ladder: Putnam Rolling Ladder Co.
The homeowners also tasked the designers with designing to accommodate their two Bengal cats. A catwalk winds through most of the apartment, and here, above the bookcase and pocket doors, a cutout allows the cats to walk from the hallway directly into the home office on the elevated walk.
Other details were incorporated to cater to the cats; for instance, the shelf spacing in the home office makes it easy for them to climb up to the catwalk.
Other details were incorporated to cater to the cats; for instance, the shelf spacing in the home office makes it easy for them to climb up to the catwalk.
The hallway leads to the bathroom, on the right, and the master bedroom, through the door with the black-and-white concrete tile floor.
The original pine subfloors run throughout the apartment, typical for an apartment building this age. Zames made keeping the original flooring a priority, as it was another element that showed the apartment’s age. The contractor patched them, sanded them down and restained them for a uniform, polished finish.
Bedroom floor tile: Commune
The original pine subfloors run throughout the apartment, typical for an apartment building this age. Zames made keeping the original flooring a priority, as it was another element that showed the apartment’s age. The contractor patched them, sanded them down and restained them for a uniform, polished finish.
Bedroom floor tile: Commune
In the bathroom, natural light streams in from the existing skylight, catching the subtle color variations in the room’s mostly concrete finish. The walls and side of the tub are troweled-finish concrete, and the sink is poured concrete. The flooring is hand-cut porcelain tile.
Originally the bathroom had only a shower, and the homeowners asked Zames and the design team to add a soaking tub. Limited space didn’t allow for a free-standing tub, so they compromised with a shower-tub combination. “The tub was very important to them,” Zames says. “We decided it was OK to do a tub and a shower.”
Shower ring: Signature Hardware; flooring: porcelain tile in color Polvere, Stone Source; toilet: Toto
Originally the bathroom had only a shower, and the homeowners asked Zames and the design team to add a soaking tub. Limited space didn’t allow for a free-standing tub, so they compromised with a shower-tub combination. “The tub was very important to them,” Zames says. “We decided it was OK to do a tub and a shower.”
Shower ring: Signature Hardware; flooring: porcelain tile in color Polvere, Stone Source; toilet: Toto
Black fixtures pop against the monochromatic color scheme, showcasing the apartment’s high-contrast material palette and adding a modern element.
Wall sconce: Cedar & Moss; ceiling pendant: Kawa, Souda; faucet: Watermark
Wall sconce: Cedar & Moss; ceiling pendant: Kawa, Souda; faucet: Watermark
At the end of the hall, the master bedroom continues the design’s simplicity and efficiency. It features the same dark color seen in the home office and kitchen.
A custom full-depth dresser is recessed into the wall, taking up some space in the closet behind it but providing the bedroom with adequate storage.
A custom full-depth dresser is recessed into the wall, taking up some space in the closet behind it but providing the bedroom with adequate storage.
AFTER: Here you can see the slightly modified floor plan, with the expanded master bedroom in the back and the small guest bedroom and home office in the front next to the living room. “We did a lot of discreet moves to make the space more efficient,” Zames says. This included widening the hallway slightly to accommodate the built-in bookcase and storage.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Two actors who travel often, and their two cats
Location: Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City
Size: Just under 800 square feet (74.3 square meters)
Designer: General Assembly
The homeowners travel a lot for work, so they wanted the time they spend at home to be relaxing and restorative. “They wanted a space that would feel like a little peaceful escape when they were in the city,” says Zames, who oversaw the renovation with her design firm, General Assembly.
When it came to executing the homeowners’ vision, Zames focused on simple, well-executed details and a neutral palette of materials — including concrete, white oak and blackened steel — for an organic, high-contrast finish. Limiting the palette was also intended to complement the size and aesthetic of the apartment.
While the size and overall floor plan of the apartment didn’t change much, the project ended up being almost a total gut renovation, as some of the 100-year-old structural elements needed to be replaced. The designers and homeowners took care to preserve the natural light, views of the Statue of Liberty and period character. “You always want to respect that without being false,” Zames says.