{"id":197115,"date":"2026-04-14T17:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/197115\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:57:08","slug":"a-new-york-city-home-transforms-into-a-two-part-sanctuary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/197115\/","title":{"rendered":"A New York City Home Transforms into a Two-Part Sanctuary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Staying Connected<\/p>\n

Between the two houses is a red-brick-covered patio, which the team<\/a> expanded by removing an external staircase that had previously connected the upstairs floor, once a separately accessible unit. John compares the outdoor space to a forum, capable of hosting community gatherings. \u201cWe\u2019ve had events here, and it works great.\u201d Hemmed in on all sides, the patio is accessorized by plantings\u2014most prominently a large shadbush\u2014enabling unobstructed sightlines between and even through the two houses. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The back house, where domestic functions are concentrated, is where the firm\u2019s lush material palette and the couple\u2019s aesthetic sensibilities merge: Wood storage lining the wall, door hardware from John\u2019s parents\u2019 apartment, and a custom 1994 Felix Gonzalez-Torres wallpaper similar to one at the couple\u2019s former loft, all demonstrate an attention to efficiency and density without sacrificing a domestic and personal feel. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"InteriorOn the second floor, a library and living room overlook the courtyard, creating a salon-like setting for conversation, reading, and informal hosting. Courtesy NAHO KUBOTA<\/p>\n

At the rear of the back house, the kitchen\u2019s sage-green cabinetry and marble surfaces echo the narrow alleyway just outside, created by the gap between the house and its rear neighbor, which sits a story higher. It\u2019s an earthy, residual space, furnished sparingly with a single, excess offcut of kitchen marble mounted as a snug bench. \u201cThe grotto,\u201d as Carin fittingly calls it, \u201cis incredibly mysterious and exciting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upstairs, flashier features include a curved wall of Tambour paneling that separates the living room from the bedroom and closet and, according to Carin, \u201cadds to the sense of fluidity and modular space.\u201d The space is awash in light: A new circular skylight spotlights a reading nook below, and an original square skylight was retained\u2014a midconstruction improvisation. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ArchitecturalThough programmatically distinct, the two houses function as a single composition. Inside, targeted interventions reveal tin ceilings and layered textures, paired with site-specific artworks, including a custom made piece by Kameelah Janan Rasheed. render courtesy Leong Leong<\/p>\n

Functionally Flexible<\/p>\n

The front house received a lighter touch, serving as a crucible of the project\u2019s careful management of budget, flexibility, and conservation<\/a>. \u201cA lot of what we did was uncovering and revealing,\u201d Leong says\u2014wood floors and the ground-level tin ceilings were mostly preserved. The house contains a large studio on the second floor for visiting artists and other guests. A large dining table, a large-format mural from the artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and two kitchens add to a peripatetic, hostel-like atmosphere. \u201cThey wanted the front house to be adaptable, enabling it to be used by multiple users and guests,\u201d Leong remarks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also holds the couple\u2019s offices. Carin\u2019s, on the second floor, is frenetic and bright, with original wood floors and what they describe as an outdoor loggia atop the frontispiece. Below, in John\u2019s street-facing office, the marble wrapping the back house\u2019s kitchen and forming the grotto bench makes yet another appearance, this time as his desk. \u201cThere was a lot of design that was happening in real time,\u201d Leong says, referencing the unplanned retention of skylights and wood and the found uses for excess stone. \u201cThis house was the little house that could.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"BlackCourtesy NAHO KUBOTA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Staying Connected Between the two houses is a red-brick-covered patio, which the team expanded by removing an external…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[46151,11706,9,24,55,54,56,22338,28302,78566],"class_list":{"0":"post-197115","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-adaptive-reuse","9":"tag-houses","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-city-news","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-renovation","16":"tag-residential","17":"tag-responsible-renovation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}