{"id":200153,"date":"2026-04-17T00:18:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/200153\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T00:18:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:18:27","slug":"perfect-pied-a-terre-in-boerum-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/200153\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Pied-\u00e0-Terre in Boerum Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"

A team of design pros made the most of 450 square feet in a diminutive one-story building.<\/p>\n

Only 450 square feet is not a lot of living space no matter how you slice it, but a talented team of design pros made the most of them in the shipshape renovation of a diminutive one-story building that once served as a local tailor\u2019s shop.<\/p>\n

The client, an American expat living mostly in Amsterdam and planning to use the place as a second home, wasn\u2019t daunted by the space limitations. \u201cIt\u2019s essentially a studio apartment,\u201d said architect Rachel Robinson, who partners with structural engineer Michael Dunham in Dunham Robinson<\/a>, a comprehensive NYC-based architecture and interior design practice. \u201cThe only door inside the space is the bathroom door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunham Robinson embarked initially on an interior refresh. \u201cAs we peeled back the layers, we saw things in fundamental disrepair,\u201d Robinson recalled. \u201cIt gave us the opportunity to future-proof the home and upgrade its bones.\u201d Since they had to pull up the floor and install new joists, they ran underfloor heating, as well as new, concealed central air.<\/p>\n

An enthusiastic cook looking forward to entertaining family and friends, the client wanted to center the kitchen and make it \u201cfeel like a place you can work in that\u2019s not too precious,\u201d Robinson said. Embracing a restaurant aesthetic, they found a local fabricator to custom-make a self-contained stainless steel kitchen. Offset against other materials in the space, including warm brick tile floors, butter-colored wall tiles, and custom cherry millwork, the stainless steel \u201cdoesn\u2019t feel overly industrial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with a dining banquette that can seat eight, a bedroom separated from the public area by a frosted glass screen, a compact living room just big enough for a sofa, and a jewel-box bath, Dunham Robinson even snuck in a desk\/vanity surface and a washer\/dryer.<\/p>\n

\"EXTERIOR\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"OVERALL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe kitchen is the first thing that welcomes you\u201d upon entering the street-level unit, Robinson said. \u201cYou can see everything all at once, but we still wanted it to feel like separate spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since nearly the entire apartment can be taken in at a glance, it was important that the material palette be harmonious. Warm reddish-brown tile floors, handmade yellow wall tile with a reflective quality, and cherry wood millwork artfully balance the cool gleam of the stainless kitchen.<\/p>\n

\"STAINLESS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"KITCHEN<\/a><\/p>\n

Dunham Robinson designed the kitchen for the space and found a venerable company, Osara New York, to fabricate it, island and stove hood included. \u201cIt\u2019s a family business that did kitchens at the Waldorf-Astoria ages ago,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

\"TILED<\/a><\/p>\n

Details like the sliver of a tiled coffee bar maximize the function of tight space.<\/p>\n

\"DINING<\/a><\/p>\n

The bedroom shares a triple window with the compact living room, divided from it by a frosted glass screen on a tiled plinth.<\/p>\n

The custom channel-tufted black leather dining banquette, on a cherry wood base, surrounds a vintage table by German designer Rainer Daumiller found on 1stDibs. The accompanying Gubi chairs, a contemporary reissue of the same designer\u2019s work, were sourced from Design Within Reach.<\/p>\n

A stainless pendant from\u00a0Kastholm & Fabricius hangs above.<\/p>\n

\"VIEW<\/a><\/p>\n

\"BEDROOM<\/a><\/p>\n

\"FLOWER<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe millwork had to be carefully tucked in to maximize storage space\u201d in the bedroom, Robinson said. Cherry wood was chosen to pick up on the color of the floors.<\/p>\n

\"DESK<\/a><\/p>\n

A washer\/dryer hides in a closet next to the built-in desk\/vanity with a top of Paperstone, a durable compressed paper product, at one end of the bedroom.<\/p>\n

\"TILED<\/a><\/p>\n

\"BATH<\/a><\/p>\n

The apartment\u2019s unified material palette continues into the bathroom. The round stainless sink basin sits atop a cherry vanity with a Paperstone top. The textured, reflective properties of the yellow wall tile and fluted glass divider give the shower an expansive feel.<\/p>\n

[Photos by Hanna Grankvist]<\/p>\n

Got a project to propose for\u00a0The Insider?\u00a0Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com<\/p>\n

The Insider\u00a0is Brownstoner\u2019s weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design\/renovation project, by design journalist\u00a0Cara Greenberg<\/a>. Find it here every Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

Email tips@brownstoner.com<\/a> with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n