In 2018 SGS began work on gut renovations to two historic Brooklyn brownstones in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill neighborhoods, transforming the deteriorated buildings into comfortable, modern homes with original interior details (delicate fireplace mantels, stained glass window transoms) carefully preserved, re-thought and renewed. SGS also added distinctly contemporary touches to the 19th century woodwork surroundings, such as skylights to floor extensions, a terraced outdoor living area and sustainably sourced sleek woodwork to complement the main bath additions. 

Historic Homes Renovations

SGS’s renovation of this 3,000-square-foot townhouse located in Brooklyn’s Park Slope Historic District was a complete transformation of a 1960’s era two-tenant building into a comfortable home for one young family. The project removed a warren of small dark rooms, expanding the available space into gracious living areas surrounding an open kitchen and a dramatic, geometric stairway. Natural light penetrates the entirety of the building via large window banks at the front and rear facade, a new skylight over the stair, and a central light well. Wood panels in white oak and cedar, cheerful ceramic tiles, and painted millwork elements function together to customize the house while forming a unified whole.

2nd Street House

SGS renovated a historic home in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, radically transforming the house through the use of special materials, natural light, and bright colors. The second floor contains three bedrooms, a cedar-lined bathroom, and a shared family library open to the home’s center stair hall. The third floor attic space containing the master bedroom suite was dramatically reconfigured to utilize the space beneath the roof lines, and includes new skylights, shiplap and plywood paneling, custom cabinetry and sliding panel doors. In the kitchen, the architects worked with Reform to select cladding for their IKEA cabinets, using four shades of brightly colored linoleum panels.

Ditmas House

SGS completely renovated and expanded this Park Slope townhouse, transforming its small, dark interior into a bright and expansive home, flooded with natural light. A brick-clad rear addition features a sunken living room with heated floors on the ground level, and a spacious master bedroom above, both with extra-large windows open to the rear garden. An open and winding staircase connects the four floors of the home, integrating the communal and circulation spaces, and bringing light from the rooftop skylight to the lower levels of the house. The selected use of special accent colors, perforated steel panels, and natural wood finishes combine to give the clean, modern interiors added vitality.

South Slope Townhouse

SGS completed this 3,000 square foot Brooklyn townhouse renovation and expansion. The project featured both roof and rear yard additions, and its spaciousness belies its sixteen and a half foot width.

11th Street House

Designed for a young and growing family, SGS radically transformed this four story, single family house into a contemporary interpretation of a split level home. From the street level entrance, occupants can step down a short flight of stairs into the main living space, or they can step up a short flight of steps into to the kitchen level. These living areas, along with the library and dining room, spiral around a central open space connected by a wide, steel staircase, accommodating easy communication throughout the large home.

10th Street House

This Park Slope house was purchased by a family who wanted to transform its dark interior into a contemporary and light-filled space, with visual and physical connections to the outside. To accomplish that goal, the house features a very simple material palette of concrete, steel and wood, and several big spatial moves.

8th Street House

SGS combined three apartments to produce this generously scaled penthouse, inserting a dramatic light well and stair to connect the three floors and the roof terrace. Throughout, comfortable minimalist spaces with built-ins provide a backdrop for living, entertaining, and the owners’ diverse collections.

Soho Triplex

The owner’s wish was to live in a downtown loft without moving from this classic prewar apartment in the venerable Astor Court Apartments on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The abundant ceiling height and flexibility of a prewar structure allowed SGS to create generous, open, loft-like living spaces while maintaining the prewar integrity. The public and living spaces are grouped around an open kitchen at the front of the apartment and are delineated from private spaces by an acrylic wall with sliding panels.

Upper West Side Pre-war Loft

Working with the Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning, SGS received a variance to build a rooftop addition for the triplex apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Two light-filled stairwells connect a series of open living spaces, leading up to the penthouse and roof terrace. Minimalist details, wood ceilings, and expansive glass walls blur the lines between inside and out on the penthouse level.

Upper West Side Triplex and Rooftop Addition

SGS converted a five-story, multi-apartment building on the Upper West Side to a 7,000-sq.-ft. residence for an active family with a large dog, and designed spaces and finishes to showcase their extensive photography collection. Using a logical floor plan featuring an open central stair and consistent materials throughout, the architects unified previously-disparate spaces.

Central Park West Townhouse

To convert an existing pied-a-terre on Museum Mile to the light-filled, modern home the clients desired, SGS reconfigured the floor plan, stripped away traditional moldings and cabinetry, and finished the spaces with elegant, richly figured stone and beautifully grained wood paneling.

Museum Mile

SGS returned a divided landmarked townhouse to its original use as a single family home for an active family with four children. Through the introduction of a large central skylight, a two-story glass wall, and double-height living area at the rear façade, SGS brought daylight to a previously dark space.The architects integrated green mechanical systems, including a geothermal well and radiant floor heating, freeing the roof of typical mechanical systems and creating space for a basketball court and terrace.

Upper West Side Townhouse

Designed originally by Wallace K. Harrison, the Presidents’ House at Rockefeller University serves as both official residence and event space. To update the venerable mid-century structure to better suit its dual purposes, SGS opened a series of small rooms into a single expansive living space at a scale appropriate to the house’s distinctive private character and public presence.

President's House

By selectively removing interior walls to encourage the flow of light and to capitalize on exterior views, SGS reimagined this large, three-bedroom apartment overlooking Prospect Park. The architects designed a central island clad in highly figured stone to delineate kitchen and dining spaces, and activated the muted palette with rich materials, textures and the judicious use of color.

Eastern Parkway

This South Park Slope brick townhouse on 10th Street was renovated by SGS as a speculative project to put on the market. Historic elements such as the eclectic street façade, winding staircase, marble fireplace surround, and selected plaster moldings were restored while colorful and modern interventions enliven the spaces. New elements include a custom kitchen, cabinetry, and closets, three new modern bathrooms, and large casement windows. All mechanical and electrical systems were replaced and upgraded.

South Slope Renovation

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