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Fantastic Rooms A visual diary by Design Editor Wendy Goodman. The Oculus Space The black olive tree is surrounded by Fight Grey Limestone tiles from Artistic Tile. The six-by-six-foot skylight is from Lamilux. “I loved the idea of bringing greenery and natural light into the middle of your house,” says Lusha Wang. Photo: Ty Cole
The designer Lusha Wang and her partner, Rodion Steshenko, a software application engineer, will close on a brownstone in Boerum Hill when they were outbid. That might have been for the best due to the fact that the place they bought rather, a 19th-century previous boardinghouse in Park Slope, had an unlikely household connection that they took as a good omen. “My father was a refugee from the Soviet Union, and he came here in ’76,” states Steshenko. “The federal government positioned him in a boardinghouse house, and it is actually the house across the street from us now. You have to confess, What are the opportunities?”
To modernize their home, the couple, who have 2 kids, enlisted Themis Haralabides, whose firm reBuild Workshop specializes in architecturally considerate restorations.
” We didn’t desire your home to feel completely ended up on the first day. We wished to move in and let it grow with us gradually,” states Wang. “One of the biggest objectives was to open whatever up without losing the character of the brownstone.” The remodelling procedure took almost 2 years.
Haralabides found numerous of the original features worth protecting, such as the millwork. But he took it apart with surgical accuracy and reinstalled it to make way for current facilities like central air. He put a powder room on the parlor floor and expanded the cooking area, which was as narrow as a hallway, so that it would connect with rooms throughout the width of the residential or commercial property.
” Many customers have this misunderstanding that you can not insert anything contemporary into historical settings or that anything new has to appear as if it constantly existed there,” Haralabides states. “Our company believe the old and the new can not just exist side-by-side but the stress in between them can be productive.”
On the other hand, a stained-glass skylight on the top flooring gave Wang an idea for a significant intervention. It recalled a glass-covered roof filled with plants she had actually when gone to in Paris, and she questioned if it would be possible to re-create the effect in Brooklyn. Haralabides proposed replacing the skylight with a mechanical oculus. Wang chose a black olive tree to stand underneath. The build-out was a difficult undertaking that needed cutting through floorings and performing complex craning operations, however the effort settled. The outcome is a serene, if a little surreal, indoor courtyard situated between the main bedroom and bath.
” On a good day, you can open the skylight and get some air, hear the birds,” Haralabides says. “It truly seems like you’re outside.”
The Living Room The chandelier is original. The Camaleonda couch is by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. The triple-glazed windows are from Bewiso. “Energy performance and air quality are inseparable from what it suggests to care for a historical building,” says designer Themis Haralabides. Picture: Ty Cole
The Entrance” I was drawn to old European homes and desired things to feel authentic and not excessively manufactured,” states Wang. The original millwork was restored by Haralabides. The pendant is Flowerpot VP7 from Lumens. Picture: Ty Cole
The Kitchen The original area was closed off by a wall.” It wasn’t actually designed for a household,” Wang states. Haralabides tore the wall down to make a dining room. The charcoal-colored paint is limewash. Wang picked deep green for the kitchen cabinetry due to the fact that of a large tree exterior: “We can see it from practically every window.” Picture: Ty Cole
The Kids’ Backyard” I wanted to produce the space I wanted I had when I was a child, where my daughter could be active even when she could not go to the park,” states Wang, describing her oldest child, Riley. “If she wants to put stickers on the walls, that’s fine. It should seem like her world.” The wall gym– climber is from Avenlur. Image: Ty Cole
Primary Bath The claw-foot tub, original to the brownstone and restored from a lower floor, is the focal point. It was reglazed for its brand-new life here. The intact Victorian fireplace mantel was restored in location and kept as a decorative piece. Photo: Ty Cole
Thank you for subscribing and supporting our journalism. If you prefer to check out in print, you can also find this article in the July 6, 2026, issue of New york city Publication.
Desire more stories like this one? Subscribe now to support our journalism and get limitless access to our protection. If you prefer to read in print, you can likewise find this short article in the July 6, 2026, issue of New York Publication.
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