A Conversation with the Italianate

How to find light in a narrow house.

Brooklyn's townhouses were built for different lives. Parlor floors elevated above the street. Narrow footprints marching in rows. Dark interiors lit by gaslight, warmed by coal.

By the time we arrived, this one near Prospect Park had been stripped of its history. Previous renovations had removed the ornament, the rhythm, the details that once connected it to its neighbors. What remained was a narrow shell, starved for light.

The work was archaeological and inventive in equal measure. We challenged ourselves to create an interpretation of Italianate character, a conversation more than a reproduction. Arched openings. Proportions that echo the past without imitating it. Then we solved the narrow house problem the way Brooklyn does: we opened the back and created a large sculptural skylight and stair.

Through the large window wall, a new clay-tiled deck extends the living space into a small garden, using reused bluestone pavers and new plantings chosen for texture and resilience. Inside, smooth white ceilings and natural materials carry light through every room. We specified sustainably sourced oak millwork and decorative flooring. Colorful painted surfaces and terrazzo, choices guided by the owner's sensibilities, create moments of personal character that transform with the movement of the sun.