a flexible townhome on Lorimer street
This one or two family home was designed for a local family and started out as an existing wood and brick building that underwent a structural and gut renovation while keeping the footprint intact. The ground floor was made deeper and converted into a one bedroom unit with its own entrance, laundry, kitchen and bathroom. This apartment connects to the town home above through a flexible corridor and stair that could either configured as an internal stair making the unit one with the townhome (which the owners chose to do and converted the kitchen into a bar). The parlor floor hosts the public functions and access to the rear deck and yard, and a second floor with 2 kids rooms and a large master suite, bathrooms and laundry. An extension 1 story structure, which we dubbed the atelier, lies at the back of the house. We retained it and connected it to the main townhome with a separate corridor, making it possible to either combine it with the top or bottom units, or both.
The building’s original brick facade was covered with a viroc rain screen system, expressed as a mask revealing and concealing the interior program through extrusion and separation.
a kitchen to withstand the test of time
The main kitchen was designed to serve as a central node so all public circulation and sight lines pass through it. The layout allows free communication with dining and living areas, allowing for a casual experience of cooking, entertaining and eating.
Finishes were chosen for their ability to to renew over and over again over time, without ever needing replacement. We used what we call living materials rather than those with a layered finish because over the (hopefully) many years of use of this kitchen, things are bound to go bump and scratch once in a while. If stained or scratched. The cabinet doors, brass cladding and cement ceiling can all be sanded down to re-expose their original finishes.
Millwork- cnc cut Valcromat, a durable color impregnated homogenous material, and finished with clear matte Rubio Monocoat. We chose to have seamless custom panel appliances covered with the same material in order to keep a solid continuous feel in such a centrally visible space. All handles are brass Lewis Dolin round bar.
Ceiling and Side walls- Viroc, a cement composite panel, was chosen both for its relationship to the gray Valcromat, it’s fire resistance rating, and its renewable unpainted finish.
Backsplash & island cladding are in 16Ga yellow brass, which was initially sanded to an almost white color, and then slowly buffed with steel wool to bring back some (but not all) of its rich gold. The brass is not lacquered, and will get some patina over time .
Kitchen Lighting: customs brass & zebra wood fixture with linestra bulbs (designed & made by Asa Barak Studio Lighting). Floating linestra bulbs for their inimitable warmth, though I do understand they’re being replaced with an LED alternative. The wood was left over from the bathroom vanity lights.
The millwork facing the kitchen partially conceals the stair core and was designed to create some mystery in the transition from the public floor to the private bedroom floor above, which resulted in the triangular opening.
secret passage
To the right of the millwork, a herringbone patterned oak pocket door, made with leftover flooring, conceals the stairs to the lower floor. While closed, the two units can function independently of each other.
the living room was opened up and received a concrete bench, fireplace and stair and the rear wall, leading to a rear garden via a deck above the atelier below.
the lower unit’s kitchen was later converted to a bar, and the atelier received dramatic treatment.
cleansing
The 2nd floor master bathroom was designed as two separate spaces- wet & dry, and to maximize light passage along its depth. The shower and bath area are set up as a steam room placed against the large translucent window and separated from the rest of the room by a full width glass partition and glass door.
Walls and floors-we used a gray ceramic porcelain called Kotto Cenere by the Italian Emilceramica. We liked the collection’s wide range of options, of which we picked the large format rectangular pieces and mixed them with their smaller square pieces which have an ephemeral random screen print pattern.
Carrara Marble shelving of varying depth was integrated into the tile walls to both create linear continuity and convenience in all areas of the space.
Vanity -custom made in Valcromat with a Teak double sink. Faucets, bath and shower fixtures are all wall mount in a brushed nickel finish from Signature Hardware. Practically speaking, the use of ceramic wrap around walls, wall mount vanities & fixtures, and integrated marble shelving combine together to create a space that can be easily washed and accumulates a minimal amount of dirt.
The full height wall mirror at the end wall the room is set in a translucent glass frame which allows light to pass through to the dressing area in the walk in closet on the other side of the wall.
Vanity lights - 24” linear linestra bulb in a zebra wood fixture. The wood was carved in a method that created a tunneled texture reminiscent of worm ravaged wood. The carving was done on a Cnc machine rigged with a joystick so the carving process was a fun free flowing exercise, and no two fixtures are the same. (designed & made by Asa Barak Studio Lighting).
