Project Description
The Hicks Street Residence, located in Brooklyn, New York, is an apartment renovation designed by Ed Kopel Architects P.C. in 2013. The client, a newly engaged Lawyer and local who was born, raised and educated in the area, was attracted to the old world charm of the seven story limestone and brick building located in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. However, the apartment was in severe disrepair, having not been renovated in half a century. There were serious structural problems including sagging floors and ceilings with cracked joists. The windows were also broken and non-functioning.
The apartment was a gut renovation. The landmarked curved windows were replaced in kind. The design was predicated upon maintaining the existing historical shell while inserting a new modernist interior that would serve as a background for the client’s extensive holdings of mid-century modern furniture including a set of Jens Risom Dining Chairs and a series of Eero Saarinen chairs.
In an effort to serve as a showcase for mid-century furniture and to bring natural light deep into the space, teak paneling were deployed to complement the furniture’s Scandinavian roots, while white washed oak floors and carrera countertops were installed to brighten the space.
The cellular three-bedroom apartment was converted into a spacious two-bedroom with a free plan. The space recovered from the removed bedroom was transformed to an adaptable library/media lounge that, when opened to the kitchen and entry area, becomes an urban great room and a hinge from the more public spaces to the more private ones.
Photos of 187 Hicks Street Residence in Brooklyn, New York were taken by © Francis Dzikowski/Esto.