Brooklyn Townhouse

This Queen Anne style five story townhouse in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn is one of a pair that were built in 1887 by Charles Erhart, a co-founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. The brownstone façade was restored in an earlier renovation, which also included work to main living spaces. The scope for this new renovation phase was focused on restoring the stair hallways, gut renovating six bathrooms, a butler’s pantry, kitchenette, and work to the bedrooms and main kitchen. Work to the exterior of the house included replacing 18 windows with new energy efficient units, renovating a roof deck and restoring original windows. In keeping with the Victorian approach to interior architecture, each of the primary rooms in the house has its own style and personality. The Parlor is entirely white with detailed paneling and moldings throughout, the Drawing Room and Dining Room are lined with shellacked Oak paneling with leaded glass windows, and upstairs rooms are finished with unique colors or wallpapers to give each a distinct character. The concept for new insertions was therefore to be inspired by existing idiosyncrasies rather than apply uniform modernity. Two bathrooms within the master suite both have stone slab walls and floors, but one is in white Carrara while the other is dark grey Graffiti marble. The other bathrooms employ either grey glass, Carrara mosaic or hexagonal Slate tiles, contrasted with either blackened or brushed stainless steel fixtures. The main kitchen and kitchenette have Carrara countertops and simple white lacquer cabinetry to compliment the historic details.