TBo has recently completed work on the remodel of a 1910s house located in Westchester County, NY. The house sits amongst an eclectic mix of buildings on a tree-lined block. TBo was tasked with restoring the turn-of-the-century home while carefully enhancing it with new materials and details.

TBo worked closely with the clients (a couple with two young children) to re-envision their home as a place for their growing family. The clients had longed for a reprieve from the bustle of Brooklyn and fell in love with the quiet Mediterranean style house a stone’s throw from NYC.

The property promised light and nature, however a series of make-shift renovations over the years had resulted in badly configured interior spaces, creating a maze of dark and poorly scaled rooms. To create openness, TBo set to work reconfiguring the layout, allowing for more light and better circulation.

The studio demolished walls on the ground floor in the family zones—kitchen, dining room, and living room—and removed closets behind the central stair core, joining the sides of the house and creating fluid circulation.

In the kitchen TBo created two distinct interventions: the first is a floor-to-ceiling plaster and millwork volume housing a multitude of functions—pantries, appliances, softly plastered niches, and an inglenook facing a wood-burning fireplace; the second is a monolithic kitchen island, designed with pale green quartzite, to act as a communal gathering place for all aspects of cooking and family life.

The house sits on a lot surrounded by neighbors and mature trees. In addition to the remodel of the interior, the clients also desired more light without sacrificing privacy. TBo created discreet new window openings around the perimeter of the house: a new window in the home office area draws light into a formerly dark corner of the house, and new double and triple hung windows near the breakfast nook and kitchen island help to establish a connection onto the sun-dappled rear deck. With windows facing in all directions, the house is now filled with natural light throughout the day.

The textures inside are a mix of natural and minimally treated materials which create softness and depth. TBo pared back the space, utilizing a simple palette of wood, plaster, and tile. Narrow character-grade hardwood white oak flooring is laid on the diagonal with decorative banding to help articulate the new layout, and a mossy green Popham tile is used as hearth material for the fireplace and around the wood stove. The original mantle received a coat of troweled plaster with subtle decorative detailing.

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