4H ❚ THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019 ❚ THE RECORD
P
HOMESCAPE / ADVERTISING SECTION
Designed For Living
Updating an 1899
Manhattan townhouse
for the 21st century
The origi-
nal millwork
throughout the
house, including
the wainscot-
ing along the
staircase and
corridors,
was stripped,
repaired and
painted with five
coats of spe-
cially formulated
paint colors
from Donald
In a modern update, the original service door, under the front
Kaufman, and
Osborne & Little stoop of this 1899 townhouse off Park Avenue in the Carnegie
wallpaper adds Hill section of Manhattan, became the main family entrance to the
house and opens up into a large foyer with built-in bookshelves,
subtle pattern
a desk and laundry room.
and texture
in the corridors and master bedroom.
the services of a qualified professional
The existing parquet floors with intricate
interior designer. For more information
borders were replicated and replaced to
visit Find a Pro section at www.nj.asid.org.
the original specifications.
The master suite on the third floor has
Reprinted from the March 7, 2019
a large bedroom in the front of the house,
edition of Homescape.
a den and bathroom in the
back, and a large walk-in
closet in the center. The
original pocket doors and
framed openings were
left and repurposed on
the bedroom side and
replaced with a built-in
cabinet on the den side.
A skylight on the roof,
centered above the stairs,
floods the stairwell and
the rooms on the top floor
with natural light – yet
another welcome update
to this 1899 gem.
of light and views, but a lot was gained by
opening up the rest of the floor to the back
of the house and garden.
The service door, under the front stoop,
off the courtyard, became the main family
entrance.
I designed a mudroom/vestibule zone
with closets for coats and storage. The
center core, usually the darkest spot in
a townhouse, was opened up into a large
foyer with built-in bookshelves, a desk
and laundry room. The main staircase also
opens up onto this area.
Beyond the foyer is the kitchen/din-
ing room with a view towards the garden
outside, which is accessed by large folding
glass doors.
Aged whitewashed tile, installed in a
herringbone pattern, runs the length of this
area and gives the impression of being out-
doors. To help distribute nat-
ural light, the walls and ceil-
ing are surfaced with integral
plaster, rubbed with beeswax
for a high-gloss finish.
As townhouses tend to be
long and narrow, no furniture
was placed along the walls.
Instead, the room is
wrapped with cabinets and
built-ins for storage. French
doors with glass divided
lights, backed with sheers,
not only provide access to
the built-ins but reflect light
to the area.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROY CAMPANA
Above the garden level is
A view of the kitchen area and mudroom door beyond.
the parlor floor with the main
The low L-shaped work counter screens the kitchen area
from the dining room and defines a central path from the entrance to the house. The
mudroom to the garden without compromising the open entrance vestibule makes the
front living room long and
floor plan. The space under the staircase is put to use
narrow. To counter this issue,
with storage cabinets and a wine rack and refrigerator.
I created two zones sepa-
On the garden level of the townhouse,
rated with a John Boone chaise made of
the open concept plan was created by mov- cane that is perpendicular to the fireplace.
ing the mechanical room to the front of the A custom silk and wool rug from Tibetano
house. This may seem counter-intuitive,
ties the room together and tall mirrored
but since this level is a few steps below
screens, flanking the opening to the family
the street, not much was given up in terms
room, help bring natural light to the center.
The Designer/
Architect: Vatche
Simonian, RA, AIA,
Allied ASID Simonian
Rosenbaum
Architects www.
sr-architects.com
The Challenge:
Preserving the
bones of an 1899
Manhattan town-
house, while making Vatche Simonian
it modern and livable
with abundant natural light.
The Solution: Circulation and natural
light are key issues to solve when designing
townhouses. An open concept design plan
is usually the best way to simplify circulation
while letting in a lot of natural light from the
front and back of the house.
The New Jersey
Chapter of the American
Society of Interior
Designers (ASID) offers
a resource for consumers
interested in obtaining
(201) 957-7206
NR-0004330840-01
The front living room is long and narrow and to counter this,
the architect, an Allied member of ASID, created two zones
separated by a chaise. A custom silk and wool rug ties the
room together and tall mirrored screens, flanking the open-
ing to the family room, help bring natural light to the center.