This project transforms an early 20th-century warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn into a light-filled, highly adaptable urban residence. What began as a raw industrial storage space, vast, uninsulated, and undefined, became an opportunity to reimagine domestic life within an expansive volume.
Working closely with a first-time client, the design process was deeply collaborative and exploratory. While the brief was initially unformed, it revealed a desire for a home that could accommodate multiple modes of living: work and play, solitude and gathering, calm and intensity. The result is a space that supports a range of experiences, open yet intimate, structured yet flexible.
At its core, the project is driven by a biophilic design approach that prioritizes well-being through light, material, and connection to nature. The design centers on bringing daylight deep into the plan and establishing strong visual and spatial connections throughout. Strategic insertions of volume and void, along with carefully placed glazing, reorganize the existing structure, creating moments of compression and release that transform the interior scale. Circulation is clarified, and views are carefully framed, most notably toward the rear garden, to foster a continuous dialogue between interior and exterior.
Material selection reinforces this sensibility. The industrial shell is softened through a palette of plywood, warm whites, soft plaster, and integrated millwork, creating a tactile and cohesive interior environment. Exposed brick retains the building’s memory, while layers of greenery introduce natural texture, seasonal variation, and sensory richness. Sustainable materials, including 3form: Know New Plastic and Fenix laminates with recycled content, balance performance with warmth.
Built-in elements structure space without enclosing it, creating zones of intimacy within the larger volume. These interventions allow the home to feel both expansive and grounded, supporting a diversity of uses without sacrificing coherence.
Ultimately, the project redefines the industrial dwelling as a living garden, an adaptable framework where light, material, and nature work together to support well-being and evolving patterns of life.
