Located within New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, this spacious and welcoming townhouse was the subject of an extensive renovation project that was carried out by experts from a firm called Turett Collaborative Architects.
The townhouse originally had 4 stories but it now flaunts an extra one, which means that it is definitely large enough to accommodate a single family. With 6,500 square feet of living space, the residence flaunts an open floor plan and features a glass wall at its rear end that allows the residents to admire fantastic views of a garden from the kitchen and from the living room. The façade was created using dark gray brick, and it stretches 60 feet towards the sky thus allowing the home to establish a clear presence in the neighborhood, particularly since it is taller than other nearby structures.
The different levels are connected by a central staircase and an elevator. The living room area can be found on the second floor, while the private living arrangements and facilities such as the bathrooms and closets are found on the 3 floors above.
From the Turett Collaborative Architects:
Within close proximity to NYC art galleries and acclaimed Highline park, Turett Collaborative Architects transformed this 4-story, multi-unit townhouse into a 5-story, single family residence with an exclusive open floor plan.
Townhouse architecture, often defined by a narrow width, demands a very smart use of space. Only 18 foot wide, this transformation was no exception. The challenge was amplified by a commitment to create space suited for potential art collectors who value living near west Chelsea’s famed art galleries
A two story rear extension featuring a 20′-0″ high wall of glass was the design anchor for this gut renovation.
The glass rear wall allows unobstructed views into the rear garden from both the kitchen at ground level and the second floor living room. The patio area becomes a extension interior living space. It artistically frames an urban landscape that rises above the patio and changes as day becomes night, and the winter white change to spring and summer greens and autumn gols and reds..
The new front facade, rendered in dark grey, norman style brick, features an array of punched masonry openings that contain contemporary casement windows. The brick facade rises 60 feet and terminates in a simple, modern interpretation of a cornice. At the ground floor, one enters through a custom designed steel fence and gate whose design is carried out thematically in the home’s ornamental metalwork. The window guards at the ground floor as well as the the main staircase guardrail are iterations of this design which add a sense of cohesion throughout the house.
The narrow 18′-0″ lot necessitated strategic and efficient planning. Vertical circulation is accomplished via a centrally located single run stair and elevator with a hallway landing serving both. At the three private living floors above the living room level, bathrooms, closets, and vertical chases “fill in” around the circulation core allowing for large full width rooms facing both north and south exposures.
Turett Collaborative Architects collaborated closely with the developer, Magnum Real Estate, and real estate broker, Leonard Steinberg of Douglass Elliman, to envision a modern town home with large open floor plates and an efficient use of the lot’s limited width. Turett Collaborative Architects is a leader in townhouse renovation throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, NYC.