Little House. Big City is an 11-foot-wide (3.4-metre) row house remodeled by Office of Architecture in 2017. Located in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the original 2-story, 1000-sqft (93-sqm) home was extended to 4 levels by adding a bedroom suite above and digging a new urban mudroom below.
The narrowness of the house required the design to make effective yet frugal use of space; every inch was important. Precise positioning of walls, doors, and windows was crucial as each floor was planned to serve a purpose. The lowest level serves as a new entry, storage, laundry, and mechanical area; the first floor is a continuous public space with living, dining, kitchen, and library opening to gardens in the front and back; the second contains two kids’ bedrooms along with a 2-sink bathroom; while the topmost level holds the master suite with a sleeping area, bathroom, balcony, and terrace. A slender steel stair repositioned on the south side party wall connects the house vertically and draws more light, air, and views into the building. Materials throughout the home are modest, natural, and unassuming: the rawness of unfinished steel and character-grade walnut is juxtaposed with the simple refinement of honed Carrara marble and matte ceramic hex tiles. The result is a home that is not just larger, but livelier – filled with the possibility to do more and stay longer in a city that requires its residents to be resourceful.
— Office of Architecture
Drawings:
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Photographs by Rafael Gamo, Matthew Williams
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