brown stone mask West 84th Street Residence It has stood as it has for more than a century, its details painstakingly preserved, while behind it is a vast 32-foot-long room that did not exist in any of its original configurations. Lack of traditional client brief required placeholder Breaking down townhouse living into essential elements that feel personal and adaptable, while avoiding the unnecessary scale often associated with single-family town homes.
The exterior restoration preserved the historic character of the historic New York City brownstone, while the interior interventions prioritized proportion, natural light, and spatial flow. This approach emphasizes how existing architectural conservation and modern interventions can co-exist. The Parlor Residence spans 3,300 square feet over three levels, organized around a 32-foot great room with 11-foot ceilings that establishes generous spatial proportions that are rare in urban housing.
Molteni and C The kitchen in Calacatta Viola marble serves as a material anchor within the open plan, while approximately 900 square feet of outdoor space, including a landscaped garden and terrace, extends daily life beyond the interior boundaries. The garden-level primary suite overlooks the yard with an adjacent flexible room for dressing, office or sitting functions.
The penthouse residence offers 2,700 square feet of interiors and a 400-square-foot terrace, featuring a shared material palette including Arabescato turquoise marble vanities, Alaska White showers, and luminous warm Nero Marquina floors with Waterworks and Dornbrecht fixtures. The rooftop studio and handmade winding staircase connecting to the terrace demonstrate how vertical circulation can become an architectural feature rather than a functional necessity.
Oak herringbone floors, restored moldings, and integrated lighting establish expansive consistency throughout both residences while kitchens and bathrooms receive treatment as objects within the architecture—functional spaces designed with the precision usually reserved for furniture. External connections distinguish each residence’s relationship to the urban context. The parlor’s landscaped garden provides a rare urban amenity by extending the private realm horizontally, while the penthouse terrace and studio provide a vertical escape in the shape of light and views.
For more information about placeholders, visit ph-grp.com,
Styling by Glenn Probstel,
by photography alice sing,
