A spacious 19th century townhouse, located in an historic district, was renovated and expanded to create contemporary, luminous interiors to accommodate a young family of four. Weaving together the five floors, from the garden level to the penthouse, is a sculptural staircase that doubles as an artistic element. Transforming as it ascends, the stair morphs from a solid staircase lined with the owners’ curated book collection to a minimal open-riser stairway with a curved sculptural rail, and culminates in the new penthouse under a skylight.

On the parlor floor, with its gracious 11-foot ceilings, a bearing wall was removed to create an expansive, uninterrupted open, 30-foot wide space that encompasses living, dining, and sitting areas. At the rear of the house, an outdoor glass deck adjacent to the kitchen filters daylight into garden level spaces below where a guest room, family room, and play area share on-grade access to the rear. Specially designed spaces on the upper floors include a ‘mayhem room” and bedroom and guest suites on the children’s second floor; a media room and ‘Zen’ study in the third floor master suite; and a dance and fitness studio, which looks out onto front and rear gardens, at the penthouse level. The project included New York Landmarks Preservation Commission reviews and approvals for the restoration of the brownstone’s historic façade, as well as the design of the penthouse addition. (Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects)