BFB Architect, PC

Mar 2013

Madison Avenue Residence

New York, NY

Jan 2008

The clients had lived in their two-bedroom apartment for many years when an adjacent studio apartment became available. They asked us to combine the two units, creating a three-bedroom apartment. The wife, a food professional, wanted a spacious kitchen with a view, and an open flowing plan between the rooms. The combined plan creates a series of rooms "enfilade", with large openings between the kitchen, entry gallery and dining room. A dining "foyer" between the living and dining rooms provides a discreet entry for the powder room as well as a generous bar. The new, third bedroom (formerly the dining room) and the two existing bedrooms all open off a new bedroom hall. The resulting apartment has been configured to maximize open space, views and light for family use, as well as create a series of formal spaces for entertaining.

New York, NY

Sep 2002

Park Avenue Residence

Manhattan, NY

Apr 2001

This apartment is an 'empty nest' for a couple who asked us to create a richly detailed setting for their extensive art and literature collections as well as a series of classically detailed spaces for entertaining. The existing layout of the apartment consisted of generously proportioned rooms, which required little re-configuration. Our task was to provide the layers of embellishment that would make the rooms functionally and aesthetically pleasing. Throughout the apartment, wood, stone and plaster are used to create the cabinetry and architectural ornament that give each room their character. The main library has been laid out specifically for the couple's art- and music-themed books. The cabinetry features carved spindle doors built to display a collection of bound volumes of antique musical scores. The wife's study has been built as a private retreat for study and writing, with cabinetry designed both to house and organize an extensive library, and also to frame stunning views up Park Avenue. The Kitchen, while configured for periodic use as a catering kitchen on a large scale, also functions daily as the sun-filled gathering place for the couple and their extended family.

Manhattan, NY

Mar 2001

The public rooms in this apartment were quite large, while the private rooms were ill-suited to the needs of a growing family. We were asked to create four bedrooms from the existing three bedroom configuration, yet retain the generous feeling of the living area. The apartment was equipped with a large butler's pantry, to which we added a portion of the former dining room to create a new kitchen. This kitchen was connected to the dining room by means of large pocket doors, enabling the two rooms to function together as a family kitchen, or independently, as a formal dining room and kitchen. The original kitchen became the fourth bedroom. The master bedroom was re-configured as a suite, with a private dressing area and bath. New central air-conditioning was inserted throughout the apartment, with duct-work installed above corridors and closet ceilings to minimize impact on ceiling heights. Custom-designed trim and cabinetry throughout the apartment provide a final layer of refinement. While the apartment has been adapted to the needs of a contemporary family, the elegance of the pre-war architecture has been retained.

Manhattan, NY

Jan 2001

When our clients bought this small salt-box house from the early 1920's, only the first floor, containing a kitchen, living room and two bedrooms was finished. A small addition was added to the first floor. We were asked to renovate the first floor rooms and to create a master bedroom suite in the second floor "attic" space. Rather than overload the very small house with top-heavy shed dormers, we enlarged the first floor addition vertically, forming a tower off the rear of the house. The tower, along with a boxed-bay off one end of the second floor, and a small shed dormer at the new staircase gave the house sufficient space on the new second floor. An enclosed porch off the kitchen provides a year-round dining area as well as a small terrace off the upstairs bedroom. The multiple additions gave the house a feeling of having developed over time, while providing a cohesive architectural vocabulary for the new residence.

Providence, RI