211 East 76th Street

This project is located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.  Our scope for the project included a complete interior and exterior renovation of the town house, an extension of the Basement and 1^st Floor to the rear, an addition of an entirely new 5^th Floor on top of the existing building, and the design of new interiors for a modern single family residence.  The cellar was also excavated to provide a full height space with completely new utilities and storage rooms.

Our client wanted a fresh take on the standard townhouse type, so we developed a design strategy that kept the traditional component identities but employed a modern interpretation of details.  The brownstone façade and stoop was completely reconditioned, and a new modern cornice was added where the original had been removed decades ago.  In addition, we used glass panels to protect the window openings of the full-height casement windows on the front façade, and avoided the obstruction of more traditional iron grillwork.  A new toilet and shower were also installed under the stoop to create a new guest bathroom in a traditionally underutilized space.

The Basement and 1^st Floor were extended at the rear, and a new balcony and stair were created in the rear yard.  The new Basement level yard was hewn out of the natural bedrock outcropping leading up to the rear yard.  New floor-to-ceiling windows were used on this extension to allow intimate views of the rock formation and the rear yard.  Also, a completely new 5^th Floor was added on top of the building, containing a bedroom, a bathroom with steam shower, a wet bar, elevator landing, and a sunroom, along with a stair to the new roof deck.  The interiors were designed with a modern free-flowing sensibility, and a new staircase made of steel, glass, and wood threads through each floor and ties them all together into a cohesive and harmonious experience.