Upper East Side NY Townhouse

Although the budget was not large, the architects and owners, writer Ann Brashares and painter Jacob Collins, had the joint vision to do something quite dramatic to this sculpture school turned townhouse on the Upper East Side.

A large section of the concrete upper floors (which had been part of the sculpture studio) was removed in the middle of the building to create a surprisingly airy, double height atrium which borrows light from a new skylight as well as a leaded glass side window. At street level, the carriage doors lead directly into a painting studio, which has been kept very much as found and wonderfully preserves the atmosphere of a working atelier. The house features a room at the top - a quiet respite for writing - while the rest of the house visually revolves around the open atrium. We also designed the interior decoration.