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OPPOSITE: The floor of the master bath is covered by slabs of bianco dolomiti marble tile, and the mosaic version of the tile lines the walls.
The curved Americh tub softens the room’s hard surfaces. CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The brownstone exterior façade was restored, and
the cast iron roofline was also saved. The penthouse master bedroom maximizes natural light. Steel windows provide a view to the city
skyline and open-air terrace.
connected inside when they were built,” she says. “There is an
original archway on the party wall between the two buildings.
As part of our design, we kept the brick in the units because
you could see that hint of an outline.”
The fifth floor plus the new rooftop floor combine to make
penthouse suites. Because the added story is set back, the design
was able to incorporate outdoor terraces. New steel windows
that match the existing windows elsewhere in the building were
added to bring the outdoors in. The second level of the penthouse
contains the master bedroom, bath, and bonus room, and
an open stairwell comprised of steel and glass connects the two
floors. “We added skylights to draw in natural light. The stair
treads also use the machined original timber,” explains Tirmizi.
The main floor of the penthouse includes a living room and
kitchen. The chef-quality kitchen features marble counters atop
the walnut island. White cabinets pair with steel appliances,
hardware, and countertop edge. The dark floor grounds
the otherwise airy space, and the arch of the front
windows adds delicate curves to balance the sleek, modern
finishes. Similar finishes are found in the full-floor residences
on the second, third, and fourth floors. Glass tiles add a sparkle
to the kitchen backsplash, and every inch of space is used
to its maximum potential.
Deep hued tiles warm the powder room. Wall-mounted
fixtures create a sense of openness. There are more floating
fixtures, from the toilet to the vanity, in the master bath.
The same warm tile from the powder room is carried over to
the open master shower.
Tirmizi has a professional background in architecture, but
she stresses that architecture and interior design go hand in
hand. “Architecture and interior design are one and the same,”
she says. “With architecture, you often focus on the exterior,
base building, and structural details. But I think a good interior
designer has to understand the architectural elements of
the entire building to solve interior problems. I think they
help each other.” And in the end, Tirmizi’s architectural
sensibility helped extract the true historical beauty of this
once-deteriorating building.