Verona Carpenter Architects

Brooklyn Townhouse

This Brooklyn townhouse was converted from a multi-family brownstone into a single-family residence, adding a new two-story structure that extends the living spaces towards the rear yard with an expanded kitchen, master bedroom, and terrace. Inside, a new steel and wood stair brings light deep into the interior and allows continuous visual access to the outside.

A one-story structure was removed from the rear yard to create more open space and improve views from the interior. An outdoor play area featuring local grasses and shade trees was designed in conjunction with a local landscape architect.

Waterfront House

We renovated and expanded this late 1950s beach house, located on a narrow Montauk lot. The original house was inspired by, and partly constructed with, a prefabricated parts system. Despite its efficiency, the system resulted in a design with a tentative relationship to the site – a condition that worsened over years of piecemeal modifications.

Our design centers around  a new east-west connection that restructures the lower level internally and re-links the house to its surroundings. This breezeway, at once an exterior and interior space, was inspired by exterior connectors found in the vernacular architecture of this area. A continuation of the deck, it is a space for circulation, ventilation and views to the landscape.

Fifth Avenue Residence

The challenge of this complete pre-war apartment gut renovation was how to add a separate study room while also significantly expanding the kitchen to suit the chef owners — without compromising the openness of the communal spaces. We achieved these goals with two major interventions: first, we made large scale sliding door openings into the rooms along 18th street so that the views and light extend almost the entire length of the apartment from the living space. Second, we completely relocated the kitchen and extended it along most of the north wall, adding a walnut-clad island as a division between the dining and prep spaces.

Union Square Apartment

The kitchen is the focus of our renovation at this one-bedroom downtown Manhattan apartment. To make the most of a tight layout we conceived of this room as a piece of built-in furniture located within the apartment shell. Designed as a single, integrated, richly finished millwork piece, the kitchen combines open shelving, partial and full-height storage cabinets, and ceiling panels. The stone counter and backsplash were cut from the same slab of Vermont marble, achieving a continuous graphic pattern.

Soho Loft

Our complete renovation of this loft in a Soho cast-iron building followed a fire that ravaged the entire building. The design seeks reorganizes the owner’s daily activities around a spacious live-work area: on one side, the chef’s kitchen; at the opposite end, a media office space.

We worked to heighten the attributes of the space. We replaced the windows and concealed the heating units to maximize the distribution of natural light. We reconfigured the kitchen layout so that it is open to the main living and dining area. The new finishes included white oak flooring, painted wood millwork, and stone counters.

Loft

For this renovation of a loft in the landmark Soho neighborhood we introduced small but significant modifications that recalibrated the relationships between rooms. We replaced the existing undersized kitchen with a new open plan that is more appropriate to the scale of the loft. Developed with manufacturer Valcucine, the light and industrial feel is in keeping with this unconventional domestic setting.

Along the main hall we installed graphic wallpaper, introducing a new field of texture and tone and transforming the experience of moving between the front and back of the apartment.

West Village Apartment

This West Village apartment on the fifth floor of an existing building was in complete disrepair and had not been touched in almost a century. Our gut renovation created a series of linked spaces that reengage the south window wall and reorients the entire apartment towards this main facade.