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Warren Street House
Japanese-inspired gut renovation of a historic Brooklyn brownstone.





This 1880 brownstone in tony Cobble Hill has excellent bones but had been chopped up and disfigured over the years. Previous renovations had stripped historical details and cobbled together rooms, making a contemporary gut renovation a must. Studio Vural worked with interior designer Claire Hung to create a minimalist, Japanese-inspired home. Landscaping in the backyard and a bamboo clad steel deck is being completed.
As a young couple, our European clients visited Japan and stayed in an authentic Japanese house. It was a memorable experience which became the driving force behind our design. Japanese architecture is more about absence than presence. Statements are made by harmony of simple parts coming together in a fluctuating rhythm. Unlike Western architecture, formal relationships are asymmetrical and atonal, if you will. This is the essence of our design.










We used a hand-selected veneer of European Oak, mix-matched to our clients liking to create the undulating pattern. Stone species are beige travertine, marble tiles and hand-poured concrete slabs for the kitchen counters. Glass floor openings as light wells, and an all-glass master bathroom in an intimate bedroom are unique features.
Warren Street Brownstone is a special project for us, we poured our hearts and minds into it, survived a pandemic and came-through transformed, more experienced and better architects. We thank everyone who worked collaboratively for a common goal, often a simple yet healing process.
Principal Architect
Selim Vural, AIA
Project team
Rima Askin
Angela Tsaveska
Year
2022
Phase
Complete
General Contractor
David Nahm, Orion Development
Interior Designer
Claire Hung
Mill work
Quarter Sawn Group - Victor Manuel Calixto
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