Elizabeth Street
Hide a fourth floor, keep a second unit.


This previously dilapidated house with a detached, non-conforming rear cottage, was transformed into a modern, light-filled open floor plan. The house is organized around a dramatic three-story, skylit staircase that floods the interior with natural light. The stairs being clad in oak veneer plywood create a strong, sculptural presence in this otherwise simple design. The house was expanded in the rear, as well as a new fourth floor, topping out at 4,456 square foot of habitable space. The main floor contains a formal living/dining room, and a great room with open kitchen with sliding doors that open onto an expansive, south-facing terrace. On the floor above are three bedroom suites, and on the fourth is a penthouse suite, that can be utilized as a secondary master suite, or a media room. The non-conforming rear cottage was reduced and added onto, cleverly connecting it to the main house while avoiding a de facto demolition. A very unusual atrium space separates this unit from the main house, while flooding this lower area with natural light. Designed to be either utilized as a separate unit or integrated into the main house as guest quarters, the guesthouse features a full kitchen, and private garden space. Designed with SF Modern as the interior designer and developer, this project yielded an astounding $1,500 a square foot.