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April 2025

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Architectural Digest US

IN BROOKLYN, AN ADJOINING PAIR OF HISTORIC HOMES OFFER BOLD CASE STUDIES IN PRESERVATION, PASSIVE-HOUSE STRATEGIES, AND DESIGN DERRING-DO

- SAM COCHRAN

BOTH SIDES NOW

It takes a moment to notice the hush. Inside two side-by-side Brooklyn town houses, dated to the 1840s and now revived according to Passive House strategies, you'll hear no din of ventilation systems, no noise from the streets. But while the atmosphere may be quiet, there is nothing muted about these homes—both outspoken design statements and bold case studies in energy-efficient construction.

imageTal Schori and Rustam Mehta, childhood friends and founders of GRT Architects, first stepped foot inside them seven years ago at the behest of brother-sister clients, who purchased the residences as adjoining homes for their respective families. The decades had not been kind to the Greek Revival structures, which had changed hands multiple times, suffering neglect, their ornament stripped. “They were falling apart,” recalls Schori, enticed by the prospect of designing sibling structures for sibling owners. Add to that challenge historic façades subject to rigorous review and an ambitious sustainability mandate—a big job became more complicated still.

imageWorking closely with master builders Mark Ellison and Adam Marelli, GRT restored the imperiled edifices (pouring new foundations, shoring up wood framing) while tailoring the interiors to the contemporary lives of two families. On the outside, that meant returning exterior ornament to its earliest known state, rebuilding shutters, lintels, cornices, clapboard, and more to match a circa 1940 photograph, with clever variations between the two addresses. “Our practice loves engaging with historic architecture,” says Mehta, alluding to past projects such as the conversion of a Harlem rectory. “We wanted to do right by these buildings.”

PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE Architectural Digest US

Architectural Digest US

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Canine Instincts

In Kenya's Laikipia plains, a new safari lodge finds inspiration in the land and its endangered wild dogs

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Architectural Digest US

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Change ST of Scenery

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Architectural Digest US

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It's All Relatives

Designer Ellen Van Dusen and her siblings update a hand-hewn cabin into a pattern-happy family getaway

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Magic Realism

AT HOME IN MEXICO CITY, MIKE DIAZ CONJURES A FANTASTICAL VISION GROUNDED IN HISTORY

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STUDIO DRAGÓ TRANSFORMS A TURN-OF-THE20TH-CENTURY MILANESE APARTMENT INTO A SLEEK PIED-À-TERRE FOR A STYLISH AMERICAN COUPLE WHO LOVE TO ENTERTAIN

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Architectural Digest US

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Quiet Wisdom

Korean design star Teo Yang bridges cultures and crafts for his first residential project in the United States

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Shine On

Celebrating the centennial of Art Deco, Van Cleef & Arpels retraces the path of two stylish royals from Paris to Tokyo

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