A townhome on a corner lot in Prospect Lefferts Garden, a historic district in Brooklyn, New York, follows in the footsteps of the neighborhood’s lineage of late 19th- and early 20th-century houses. Though the building’s exterior is landmarked, the interior offers free rein. For the clients, a couple with two children who needed a home that’s “clean, bright, natural, highly purposeful/functional, and kid-friendly,” Abruzzo Bodziak Architects (ABA) didn’t attempt to recreate or restore the historic, but rather gestured toward it in less ornamental fashion. This “low resolution” approach captures the essence of the home with the least details possible.

The design borrows from minimal modernists like Adolf Loos. The architects particularly looked to his restrained use of materials to inform Lefferts Manor House. Pared back and uniform materials now make up the interior: white oak, pre-existing historic parquet flooring, terrazzo in areas of high traffic, and plaster. ABA uses these throughout to unify the interior while loosening up the formality of the spatial divisions.

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