A terrazzo kitchen, a yellow-colored walk-in shower, colorful built-in cabinets are added to interiors of an attic in the Ditmas House in New York's historic Ditmas Park neighborhood, United States.

The renovation of the family home by Brooklyn-based practice Shakespeare Gordon Studio was designed for Amy Shakespeare and Mark Gordon, who are principals of Shakespeare Gordon Studio.

Amy Shakespeare and Mark Gordon purchased this home in the historic neighborhood, and they knew they were taking on a challenging project. 

Primary bathroom. Image © David Gilbert

The 3,000-square-foot (278-square-metre) large, historic structure had been divided into many smaller rooms and dark, uncomfortable spaces over the course of its life. They took on a challenge by redesigning the structure, starting with the attic.

"Attics are often underutilized spaces in traditional homes. Located up several sets of stairs, and with challenging spatial geometries, they frequently remain as leftover space that is mainly used for storage," said Shakespeare Gordon Studio.

"Attics can be an afterthought when renovating a home, and the last places to receive makeovers," the firm added.

Kitchen. Image © Katherine Marks

They realized that their small attic space, often thought of as dreary, might be the best way to transform it into a light-filled primary suite.

It was also important that the design for this project create a new visual language for subsequent renovations on the two main floors of the house. This would be a striking template for them.

With this project, Amy and Mark’s bold reorganization of space, which upended the conventional turn-of-the-century layout, informed playful design choices throughout Ditmas House.

Kitchen. Image © Katherine Marks

"The primary bedroom suite in the attic serves as a case study of the choices that characterize the design logic of this project: a cohesive, flexible backdrop punctuated by bursts of color and definition that reinforce function," said the firm. 

On the other hand, the main part of the attic, which spans the width of the house, is clad in a mix of white shiplap siding at the underside of the roof and ends of the gables. 

Areas that were previously very dark were solved with solar-controlled operable skylights, allowing natural light and air to enter.

Kitchen. Image © Katherine Marks

Exposed natural plywood panels blanket the balance of the walls and dormers, and were also used to create custom storage closets, a dresser, bookshelves, and a desk for Mark’s home office. 

These interventions create a light, airy space that is elegantly malleable, with a range of subtle, cohesive built-ins to support that flexibility.

Meanwhile, the team added two large sliding panels in different shades of red that provide definition to the room, with one marking its entrance and the other serving as the door to its ensuite bathroom. 

The primary bathroom reflects the flip side of Amy and Mark’s design philosophy for the house - they added eye-catching colors and materials to draw attention to specific elements, highlighting the specific functionality of this different kind of room. 

"This concept is epitomized by the walk-in shower, a triangular prism tucked under the roofline and defined by bright yellow tiles that are activated by sunlight from above," the firm explained.

Primary bedroom. Image © David Gilbert

Elsewhere in the home, homeowners meet the high-contrast color palette that continues to differentiate element and function, while materials such as wood once again blend flexible built-ins into the house’s existing structure. 

Second floor library. Image © David Gilbert

In the kitchen, the architects worked with Copenhagen-based company Reform to select cladding for their IKEA cabinets, using four shades of brightly colored linoleum panels. 

Solid character-grade oak runs through many of the renovated areas of the house, and oak panels climb up the sides of the terrazzo kitchen countertops and encase a built-in bookshelf and a structural column. 

These elements reappear in the second-floor bathroom, where cedar lines the walls and ceilings and multi-colored hexagonal tiles can be found underfoot.

Kitchen. Image © Katherine Marks

From the sunlit suite at the top of the home, to the easygoing elegance of the first floor, Ditmas House’s synergistic blend of natural light, bold colors, and expressive materials reanimate this historic home.

Kitchen. Image © Katherine Marks

Primary bathroom. Image © David Gilbert

Built-in desk in primary bedroom. Image © David Gilbert

Second floor bathroom. Image © David Gilbert

Floor plans

NYC-based practice Shakespeare Gordon Studio (SGS) is a certified woman-owned business (WBE) that offers inventive and thoughtful solutions to design challenges at all scales for a wide variety of clients and project types. 

The firm was originally established by Amy Shakespeare in 2003. SGS has expanded and evolved its foundational principles over the course of more than twenty years, with Mark Gordon joining Amy as Principal in 2016. 

Project facts

Project name: Ditmas House

Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Client: Amy Shakespeare, Mark Gordon

Architects/designers: Shakespeare Gordon Studio

Design team: Amy Shakespeare, Mark Gordon

Project sector: Private Residential

Square footage: 3,000square foot

Project completion date: 2022

Top image in the article: Primary bedroom. Image © David Gilbert. 

All images © David Gilbert, Katherine Marks.

Drawing © Shakespeare Gordon Studio.

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