Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Tiber Island cooperative housing development was built in 1965 as a collection of apartment towers and rowhouses. While Tiber Island’s modern, yet brutalist, architectural style and well-organized layout and function won the 1966 American Institute of Architects award for Multi-Family Residential Design, tastes and lifestyles have changed. We were tasked with introducing new light and 21st-century ambiance into the dark spaces of a by-gone area.

A love for cooking and a desire to entertain were the leaping-off directives in our interior renovation efforts. We opened up the first floor, and installed a clean, modern kitchen with plenty of countertop space to accommodate a love of cooking. Stately wood floors provide warmth and elegance, and the floor-to-ceiling glass panels – and a glass door that opens to an exterior courtyard – extend the home’s reach.

A streamlined, steel-banister staircase leads up to the second floor – which was reconfigured with light in mind, and places the two bedrooms against the exterior walls. Sliding glass doors open onto intimate balconies, adding to the ambiance and interest of the home, while inviting more light and creating a feeling of openness. In the two baths, large mirrors, modern appointments, and glass-walled showers create depth while maximizing the space and allowing for the unobstructed movement of light.