When a young family?a lawyer and dance professor and their two young sons?purchased a Brooklyn brownstone, the building had been subdivided into four apartments and the entire structure was “in terrible shape,” says architect Elizabeth Roberts. It needed to be gutted, so the family seized the opportunity to create an open floor plan. Both Roberts and her clients agreed that a period restoration wasn’t right, and only a few original details?like the fireplaces and staircase?were salvageable anyway, so historical references were kept to a minimum. “It’s a modern house informed by the history of the building and the neighborhood,” Roberts says.
Photography by Dustin Aksland, courtesy of Elizabeth Roberts.

Above: The living room is anchored by a pair of  vintage Wassily chairs by Marcel Breuer, which Roberts recovered in a vintage textile she sourced on a trip to Morocco. The floors are fumed antique oak from Baba, which are “a surprisingly affordable luxury,” according to Roberts.
Above: The view from the dining room into the living room. The clients sourced most of the furnishings themselves, in tandem with interior designer Peter Lentz.

Above: Because the entire house required an overhaul?from plumbing and wiring to roofing and glazing?Roberts used mostly low-cost fixtures and finishes throughout the house?but not in the kitchen. “We focused a lot of attention on the kitchen design to make it a great place to...