Living Areas

In keeping with Viks’s design, the living room remains on the second floor. A bright yellow artwork by Ken’ichiro Taniguchi complements the Bend Sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia. The Random pendant lights are by Bertjan Pot for Moooi, the Yo-Yo coffee table is by Emanuele Zenere, and the Maltino Rug is by Linie Design. The hardwood flooring is from the Admiration line by Mirage.

Hanna’s bedroom loft floats above the kitchen’s Caesarstone countertop. Serge Mouille sconces complement linear Pure Edge Lighting pendants. Next to the kitchen, and not visible, are the pantry, laundry, and two spare bedrooms and bathrooms arranged around the front garden.

In Hanna Bui’s Sausalito houseboat, designed by architect Craig Steely, sea creatures seen through an enormous back window animate bay views. Walls of plank siding dry out easily if they get damp, and different levels of bleached oak floors demarcate living areas and a sunken kitchen. Red Line Roset Togo sofas are paired with a suspended bamboo seat.

One of the guest bedrooms features a bespoke built-in joinery unit that functions as storage and a desk space. It extends from the open bedroom and out into the hallway, with the desk positioned beneath a small window that allows for natural light and a carefully framed glimpse of the surrounding context. A concealed sliding door closes the space off when it is being used as a bedroom.

The central living and dining space extends outside in all directions to a private rear courtyard and a wrap-around verandah.

The standard approach on the balcony would be to use a glass balustrade—however this would open the view up to the road, passersby, and an adjacent car park. “This means that the living room is truly private, even though it is in a prominent spot,” explains architect Jeffery Bokey-Grant.

The couple chose Shou Sugi Ban siding, with an extra treatment to meet stringent fire codes.

The couple's living room, anchored by a favorite old leather sofa, stays cool with the help of a ceiling fan and mini-split heating and cooling unit.

The oil painting over the living room sofa is Labyrinth Garden, by Darby Milbrath

The chandelier in the living room is Lambert & Fils. The couple fit a new piano in the corner so it’ll be ready for music lessons for the children. “She’s been wanting to teach her children the piano, so it also creates this music space [in the living room],” says Pillet.

“Those living rooms are always a challenge in brownstones, to furnish in a thoughtful way,” says Cuttle, pointing to the narrow dimensions of the room, the low window sills, and abundance of woodwork taking up wall space. A curving Carl Hansen sofa floats in front of the bay window, so as not to block the light and allowing easy sightlines. The chairs and coffee table are from Lawson Fenning and the rug is Jardan.

The banquette is a blue high-performance velvet by Maharam.

Bryce – who loves plants, “is in heaven up here,” Mike says. “We have plants in every room. If a plant is not doing well, you just move it to another part of the house. There is different light coming from every place. We can accommodate any house plant.”