The Plan

At the rear of the house, the back facade was opened to dissolve the boundary between interior and backyard, bringing daylight deep into the kitchen for the first time. The kitchen itself — dark and richly layered with deep forest green cabinetry, blackened walls, warm walnut shelving, and brass details — reads as a dramatic counterpoint to that openness, grounding the space in material weight even as light pours in from the rear.

The second, and more radical move, defines the entire upper level. A room was carved into the primary suite and given to the sky. A large circular skylight, triple-glazed and mechanically operable, punctures the roof of this landmarked home. A black olive tree grows from a recessed pit in the slate floor, while plastered walls and stone dissolve the line between architecture and nature. When the skylight opens, the sounds and breezes of the city enter freely — the room becomes something closer to a courtyard than a bedroom suite. It is a contemplative, almost meditative heart to the home: a literal puncture through a century of history to bring the sky inside.

The client, fashion designer Lusha Wang, brought a sharp and collaborative artistic sensibility to every room. Color becomes the instrument through which the owner maps the emotional geography of the house. The parlor floor breathes in traditional white. The kitchen descends into darkness and richness. The stairwell is wrapped in a dusty atmospheric blue that sets the original dark mahogany banister ablaze by contrast. Each room is its own world; together, they form a coherent whole.