Renovation Turns 19th-Century Brooklyn Firehouse Into Light-Filled Modern Home

There’s something ineffably dreamy about the idea of living in a converted firehouse: There are the "old bones" and period details one comes to expect in a firehouse like this one in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, which was built in the late 19th-century. But that wasn’t the case here: While the redbrick exterior was fairly well preserved, the interiors were in a sad state, having fallen into disrepair after years of disuse.

So its new owner, a photographer, scrapped the dilapidated existing interiors with the help of local firm TBD Architecture + Design Studio. Dubbed, simply, the "Firehouse Conversion," the two-story structure now features light-filled, whitewashed interiors much more in line with the clean-lined minimalism very much in vogue on this side of the 21st century. The first floor features open-plan common areas and a studio, while spaces for sleeping, bathing, and primping are set upstairs.

The designers did add some new structure at the old firehouse, creating a rooftop pavilion that contains the master suite and opens up to a planted terrace. Take a look.