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A six-unit residential building on a narrow Williamsburg site was completed earlier this year, with interiors by Sara Ianniciello of Makers Collective Design. Its fifth-floor duplex uses details such as blackened steel windows, walnut beams and oak herringbone floors to reference nearby factories and workshops without reproducing an industrial style literally.
A six-unit residential building on a narrow Williamsburg, Brooklyn, site was completed earlier this year, with a fifth-floor duplex that draws on the area’s industrial history through materials including blackened steel, walnut and oak. Design Milk reported on the project, whose lead interior designer, Sara Ianniciello of Makers Collective Design, said the aim was to add a contemporary building while staying connected to the neighborhood’s architectural character.
The building occupies a 25-foot-wide site at a busy corner near Union Street. Design Milk describes the surrounding area as a mix of commercial spaces, workshops, diners and row houses. The project uses that contrast as a design reference: steel windows with divided lights recall factory openings, while the interiors combine industrial cues with traditional residential finishes.
The fifth-floor duplex covers 1,400 square feet. Its entry opens into a living area with 20-foot ceilings, a height the report connects to the lofts found in the neighborhood. An arched opening leads to a kitchen with a lower, 13-foot ceiling; walnut beams mark the shift in scale above shaker-style cabinetry. Calacatta Viola marble, with purple and pink veining, appears on the counters and backsplash beside a rangehood clad in blackened steel.
A slim oak staircase leads to the upper level, where the home has three bedrooms. Design Milk says they are compact and planned for comfort and privacy. The bathrooms use Nordic grey marble in different formats, including shower mosaics and larger wall and floor pieces. Outside, permanent planters along the unit’s window sills add greenery to the building’s street-facing facade.
Industrial References in a New Home
The project shows one way a new residential building can refer to Williamsburg’s built history without relying on a literal factory conversion or an overtly themed interior. Its steel windows and metal finishes point toward workshops and industrial buildings, while wood, brass, paneling and patterned floors give the duplex a more domestic character. That balance is the central design idea described in the report.
For residents and neighbors, the project also represents a change to a small urban site that had been occupied by a deteriorated house. The report says the old structure had stood vacant for an extended period and that an oak tree had grown through it. The developer relocated the tree before construction. The project’s outcome therefore includes both a replacement building and the preservation of that tree, although the source does not provide details about the relocation or its later condition.
industrial style blackened steel windows
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From Vacant House to Six Units
Before the new building, the site held a vacant, deteriorated single-family house, according to Design Milk. The report says an oak tree had grown through the structure, displacing its warped wood and vinyl siding. The developer arranged to move the tree before work began on the new building.
Ianniciello’s design approach drew on nearby factories and workshops, using their proportions and materials as references. The report also places the project within her career: she had spent two decades working in hospitality and residential design, mainly in San Francisco and New York, before starting Makers Collective Design. The Williamsburg project was the firm’s first and remains a touchstone for its work, according to Design Milk.
“The goal was to contribute something contemporary and enduring to the block, acknowledging the site’s evolution while remaining grounded in Williamsburg’s architectural character.”
— Sara Ianniciello, lead interior designer and founder of Makers Collective Design
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Project Details Not Reported
The source identifies the building as six units and says the duplex sold quickly, but it gives no sale price, buyer information or dates for the sale and completion beyond saying the building was completed earlier this year. It also does not identify the developer, architect, contractor or exact street address.
Design Milk’s account focuses on the duplex and its interior. It does not provide the building’s construction cost, planning history, energy performance or details about the other five homes. The developer’s account of relocating the oak tree is reported, but the source does not say where it was moved or how it has fared.
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The Designer’s Next Chapter
The reported next development is for Makers Collective Design: Ianniciello’s four-person team is moving this month to offices in a former pencil factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The move gives the firm a new workspace in another building associated with the area’s industrial history, though the report does not describe any further work planned for the Williamsburg property.
The duplex is already reported as sold, and no additional sales or construction milestones are specified. Further information about the building’s residents, the relocated oak or the performance of the rest of the six-unit development has not been provided.
Calacatta Viola marble countertops
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Key Questions
Where is the building?
It is on a 25-foot-wide site in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at a busy corner near Union Street. The source does not provide an exact address.
How large is the duplex?
The fifth-floor duplex covers 1,400 square feet and has three bedrooms, according to Design Milk.
How does the design reference Williamsburg’s industrial past?
The interiors use divided-light steel windows, blackened steel and walnut beams, among other elements, as references to nearby factories and workshops. The designer said the goal was to connect the home to Brooklyn without making it thematic.
What happened to the oak tree at the former house?
Design Milk reports that the developer relocated the tree before construction. The article does not say where it was moved or provide an update on its condition.
Source: rss
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