Japanese Style Meets Beaux-Arts Townhouse
This Beaux-Arts townhouse on the Upper West Side mixes Japanese design with classic architecture, turning a traditional Manhattan row home into a multigenerational residence.
From the sidewalk, the row of brownstones on this Manhattan block appears deceptively uniform. Many feature the classic hallmarks of the Upper West Side — deep wooden accents and sturdy fireplaces — but this specific Beaux-Arts home defies expectations. The façade hides a far different story inside, where a couple and their three young children have transformed the building into an indoor-outdoor space.
The renovation, led by the Brooklyn-based firm Sherman Architects, included a full gut renovation focused on bringing light and natural elements into the space. The homeowners wanted to honor the family’s Japanese culture and heritage while creating a home for their nuclear family and the wife’s parents, who live in a private suite on-site.
Blending old and new aesthetics
New York- and Paris-based designer Fawn Galli was brought in to handle the interior design. The couple sought her use of color and nature, but they also wanted the aesthetic to remain simple and strong. Galli had to apply Japanese logic and aesthetics to Gilded Age Beaux-Arts architecture, a challenge she accepted.
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The entryway sets the tone immediately. A rabbit-shaped stool is tucked behind a curved green sofa, a playful hint at the themes embedded in the home’s design. The colors intentionally reference nature, and despite the urban location, the outdoors play a major role throughout the renovation. Massive windows on each floor and terraces make the outside always feel accessible, a necessity for the children who constantly loop inside and out.
The backyard landscaping, overseen by Liz Pulver, features a pergola with a swing surrounded by greenery. The roof is tricked out with a hot tub and lively chaises. ‘I really like the seamlessness between exterior and interior,’ Galli says.
In the reading room next to the dining space, she created a custom velvet chaise that matches the hue of the plants on the other side of the window. The piece sits among bookshelves filled with philosophy and technology tomes. Around the corner, latticework extends into a double-height atrium, bringing in even more light.
‘It’s been a successful piece – very comfortable and relaxing, but joyful,’ Galli notes of the reading room chaise.
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The living room features a showstopper seating area in the Roche Bobois modular ‘Mah Jong’ sofa, ordered in jewel tones of canary yellow and royal purple. The kids like to jump around on the oversized cushions, so the family rearranges the layout easily and frequently.
‘Every time I arrive, they’ve put it in a different configuration,’ she says.
Tatami mats and private suites
Perhaps the most unique pieces of furniture in the home are the tatami mats that replace beds in the main bedroom, the grandparents’ suite, and the boy’s bedroom. The girls have two beds. It was Galli’s first time designing for tatami mats, but she enjoyed the challenge. She customised the nightstands because the mats were so low.
In the main bedroom, the mat sits on a raised wooden platform with a custom velvet headboard. Paired with wallpaper featuring rollicking dunes from Brett Design, Galli likens the room to an oasis. ‘It’s all very saturated but simple,’ she says.
