Show Time: The Completed Natural Home Show House

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Baby supplies and toys from Green Depot are safe and nontoxic.
Baby supplies and toys from Green Depot are safe and nontoxic.
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The third-floor Pacific bathroom countertop is made from post-consumer plastic jugs.
The third-floor Pacific bathroom countertop is made from post-consumer plastic jugs.
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The Nevins master bedroom has its own private terrace. The bedroom door is inset with a pattern of translucent leaves. The Room and Board furnishings are made in the United States by family companies (www.roomandboard.com).
The Nevins master bedroom has its own private terrace. The bedroom door is inset with a pattern of translucent leaves. The Room and Board furnishings are made in the United States by family companies (www.roomandboard.com).
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Cellar floor plans
Cellar floor plans
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Bronze accents and a recycled glass slab dress up the Pacific master bathroom.
Bronze accents and a recycled glass slab dress up the Pacific master bathroom.
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The project's original developers—husband-and-wife team Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher—take a break on the building's roof.
The project's original developers—husband-and-wife team Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher—take a break on the building's roof.
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The Pacific townhouse, on the corner of Pacific and Nevins, has a more upscale, modern feel. A custom Room and Board dining table with a grey quartz top and Enzo dining chairs complete the look.
The Pacific townhouse, on the corner of Pacific and Nevins, has a more upscale, modern feel. A custom Room and Board dining table with a grey quartz top and Enzo dining chairs complete the look.
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An inner courtyard brings light deep into the interiors.
An inner courtyard brings light deep into the interiors.
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First floor plans
First floor plans
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Fourth floor plans
Fourth floor plans
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The original 1920s red brick facade contrasts with the sleek solar panels peeking out from the rooftop garden.
The original 1920s red brick facade contrasts with the sleek solar panels peeking out from the rooftop garden.
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The spacious Nevins kitchen leads to a private terrace. Natural linoleum flooring and an Eco-Terr terrazzo countertop lend a comfortable, rustic feel.
The spacious Nevins kitchen leads to a private terrace. Natural linoleum flooring and an Eco-Terr terrazzo countertop lend a comfortable, rustic feel.
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The airy mezzanine level includes Room and Board's Noguchi sculptural table and Forest Stewardship Council-certified maple flooring.
The airy mezzanine level includes Room and Board's Noguchi sculptural table and Forest Stewardship Council-certified maple flooring.
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Roof plans
Roof plans
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Herbs and native plants in the rooftop garden help create biodiversity in the urban landscape.
Herbs and native plants in the rooftop garden help create biodiversity in the urban landscape.
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Second floor plans
Second floor plans
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Photovoltaic panels on the roof power the solar electric system.
Photovoltaic panels on the roof power the solar electric system.
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Third floor plans
Third floor plans

When we introduced the 2007 Natural Home Show House in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, we said it would feature cutting-edge green remodeling techniques and healthy materials. We also said construction would be complete by the end of that year. The timing didn’t quite work out (blame the recession and the complexities of building in New York City), but the long-awaited result exceeds our highest expectations.

Monumental makeover

When construction began, the Show House was a dilapidated, burned-out shell in danger of collapse (in fact, its roof had collapsed). Built in the 1920s, the structure had been a residence, a pharmacy, a Laundromat and a deli before it was almost destroyed by a fire in 1980. The boarded-up, garbage-filled property was a blight in an otherwise charming, tree-lined neighborhood of well-kept brownstones.

Today the circa-1920s brick façade remains, but it now embraces a new limestone-clad structure housing two state-of-the-art townhouses. The building has rooftop solar panels, an air-filtration system and a rainwater-collection system for the native foliage that has been planted throughout.

How green can you go?

  • Published on Jan 25, 2010
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