When the owners of this brownstone purchased the home, it had already seen some updates over the years but was in need of more light. So, the young family turned to vondalwig to tackle the ensuing reno. “We reorganized the garden level, moving the main bedroom to the rear and creating a cool hallway behind a set of bathrooms,” says architect Kit von Dalwig, cofounder of the firm. The hallway now connects the two garden-level bedrooms while providing additional closet space and serving as a buffer zone. In the main bedroom, they eliminated a poorly placed window and enlarged another window facing the backyard to give the space a much better view. On the parlor level, the firm inserted a contemporary kitchen and created storage space with tall wardrobe cabinets. The once-dark home now sports a clean, minimalist palette that perfectly frames the family’s eccentric furniture. For all of the updates, Kit has her favorite: “The new arched window opens up the kitchen and the entire floor, giv...