In his Brooklyn apartment, architect Jeff Sherman had free rein to explore styles in a way he couldn't do for a client's home. The Prospect Heights brownstone became his creative canvas. "I used a lot of materials that don't belong where they are: wood planks on the ceiling instead of the floor, tin on the walls instead of the ceiling, brick on the inside instead of the outside," he says. Here, Sherman poses with his dog post-restoration.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
It may look old-fashioned from the outside, but upon entry, the copper-covered walls of the entrance hall give a modern sheen.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
The patterned wainscoting along the walls of the staircase is made of the original tin.
Sherman removed one floor of the building, which allows light to flow directly in and fill the space.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
The copper-lined walls and door of the entrance hall open into a wood-paneled sitting room with a large modern painting on display.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
The middle of the apartment features an open floor plan, but the living room's lower ceiling and traditional 19th-century fireplace give it a more intimate, cozy feeling.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
Sherman works in the kitchen, which overlooks a double-height dining room. The wall is made of parged concrete, a material normally used on the exterior of buildings.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
Tin, wood, and glass make appearances in the material-full kitchen, which is located at one end of the open living area beneath a ceiling lined with cedar planking.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
The galley-style kitchen is fitted with an industrial-sized oven and modern stainless steel work surfaces.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
Unpainted tin wainscoting from the staircase has been adapted on the counter of the open-plan kitchen.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
An airy two-story atrium above the living area is flanked by open shelving and the corrugated plastic wall of the bedroom.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
A tall staircase features mahogany treads which meet the original wide planks of the ground floor at the bottom.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
Silver and gold complement each other in a catwalk that connects the guest bedroom with the office.
Wide windowns in the bedroom store a shelving unit of baskets to make the most of the space.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
Open shelves contrast with the transluscent corrugated plastic of the bedroom.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
The atrium overlooks a built-in bookcase as a prime demonstration of the building's storage-as-aesthetic ethos.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
A framed black-and-white photograph of the terraced house before Sherman's renovation is displayed in the living room.
Michel Arnaud/The Interior Archive
