a tree in the courtyard surrounded by a winding wood staircase — Photographer_Frank Frances, Agency_Art Department, Digital Tech_Olivia Demetros, Stylist_Naomi de Manana

February 2, 2024

Old Meets New in This Updated Brooklyn Carriage House

2023 Best of Year Winner for Small City House

Mass timber has been gaining traction as a more sustainable alternative to concrete and steel, which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases in their production. The engineered product has made headlines when used in skyscraper construction, but it has also been deployed in small-scale projects, as witnessed in this 1870’s carriage house in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, outfitted with a new 3,100-square-foot interior by Schiller Projects. When the building was stripped to its shell, structural beams were salvaged and milled locally for the flooring. Glue-laminated Douglas fir was utilized for the staircase and second-floor bridge. And everything was designed so that sometime in the future the parts can be removed for repurposing yet again.

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees

Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.

2025 WINNERS

a historic brick facade with curved windows

PROJECT TEAM

aaron schiller; Colin Cleland; Alberto Rodriguez; Sophie Hodges.

Projects
Peek Inside A Polished Brooklyn Townhome With Historic Charm
Brent Buck Architects revamped this 3,500-square-foot Brooklyn townhouse, featuring spacious interiors linked by a sculptural polished-plaster staircase.
Projects
Be Inspired By Sacred Geometry At This California Desert Escape
Crafted by Anastasiya Dudik, a dome-shaped retreat in Pioneertown, California blends sculptural minimalism, wabi-sabi calm, and 1970s utopian influences.
Projects
Michigan Central Station Gets A Sweet New Chapter
Yellow Light coffeehouse layers hand-dyed concrete panels and sun-washed hues into a symbol of Michigan Central Station’s rebirth.