Originally configured as two separate residences, this five-story townhouse in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood was reimagined by Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design as a single home for a growing family. What began as a more modest renovation evolved into a complete reorganization of the 3,700-square-foot residence, introducing a new stair, expanded living spaces, a relocated kitchen, and an extensive program of custom millwork.
Throughout the transformation, European white oak from MADERA became a defining material. Rather than being limited to the floor, the wood moves throughout the architecture—appearing across walls, ceilings, cabinetry, stair elements, slatted screens, and custom details. Its repetition creates a visual connection between spaces while bringing warmth and natural texture to the home.
The dining room offers one of the clearest expressions of this approach. White oak extends from a built-in bench across the surrounding walls and ceiling, creating an intimate, enveloping space within the main living level. Nearby, vertical oak slats form a screen along the staircase, establishing a motif that reappears at landings throughout all five stories. In the south-facing kitchen, matched white oak cabinetry and millwork continue the material language while allowing the room to maintain its own character.
Achieving this sense of continuity required a highly considered approach to fabrication. The European white oak, finished in Kite 610, was custom milled and finished at a single mill in Belgium.
Even functional details were considered as part of the larger material palette, with custom wood registers and grilles integrated flush into the surrounding flooring and millwork.
Across five levels, the oak becomes an architectural thread connecting spaces with different functions and identities. More than a surface treatment, it brings warmth, texture, and continuity to a townhouse designed around contemporary family life.
Kite 610
