252A 22nd Street

There are houses that are renovated, and then there are houses where every decision feels intentional. 252A 22nd Street is the latter—a brand-new three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Greenwood Heights designed around craftsmanship, warmth and the idea that luxury should reveal itself slowly. The design begins before you ever enter inside. The redesigned façade draws from classic Italianate architecture, with custom millwork, cornice and crown detailing, Victorian-inspired entry hardware, slender ornamental ironwork and an unexpected Spanish-influenced palette of Spanish Olive and Chimichurri green. The house isn’t trying to recreate one period; it borrows thoughtfully from several, pairing those historic references with mid-century bathroom lighting and Art Deco-inspired fixtures in the kitchen and living spaces. Inside, one of the defining choices is the dark American walnut. Rather than using it as an accent, the designers committed to ¾-inch solid American walnut continuously through the floors, stair treads and handrails. Walnut was chosen for its depth, warmth and naturally expressive grain, which can move from fine straight lines into broad waves and curls. More importantly, carrying real walnut through the home creates a continuity that you feel from one level to the next. It’s an expensive detail—and precisely the type of detail that is usually value-engineered out of a project. Here, it became central to the design. Out back, the oversized private yard is more than leftover outdoor space; it was designed as another room of the house. The rear façade and fencing are finished in Brazilian garapa, selected for its golden tone, fine grain and strength. It’s a material capable of aging beautifully for decades with proper care, and its use across the entire rear composition speaks to the level of consideration here: the back of the house was given the same attention as the front.