Flipping the Stairs in This Sunken Den Modified the Complete Vibe

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It all began with small discuss. Miles Kohrman and Stefan Klecheski had been busy sourcing stock for his or her design agency Steppe, which has a storefront in Brooklyn, by touring all around the Tri-State space trying to find treasures. As they picked up an auctioned merchandise they’d received in Norwalk, Connecticut—a Gideon desk lamp by Martine Bedin—they had been approached by Carolyn Surgent. 

“She mentioned that she bid on the lamp and lost, and Stefan told her about Steppe and our store,” Kohrman remembers. That’s how they realized Surgent had just lately purchased a Sixties residence in Greenwich and was trying ahead to furnishing her den and workplace. By chatting up a stranger, Kohrman and Klecheski scored their first consumer. 

Surgent is a bodily therapist and mother of two daughters, with one away in school. Originally, Kohrman and Klecheski had been employed to deal with small issues like sourcing lighting, a brand new couch, window therapies—elevating the room’s aesthetic. But then the pair got here by for his or her first website go to, and that seemed to be simply the opening bid. “The flow didn’t work,” Klecheski notes. Instead of well mannered chatter, the enterprise companions determined to ask Surgent to increase the scope of her undertaking. “I remember going into that meeting thinking, ‘Oh my god, can we actually convince her to do this?’” Kohrman says. Here’s what occurred after she stated sure. 

A Strategic Flip

The workplace and den had been a part of an addition that was possible accomplished within the ’90s, and consisted of a dwelling space and an workplace separated by a set of 5 stairs. Kohrman and Klecheski had been impressed by the vaulted ceiling and the outsized sliding door that ignored the deck and yard. They additionally appreciated how the two-tiered structure inside mirrored the grade improve of the boulders outdoors. In reality, that they had a hunch that the steps existed as a result of of a hidden boulder. But both approach, the slight three-feet peak distinction messed every part up. 

“To get to the office, you had to walk in front of the TV,” Kohrman says. “And there was no other way to orient a sofa toward the TV without turning away from the outdoors.”

Surgent imagined a hideaway the place she might work however nonetheless really feel related to her daughter when she was streaming her TV exhibits close by. She requested for the brand new structure to capitalize on the view, whereas nonetheless encouraging a great grasp. Klecheski, a educated architect, had an answer: Slide the steps to the opposite aspect of the room.

That strategic shift would make all of the distinction in cohesion, and even match the steps out again. “When we met, she said she wanted to design something cool enough for her daughter to want to be in,” Kohrman says. “And now Carolyn can sit at her desk or on the dividing wall, chatting with her daughter on the couch.” 

A Riff on the Conversation Pit 

Kohrman, Klecheski, and Surgent aimed for this addition to really feel extra aligned with the house’s Sixties origins with out turning the area right into a time capsule. “We wanted to bring in drama, but keep it earthy and vibrant,” Klecheski says. They sandwiched the den in heat by including white oak paneling and punctuated the workplace with a backdrop of books. And when it got here to seating, the dividing wall leant itself to a built-in dialog pit. Well, a minimum of a play on one, because of a low-slung, burnt-red sectional. 

“All of these influences came together in a way that felt contemporary, functional, and very much Carolyn’s style,” Klecheski says. “We got the palette looking at some photos she showed us from a hike. The colors of the rug match some mushrooms she found.” 

A Platform for Art

Throughout the den and workplace—from the inset within the dividing wall to the built-ins across the TV—Kohrman and Klecheski appeared for tactics to deal with the calls for of a household room with Surgent’s penchant for ever-changing vignettes. The closed cabinetry beneath the tv hides issues like board video games and electronics, whereas a printer and recordsdata are hid within the workplace. “What I really love about the millwork is that the open storage is treated like a stage,” Kohrman says. 

The flat floor between the steps and couch resembles a platform for a sculpture, which is balanced by the virtually totem-form of the closed storage beside the TV. The tiered shelving within the den echoes the duo of open cabinets within the workplace, and so they all have a spot for Surgent’s newest finds. In reality, subsequent to the window is the lamp that initially kicked off this undertaking. Seems like everybody achieved their targets, particularly Surgent.