August 7, 2024
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy List Their West Village Townhouse for $9.75 Million
From the New York Times article by Debra Kamin.
(photos not featured in article)
“The couple put significant effort into modernizing the interiors of the 1880s Greek Revival house. In an effort led by Joan Krevlin, a founding partner of BKSK Architects, the space was opened and brightened, particularly on the ground floor. Ms. Krevlin, who has long worked with Ms. Danes, rooted her work in the actress’s childhood memories.
“Claire grew up in lofts, and her heart was in loft living,” Ms. Krevlin said. “The home they were choosing to make was a townhouse, intentionally, but there were characteristics of a loft that were very important to her.”
Those characteristics included a feeling of flow between the living and eating spaces, as well as plenty of natural light, regardless of the time of day.
Ms. Krevlin had a unique understanding of the assignment. Throughout the renovation, while Mr. Dancy and Ms. Danes were traveling for work, she lived in the home. “It was very interesting to be in that space and understand where the light was and where it wasn’t, and the proportions of that space,” she said. “I could feel it by living there, and I knew what had to happen.”
Ms. Krevlin’s design had the kitchen moved from the front of the house to the back. A glass wall installed alongside a small side yard can be opened to the outdoors, flooding the kitchen with natural light and allowing residents to eat al fresco without stepping outside. The kitchen ceiling, which serves as a floor to the upstairs terrace, was replaced with glass blocks.
“It’s been incredibly well modernized, while still preserving its original West Village charm,” said Tamer Howard, a licensed real estate saleswoman with Corcoran who is representing Mr. Dancy and Ms. Danes in the sale. “It’s a really happy, romantic, special place.”
Ms. Krevlin employed other creative solutions to maximize space, light and air. The ground-floor foyer doubles as a mudroom, with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that can open or close off the space. A home office on the same floor has sliding doors that allow it to be concealed.
The full-floor primary suite has custom closets and an en suite bathroom with dual vanities, a fireplace and a claw-foot tub.
A wood-and-metal staircase with a woven leather railing leads to the second floor, which contains a den with a fireplace and one of the home’s four bedrooms. On the third floor, there are two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and custom closets. The full-floor primary bedroom is one more flight up, with an en suite bathroom that has dual vanities, heated floors, a fireplace and claw-foot tub.
The property is crowned by a rooftop terrace with views of One World Trade Center, an outdoor kitchen with an Ooni Koda pizza oven and an electric retractable awning. The house also has a finished basement with a wine cellar and laundry room.”
