Limestone Contemporary

Brooklyn, New York

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Some of the most satisfying design problems come in the smallest packages. This 250-square-foot Brooklyn backyard belongs to a 125-year-old limestone rowhouse — and it came with constraints to match: a massive concrete retaining wall, an 18-inch-high concrete plinth consuming nearly half the usable floor area, and a family who wanted an outdoor kitchen, seating, plantings, and a tree. The space offered almost none of that — yet.

The approach was to stop fighting the constraints and design from them. The concrete plinth became the base for a full outdoor kitchen — grill, smoker, and storage — with built-in bench seating running alongside it. Custom powder-coated aluminum planters bring in a seasonally shifting planting palette, and a serviceberry tree anchors the space with structure and bloom. Two staircases connect the garden to the house — one to the main level, with storage built into the understair space, and one descending to the newly excavated basement below, knitting the garden into the full vertical life of the home.

Because the space is so small, every surface is visible at once — which meant materials could do an outsized amount of work. Reclaimed brick, laid in crisp gridded patterns, covers the vertical concrete surfaces and continues underfoot as paving. It was chosen to honor the age and character of the limestone house — warm, patinated, historically rooted — but handled in a contemporary way: linear, precise, unapologetically modern in its geometry. The large retaining wall at the rear is clad in handmade terracotta tiles that echo the warmth of the stone above. Light-toned cabinetry and planters were chosen deliberately to read as a continuation of the limestone facade, keeping the enclosed space feeling connected and airy rather than boxed in.

Old materials, new thinking. A tiny space that feels like it has always been there.

Renovation of outdoor brick patio with reclaimed brick pavers being laid out, surrounded by a wooden fence and a brick wall.
A retaining wall with clad with terracotta tiles. The wall is supported by a concrete plinth covered with fallen leaves, and there is a green fence with overgrown vines and foliage behind the wall.
Exterior of a building under construction with a reclaimed brick veneer wall, unfinished concrete stairs, and construction tools and materials on the floor.
A garden with lush green plants, including ferns and foamflower. In the background, a man is working with gardening tools near a wall faced with terracotta tiles.
Backyard patio under renovation with brick stairs, a wooden fence, a green garden bed, a ladder, paint cans, and construction materials.
A backyard with a brick patio and garden beds, some covered or with tools, green plants, trees, and a wooden fence. A person is working on the left side, and there are gardening supplies, including a pot with a young plant in the foreground with blue
Concrete stairs next to a brick wall with black hemispherical lighting on the wall near the stairs.
View of brick stairs leading outdoors, with a brick and cement floor at the bottom, surrounded by brick and wood-sided walls, and a small tree or shrub in the background. There is a person in a blue shirt and white cap standing near a pile of black m
Small outdoor patio with brick flooring, a built-in grill, potted plants, a tree with white blossoms, a wooden fence, and a fire pit.