Welcome to the James Residence — a thoughtfully reimagined condo inside a converted Romanesque church in Cobble Hill.

This home came with a delightfully funky multi-level layout featuring soaring ceilings and dramatic details like the double-height, pointed-arch entry and oversized windows. These original architectural elements brought character and gravitas, but the previous interior layout and finishes often competed with them, creating visual noise and fragmentation.

The client, while a lighting designer and experienced renovator herself, came to MMK Atelier overwhelmed by options. She didn’t need full architectural services, but she did need clear, confident guidance to help her visualize new possibilities and move forward with clarity.

Through tailored design advisory, we stripped back what wasn’t working and reimagined how the space could both flow and feel better. Clean lines, minimal forms, and a muted, textural palette now allow the original church elements to shine — not fight for attention. The new interior feels calm, integrated, and quietly elegant.

Key moves included:
➡️ Removing the wall that separated the stair from the sunken living room
➡️ Replacing clunky guardrails with a sleek glass balustrade
➡️ Eliminating outdated bi-fold shutters that once divided the dining area and living room
➡️ Reclaiming underutilized space to maximize storage and functionality

These changes opened sightlines, improved flow, and created a stronger sense of cohesion across levels. We also reworked underutilized areas, turning a lower vestibule into a walk-in closet, expanding the primary bedroom, and giving the en suite bath a seamless concrete finish, walk-in shower, and modern, restrained detailing.

This wasn’t just a renovation. It was a visual reset — a space rebalanced around clarity, light, and calm.