A Carroll Gardens townhouse designed with passive house principles. Spanning four floors plus a rooftop and a basement, the newly-constructed contemporary home is representative of the bespoke finishes and elite craftsmanship associated with the firm’s hallmark style. A family-run company, TBHCo creates comfortable living spaces infused with art and superior craft. The townhouse boasts integrated hand-carved elements by in-house artist Fitzhugh Karol, the husband and frequent collaborator of creative director and co-founder Lyndsay Caleo Karol.
Eco-minded features are central to the collectives’ mission, and this home represents the firm’s first to be built with passive house principles. The European building technique allows for a much more energy efficient, quieter home with excellent indoor air quality due the integration of an ERV filtration system, which extracts air toxins like carbon dioxide in the space 24 hours a day, filters new incoming air and maintains a moderate humidity level.
The technique also calls for significant insolution and air sealing, which combined with the constant humidity level reduces opportunity for mold growth and prevents dryness in the air, which is one of the most common factors in the winter for spread of viruses, the flu and other airborne illnesses. The air quality brings health and cognitive benefits that TBHCo believes will become the new standard for home building in NYC, once homeowners recognize the science and craftsmanship behind the construction of these types of homes.
The home boasts high-end hardware fixtures by Restoration Hardware and Waterworks. The breathtaking windowed kitchen spans the full 20' width of the house and combines form and function with exposed beams, custom cabinetry with brass hardware, Pietra Cardosa countertops and a spectacular La Cornue 43-inch dual-fuel range with five burners and two convection ovens.
Furnishings throughout include one-of-a-kind furniture pieces by TBHCo and Karol, including the poster bed in the main bedroom – recently replicated for the Finger Lakes hotel The Lake House on Canandaigua – the dining table, a dresser and the twin beds in the children’s room. For art in the home, an identifiable puzzle painting by Tyler Hayes of BDDW, adorns the dining room. In another medium for Karol, a wooden art work is displayed on the ground floor sitting room.
