Site Visit :: Nursery School + Apartments w/ GSDO

A historic paper doily factory gets a new look

Back in May we gave a very early preview of some longer-term projects that we were excited to follow through construction. After a suspenseful few months, we’re back with Adam Glickman & Lauren Schlesinger of GSDO to check out the progress of their conversion of a historic paper doily factory located in South Williamsburg. The former doily mill is well on its way to becoming the new home of the Williamsburg Neighborhood Nursery School and will also house two apartments on its upper level. Here’s a last look into the project before the finishing touches are completed and the final results are revealed.

The nursery school entry — Adam & Lauren chose a pair of playful pendant lights for the school’s entry space; the pendants have an industrial quality while remaining kid-friendly in yellow rubber. The fixtures are by Form Us with Love for Muuto.

Another playful touch is the circular ceiling fixtures that run throughout the nursery school; these were manufactured locally by LaMar. Adam & Lauren got the idea from their young daughter who recently started saying “circle!”  Rather than using color on the classroom walls, the school went with a neutral white scheme in order to better display the students’ work.

The two classrooms for 3-year-olds are connected by large pocket doors so that some activities can be easily shared.

Upstairs, the first apartment is an open 1,340 sqft with lots of light and a blend of clean-modern & old-industrial character.

The white IKEA cabinets and subway tiles in the kitchen keep it clean and simple.

The second space is a 1,725 sqft two-bedroom apartment. Here is a look into the open living space where an original skylight opening had been reintroduced by GSDO in order to help satisfy NYC building code requirements for air and light.

The designers integrated the ductwork, track lighting, and sprinklers into the ceiling joists in order to minimize their appearance in this apartment. In the first apartment, they took an opposite, celebratory approach to the HVAC and sprinkler layout.

This open kitchen/living layout would make a perfect space for entertaining.

Another set of ikea cabinets in the second kitchen which features a more colorful scheme, using blue backsplash tiles from Ceramica Bardelli in Italy and a grey lava stone countertop from Mondial Tile in Brooklyn.

Many thanks to Lauren & Adam at GSDO, we can’t wait to see the final reveal!