The nineteenth-century Red Hook row house of artists Carol Bove and Gordon Terry takes its cues, both pragmatic and aesthetic, from its location near the waterfront. Architecturally speaking, there was nothing particularly distinguished about the modest wooden structure, so we tried to create our own visual language and sense of history, maintaining the humble character of the house while essentially rebuilding it from scratch. The garden-level bedroom was prone to floods, so we used rugged materials, like cinder block, brick, concrete, and stucco. In the kitchen, we paired Georgian-style cabinetry with eighteenth-century Dutch tiles that bolster the impression of a home that has evolved over time.