This Basement Apartment in Bushwick Is Now a Light-Filled Oasis

Located in the northern fringes of Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, this extraordinary apartment comes to life within an underground setting. Dubbed “Bushwick Oasis” from the outset, the clients, a couple in their 30s, envisioned a haven of tranquillity and luxury—a zen-like retreat amid the bustling concrete jungle that is New York.

The juxtaposition of industrial history and creative dynamism in the area provided designer Hira Sabuhi, CEO of Hidden X Soul, an art-tech consultancy, with the perfect canvas. The apartment, which spans two levels, the ground floor and a subterranean basement, is infused with urban grit, luxury, and lush greenery.

The ground floor is home to the kitchen, dining room, outdoor terrace, primary bedroom, and en suite. Responding to a client brief that called for a modern light-filled oasis, Hira substantially reconfigured the previously dark and programmatically undefined underground space to include a new spatial flow. This encompassed a thorough restructuring centered around shared experiences, leading to a design where the lounge areas made room for the inclusion of a sauna. Meanwhile, spaces dedicated to personal pursuits (there’s a meditation nook) were tucked away.

At the heart of the transformations was Hira’s adept manipulation of natural light. She used a mirror box with one-way and two-way mirror glass panels strategically positioned to reflect and amplify light, thereby expanding the perceived space. For instance, the living area uses a one-way mirror that reflects the greenery indoors. In the office, one side of the mirror acts as a regular mirror, while the other is one-way glass. This maximizes light reflection within the office while allowing a view out onto the garden.