Over the course of seven years, Ulises Liceaga transformed the brick shell, expanding the back wall to increase the structure’s floor area ratio, building up two floors, adding terraces on each level, and furnishing the space to turn it into a contemporary 5,000-square-foot oasis unlike anything in the neighborhood. An illuminated white façade, which glows brightly against the block’s drab gray and brown edifices thanks to a custom lighting system. Designed by the German industrial designer Ingo Maurer, the installation is meant to evoke a cascade of light that begins at the crown of the building’s exterior and seems to flow down each level like water pooling and falling over river rocks. (It’s also the first home in New York to employ a groundbreaking Daikin Altherma, an energy-efficient HVAC system that eliminates the need for fossil fuels.) In fact, much of the home highlights an innovative use of materials not typically seen in the traditional architecture of Manhattan’s historic townhouses. Instead of installing classic hardwood flooring, Liceaga opted for a large-format porcelain tile that the architect considers one of his preferred substances and has successfully included in three other residential projects. Chosen for its resilience and durability—especially important here because it conceals a radiant heating system—it also has an aesthetic application: the porcelain mimics the appearance of stone, adding warmth without rusticity, Like the house itself, it is an ideal blend of form and function, and an elegant juxtaposition of competing ideas—all wrapped up in a comfortable, family-friendly shell that was well worth the wait.