Ms. Kashper, who grew up in California, was charmed of the 7,200-square foot loft, which occupies the entire top floor of a landmark red-limestone building at the corner of Wooster and Broome Streets, New York City.

Ms. Kashper is an architect who projected DUB Studios, a young practice with offices in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Her husband is an entrepreneur with beverage and real estate interests both in the United States and Russia. They bought the property for $6.9 million in 2006.

For a period of 10 months, Ms. Kashper visited the job site every day to oversee the renovation, which saw a Pop Art-inspired bachelor pad stripped down to its 19th-century shell. The Kashpers installed a freestanding kitchen in the middle of the loft.

Ms. Kashper, has a beautiful daughter named Izadora. She designed the loft to accommodate large family gatherings. Their aunts, uncles and cousins gather frequently for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.

The picture displays the room-wardrobe. The sloped ceiling hides rooftop pipes and softens an existing skylight, giving the room a meditative glow. Ms. Kashper also uses the room to practice yoga.

The master bedroom has plenty of space, but not much furniture, due to the minimal style, which Ms. Kashper keep.

Just close to the master suite is the marble-clad master bathroom. The freestanding tub may be the focal point, but it is the hammam-style steam shower that is the Kashpers†favorite.

Despite of the huge size, the loft feels homey and comfortable, owing partly to the warm wood and original details.

The raised dining room doubles as a stage when the Kashpers entertain.

Built in 1808 the tower had fallen into disrepair over the last century. Cam-shaped on plan, with 3m thick vaulted masonry walls, the only entrance is on the first floor of the building and the ground floor is completely windowless. Strategically the intention was to clearly differentiate the old and the new, avoiding pastiche, with the contemporary insertions touching the original fabric as lightly as possible, allowing the heavily textured masonry to be the star.

The conversion is conceived as a progression from dramatically shadowed spaces in the vaulted interior up to the unfettered views and lightness of the rooftop. The 3D curving roof, prefabricated off-site using computer generating cutting patterns, is tethered lightly to the existing fabric using only five steel struts and 3-dimensionally curving frameless glazing ensuring a clean and discrete separation between the old and the new and 360° views of the coastal landscape. Although the materiality of the roof juxtaposes the textured dark interiors below the geometry was entirely generated from the curves of the existing building.

The conversion is representative of a larger issue – the huge catalogue of British historical buildings lying vacant. Rather than see this tower fall into dereliction Piercy Conner Architects and Billings Jackson Design saved the tower by reincarnating it as a family home through a series of highly contemporary yet sensitive architectural interventions. In this way the principles of conservation go beyond preserving historical ‘artefacts’ in aspic and instead claim the opportunity to reinvent and recycle existing fabric.

This was no small feat, as the building is considered historic, and exterior modifications had to be minimal.  A design was tentatively planned, but had to adapt during the process because of the dilapidated condition of the structure. However, thanks to the determination of everyone involved Martello Tower Y won a RIBA Award for the Eastern Region in March of this year.