Wanting to combine the two units to create the kind of flexible living space that could be both a backdrop for art and a stage for their children’s active lives, the Lehmans turned to Katherine Chia of Desai/Chia Architecture in New York. Though they discovered her after an exhaustive Internet search, a brief phone conversation revealed that she was the same Katherine they knew as their downstairs neighbor—a bit of serendipity that would prove useful when it came to coordinating the 18-month renovation with the building.
