It is a house designed primarily to entertain friends. The owner is a passionate cook, so the principles of hospitality influenced the decisions about the architecture and materials of the project. Otherwise the experience of House studies, design studio founded in 2009 by former book publisher Oliver Haslegrave, for some time recognized for bar and restaurant concepts. The architects made one lively and cozy home suitable for a modern family of four, in a typical 1901 brownstone spread over three floors in the neighborhood of Fort Greene in downtown Brooklyn.
The complete renovation has redesigned the floor with the aim of allowing an airy and luminous internal flow, which gracefully united the rooms of the residence, including an open-plan living room, a kitchen and a service bathroom on the ground floor; a modern playroom, master bedroom and bathroom on the upper floors.
The material palette consists of a wide range of elements assembled to the taste of the client with harmony, giving preference to natural ones such as travertine, terracotta, brass, bronze, steel, glass, walnut and reclaimed oak floors. Attention to detail is visible in the bathroom finishes: Giallo Siena stone and Clé Slant tiles decorate the living room, while travertine details underline the master. Both bathrooms include Picasso-style mural created ad hoc by artist Kimmy Quillin, which adds liveliness and creates an interplay between old and new.
One of the main guidelines was to respect the original architecture of the building while preserving historical details wherever possible, including the entrance doors, the stair railing and the fireplace shelves. The house includes a mix of vintage and contemporary furniture, lamps and decorationssuch as Anna Charlesworth’s hanging chandelier, Eny Lee Parker’s vases, Max Lamb’s Poly chair, Rug & Kilim’s Turkish rug, and others from the Homework furniture and lighting collection designed by Home Studios. The selected works of art are also an integral part of the environment. Notable pieces include two paintings by Tyler Hays, another by Claire Oswalt, and a canvas by Hiroko Takeda.
The goal of Home Studios “is always to help tell the stories of outsiders inspired through art and architecture,” say the designers, who also in this case managed to match “story” with “materiality” to create an environment. that defies the conformity of a typical residence.
Photo by Brian Ferry.
SEE ALSO:
Vienna wood, copper and straw: the house that looks like a New York club;
Coral, mustard yellow, blue: a colorful house in Brooklyn;
The classic modern style of a Brooklyn apartment with a view
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