New York-based interior designers Jae Joo Designs and architects BAOO bring a refined sensibility to their most recent project; a renovated Brownstone in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Jae Joo Designs founder and director Jae Joo describes the original 19th-century build, previously subdivided into a series of apartments, as ‘dense and rigid’, with few original architectural elements salvageable. Adopting a muted colour palette with an underlying sense of grandeur, the Brooklyn Brownstone now combines sculptural elements with the traditional details that set New York’s iconic building style apart.
The Arrangement Pendant by Flos adds a design edge to the classic home in the kitchen.
Presenting as a series of disconnected spaces, Jae admits that the first step to the renovation was adding the arches into the disjointed home. “Connecting the rooms with archways instead of regular doorways added a lot of charm to the space,” Jae says. “I love getting a preview of the next room you’re walking into by a soft curve.”
True to the Brownstone style, a narrow hallway at the entrance leads you into the kitchen, where shaker-profiled cabinetry juxtaposes metallic streamlined cabinetry. An upright cooker and brass details reinstate the opulent aesthetic throughout, while the Arrangement Pendant by Flos adds a design edge.
The staircase, albeit functional, needed to be brought back to its former glory. Jae retained the original ornate balustrade and opted for a charcoal colour, playing on the modern black steel-framed doors and black light fixtures installed throughout the home. “I added classic Brownstone trims and moulding details throughout to balance the newer, modern elements,” Jae explains. “This way, even with all of the new additions, you still get the Brownstone charm when you walk through the home.”
“Connecting the rooms with archways instead of regular doorways added a lot of charm to the space. I love getting a preview of the next room you’re walking into by a soft curve.”
– Jae Joo Designs founder and director Jae Joo
Artwork by M. Crow
Jae Joo introduced the scalloped plaster fireplace by Kamp Studios to anchor the living room, adding texture and visual interest to the space. Artwork by Matias Sanchez Martin.
The original fireplace in the dining room was retained, while new elegant panel moulding is a nod to the home’s history. Artwork by Tyler Hayes.
Jae admits that creating the master bedroom suite is always her favourite element of a Brownstone renovation. “There are the usual challenges of a Brownstone being long and narrow, but I really enjoy dividing them up to fit the client’s needs and to make the bedroom space their favourite room,” she says. Clean lines and a subdued material palette pervade this master suite, complete with private balcony, ensuite and walk-in robe.
Imbued with elegance, Jae Joo Designs and BAOO have sensitively revived the historic bones of this New York home through grand finishes and a sensitive, modern dialogue.
Artwork by M. Crow
Sculptures by Jenny Min
Jae Joo Designs restored the original window shutters in the study, featuring the Lampadaire 3 Bras by Serge Mouille.
The soft master ensuite features the AJ 50 Wall Light by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen.
Checkerboard tiles and brass fixtures draw on the heritage of the home.
