Displaying posts from June, 2011

Jessica’s miraculous renovation

Posted on Thu, 2 Jun 2011 by KiM

Jessica emailed the other day with a photo of her dog for pets on furniture. Alot of the room was visible in the photo and I nearly passed out. Turns out Jessica lives in the most incredible Brooklyn brownstone I think I’ve ever seen. I begged her to let me blog her home – and to my relief she agreed. She sent along some info, along with before and after photos.

The home was built in 1887 and Jessica purchased it in 2007. When we purchased the house, all of the original details were intact however everything was in need of attention. Although the house had never been multi-family, there were kitchens on several floors. The façade was badly decayed. All of the mechanicals were outdated.

Work started about a year after we purchased the house and is just now nearly completed. The garden is our next project. Basically, almost everything has been “touched”. There are all new bathrooms, a new kitchen, a restored copper skylight, new mechanicals… In terms of new construction, we built a copper-roofed room to replace an unattractive records room that had been built in 1925 on the foundation of the demolished conservatory for the Brooklyn Public Library offices. We followed the lines of the conservatory, using the existing curved base and the original plans that we found at the DOB.  Two of the parlor parquet floors were damaged beyond repair and have been replaced. The heavily patterned parquet of the front parlor was discovered under carpet and linoleum tile and has been restored. A new curved iron stair has been added under the skylight to replace a narrow servant’s stair to the basement.

The details of this home are jaw-dropping. What I would give to have 1/8 of the spectacular architecture of this home in my own. Jessica has done an awesome job decorating her home I might add. In her own words: I want to mention that I am not “really” an interior designer. I did design and furnish this house. I am a life-long thrifter and a junk store junkie and much of my furniture was acquired this way. I have even been known to pull a few things from the neighborhood trash. My friends have been encouraging me to do this professionally. Well, YOU GO GIRL!!! (Many more photos after the jump)

JP Warren Interiors Facebook page
Architect: Kimberly Neuhaus
Photos: Peter Margonelli

****On a side note, I have a new post up on “Kim’s Page” of the blog featuring some totally awesome paintings by a Canadian artist that you have GOT to see.

Quickie 2

Posted on Thu, 2 Jun 2011 by midcenturyjo

I warned you! More from the dark side. The Milan loft of furniture designer Rodolfo Dordoni via AT Casa. This is more me. Still undecided on the oversized humanoid sculpture (this coming from a woman with a life size Mary and Jesus statue, a 3m Papua New Guinea spirit post and a Tiwi burial pole) but the rest is perfect. Soon I too shall be welcomed home each day by a darkling den.

nemaworkshop

Posted on Wed, 1 Jun 2011 by KiM

nemaworkshop is a group of architects and designers based in New York that have created many fabulously modern commercial spaces and a few residential ones. Here are 2 of them:

This first dwelling was originally 2 separate apartments. It has become the NY crash-pad for a rock star located in a landmarked building on Bond Street. The concept was to create an environment which was luxurious in materials yet informal in layout. I think it’s HOT. With some personal touches and quirky artwork this would be the ultimate party palace. (And I’m loving that view – it’s like art in itself!)

  

  

  

The Tribeca loft is drenched in sunlight. The expansive private rooftop terrace bleeds into the apartment and creates a living space where the sky becomes an integral architectural element. A giant skylight illuminates the vertical space washing the apartment in natural light. The environment is clean and modern yet never cold. The timber structure and rustic barn wood generates warmth, as do the bookshelves which articulate the main living spaces.