Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: New Starts in Park Slope, Actress Sells in Clinton Hill

The Insider: Young Designer Decorates First Apartment From Scratch for Park Slope Couple
On the verge of having their first child, a young couple bought their first home: a three-bedroom brownstone floor-through on a tree-lined avenue in Park Slope. Conveniently for them, interior designer Lauren Wills of Fort Greene-based Wills Design Associates is a close friend. She whipped the place together with style, keeping easy care and comfort top-of-mind, in time for the new arrival.

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What Is a Sponsor Unit and Why Does It Matter?
You may occasionally see the phrase “sponsor unit” in listings when you’re perusing real estate listings in New York City and wonder what it means. Even if you’re not planning to buy a sponsor unit yourself, it’s still an important concept for prospective co-op and condo buyers to understand.

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Gothic Revival in Clinton Hill Owned by Actress Lake Bell Asking $3 Million
This house — at 119 Vanderbilt Avenue in Clinton Hill’s Wallabout Historic District — has a number of points of distinction. First off, it’s Gothic Revival, a rarity among Brooklyn homes — built around 1852 according to the designation report. Second, as noted by 6sqft, the seller is actress and director Lake Bell and her husband Scott Campbell, a lauded tattoo artist. Finally, it’s got some unique design features.

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3 Quirky Handmade-Style Houses Upstate, Starting at $650,000
These handmade-style houses in Upstate New York will have even the most utilitarian homeowner pining for a circular foundation, asymmetric exterior or endless wraparound deck. There are sloping roofs, saunas and mountain views, all at prices that could barely cover many condos downstate. The properties here are all south of Albany, in Saugerties and East Chatham, and their prices range from $650,000 to $825,000.

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Crown Heights Limestone With Barrel Front Asks $1.175 Million
This barrel-fronted limestone at 1628 Union Street in south Crown Heights has some nice details and a relatively gentle price. The catch is that it’s a two-family with a pair of floor-through apartments over a high cellar. So if you need an owner’s duplex or are looking for an original one-family to restore, you can move on.

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