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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
Refinery29 takes us inside the beach-inspired Prospect Heights pad of Surf Bazaar store owner Bethany Mayer. Check out the way the designs in the rug and pillows echo the inlaid floor. It’s all very casual rustic in a historic envelope. Perhaps the all-white paint is supposed to remind us of sand? Click through to the story for some detail shots, such as a mantel closeup. (more…)
05/23/2013 11:30 AM
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Media Center to Replace Pratt Art Store
The building at 550 Myrtle Avenue that currently houses the Pratt Store will be getting a major makeover by architectural firm WASA/Studio A in preparation for its transformation into a media center for the school. The building has 15,000 square feet of space and will house sound stages, a recording studio, mixing rooms and a screening room, DNAinfo reported. WASA/Studio A also designed Pratt’s Myrtle Hall, where Utrecht Art Supply Store is located. The new design is still in the planning stages, but the building’s mezzanine will stay. No word yet on whether Pratt intends to expand upward. The redo of 550 Myrtle Avenue is expected to be completed by fall of 2014.
Video and Media Center to Replace Soon-To-Be Shuttered Pratt Store [DNAinfo]
Photo by Google Maps
05/23/2013 9:30 AM
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“Disaster” Housing Headed for Downtown
A prototype for emergency housing is going up in Downtown Brooklyn, right next to the Office of Emergency Management. Designed by Dumbo’s Garrison Architects for manufacturer American Manufactured Systems and Services of Vienna, Va., it’s a three-story, three-unit building with two three-bedroom apartments over one one-bedroom, handicapped accessible apartment, The New York Post reported. What makes the housing suitable for emergency situations is how quickly it can be built. Each unit is 40 feet long and comes preassembled. A contractor clips the units together and hooks up the utilities. They even have balconies and photovoltaic panels on the roof to generate electricity. The design meets all city codes, and the concept could eventually be used for permanent high-density housing of no more than four stories, said the architect.
Crisis Housing Advances [NY Post]
Rendering via NY Post
05/23/2013 9:00 AM
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Interactive Robots at MetroTech Plaza
This afternoon at MetroTech Plaza, faculty, students, and firms from NYU-Poly and its business incubators will demonstrate their research in 40 interactive, family-friendly exhibits. Visitors can check out various kinds of robots, apps, fiber-optic sensors, energy-harvesting building materials, wireless monitors for epileptic seizures, what’s in the Gowanus Canal and augmented reality. The engineering school is based at MetroTech, and its first annual Research Expo is free and will be open from 1 to 5 pm today.
Photo via NYU Poly
05/20/2013 10:30 AM
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Photo Pool Challenge: Kitchen Islands
Our kitchen doesn’t have an island — we just use a table — but we’ve noticed a lot of attractive new designs lately. The key seems to be detailing on the outward facing part and a thick top. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fancy — just a few vertical battens can change the look. After the jump, some more examples. If you click on a photo, you will be directed to the source. Please tell us what kind of kitchen island you prefer (or none?) and post your own photos and inspirations below. (more…)
05/16/2013 11:30 AM
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Park Slope Conversion Finished
The conversion at 392 Dean Street that we have been following is all done, an open house was held on Mother’s Day, and photographs of the interior are now available and posted on the listing. Even though the townhouse is basically a brand-new build on an old foundation, the exterior and interior details such as the doors, moldings, windows, and salvage fireplaces are historically appropriate for this mid-19th century dwelling and its neighbors. The kitchens and baths are more modern in style and, as noted before, have book-end matched walnut and lacquer cabinets, and Carrara marble tile. Or, as developer Seth Brown put it, the unit for sale for $1,995,000 is a “mix of new and old, with a traditional parlor and working fireplace in keeping with a 150-year-old house, but with a very modern kitchen, home automation, ultra-efficient mechanicals, etc.” We think the whole thing turned out very well. What’s your opinion?
05/16/2013 11:00 AM
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Congress Street Townhouses Launch!
We’ve been following the Congress Street townhouse project for some time, and now Curbed brings word that sales have started! The nine townhouses at 110-126 Congress Street are on the market with a new web site and a new name, The Townhouses of Cobble Hill. Prices start at $3.65 million for a three-bedroom, five-bath home and go up to $3.875 million for a five-bedroom, five-bathroom home. (The prices are about a million higher than originally predicted.) Approved by Landmarks, they are traditional yet modern. What do you think of the design?
In Cobble Hill, Yet Another Crop of New Brooklyn Townhouses [Curbed]
110-126 Congress Street [The Townhouses of Cobble Hill] GMAP
More Details on Cobble Hill Townhouse Project [Brownstoner] (more…)
05/16/2013 10:00 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
We were thrilled to see The Wooden House Project start up again in March after a hiatus of about a year and a half. The blog focuses on the history and restoration of frame house facades in Brooklyn. Founder Elizabeth Finkelstein lives in South Slope, land of wood frame houses, and is a preservation consultant. Two contributors both work at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Above, two gorgeous, partially restored wood frame houses at 69 and 71 Dean Street in Boerum Hill. We guess the side of No. 69 still needs a little work. The door frames look about 1840s-ish to us. Does anyone know if the unpainted wood fronts and six-over-six windows are historically accurate? (more…)
05/14/2013 11:00 AM
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Design Studio Opening in Greenpoint Soon
A combination store, showroom, gallery, and design lab known as Jellio is opening in Greenpoint on May 20. (Right, a whimsical image they designed.) It’s a collection of fun, wacky home furnishings that includes an ice cream bench, a Rubick’s Cube table, and gummy bear light fixtures. The owners will run the store out of a giant fabrication shop at 239 Java Street so visitors can see the items in production. They’ll be opening Jellio with a debut show called “Toy Chest,” a design tribute to iconic items the owners had as kids. Stay tuned for a sneak peak of the new space, and check out some more of the products at the Jellio Facebook page. GMAP
05/13/2013 2:00 PM
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Reminder: Brooklyn Design Show This Weekend
The tenth annual BKLYN Designs show is almost here! The juried show will feature 35 exhibitors of contemporary lighting, furnishings and home accessories designed or made in Brooklyn as well as design-related and kid-friendly events throughout the weekend. Exhibitors include Paula Greif Ceramics, woodworker and furniture maker Eric Manigian, handcrafted furniture company 4Korners, makers of cheerful wallpaper Kimberly Lewis Home, and many more. Events include a live music yoga class, an outdoor kids lounge, car and furniture design workshops for all ages, and a panel about how to incorporate Brooklyn-inspired and green design into your home. The show will take place at St. Ann’s Warehouse at 29 Jay Street, May 10 through 12. Who’s going?
Made in Brooklyn Show Returns to Dumbo [Brownstoner]
Image from BKLYN Designs
05/07/2013 12:00 PM
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A Green Renovation on a Budget
If you’ve eaten at Lulu & Po in Fort Greene, you’ve seen the warm modernism of interior and certified LEED designer Kananshree Prasse, a partner at Brooklyn-based Ka.Va Design. For her first personal project, her family home in Prospect Heights, Prasse wanted to do something ecological and energy efficient, but quickly realized a fully LEED certified house would not be possible on their budget. So she decided to focus on the two things that would give them the biggest bang for the buck in terms of energy savings. “If you have limited resources, the most important thing is to insulate the exterior envelope and get good windows,” she said.
04/29/2013 11:00 AM
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Group Wants to Crowdsource Brooklyn’s Graphic Identity
Some designers, artists, professors and branding experts are attempting to crowdsource the graphic identity of Brooklyn via Kickstarter and the Web, as FIPS pointed out. Here’s how they put it on their Kickstarter page:
In recent years Brooklyn’s culture has received national and international attention due to its booming arts and maker cultures juxtaposed with its historical significance in the United States. As Brooklynites and Brooklyn-lovers, we want tap into the borough´s pulse and make it the world’s first community branded by participatory design. We, a micro-collective of award-winning artists and branding experts, have designed a four-part project that allows Brooklynites and people from around the world to contribute to the cultural identity of this borough. (more…)
04/24/2013 10:30 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
This bathroom transformation started out with the kind of very small, mid-20th century, really ugly old bathroom that is so common in Victorian row houses in Brooklyn (although this one is located in Canada). House and Home editor Mandy Milks ripped everything out and changed the window and the floor plan. She used Hexagonal Bluestone marble tiles on the floor and honed Statuario Perla marble subway tile on the wall. The tub is new, with an outside painted matte black and feet plated in patinated brass. The shower and fixtures are brass, and the shower curtain is linen. Click through to the story to read about every detail in the captions. (more…)
04/23/2013 11:00 AM
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NYU Opens Urban Tech School Downtown
New York University’s new Center for Urban Science and Progress officially opened Thursday at 1 MetroTech Center on the 19th Floor, reported The New York Daily News. The high-tech school will have graduate programs in engineering, planning and design. Research will focus on how to improve living conditions in big, crowded cities, from energy efficiency to better planning and infrastructure. “That research is expected to be crucial in the coming decades when most of the world’s population migrates to cities,” said the Daily News. The facility includes 26,000 square feet of office space and two visualization labs. The center will spin off hundreds of new companies and create thousands of new jobs, said Mayor Bloomberg at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. There are already more than 500 tech companies in the downtown area, he added. NYU plans to remodel a building at 370 Jay Street into a permanent campus for the school, pictured in the rendering above. The goal is to move the school there by 2017.
High-Tech NYU “Genius” School Opens in Downtown Brooklyn [NY Daily News]
Rendering via NYU Local
04/15/2013 9:00 AM
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Let’s Play Flipper
A first-time developer contacted us with an interesting proposal: He had just purchased a two-family in Prospect Lefferts Gardens; could we post photos and floor plans and ask the Brownstoner community what they would advise doing with the property? A little background: Our correspondent works full time in development for a company that builds large multi-unit properties in the New York City area. This is his first venture on his own. He’s moving very fast: He saw a listing for the building on a Tuesday, got in to see it the following Sunday, made an offer on the spot, and closed two weeks later. He’s already met with an architect and lined up a work crew. In fact, by the time this post goes up, he might have already sold the building! He’s debating whether to turn around and sell it as is at a slightly higher price, or to renovate first and sell for more. He noted the structure is in fine shape, as are the walls. There are inlaid and parquet floors, as well as built-ins and other original details. The above photo shows one of the bedrooms as seen from the dining room. The developer asked us not to mention the exact address or what he paid for it. What would you do with the property if you owned it? Click through to the jump for more photos, the current floor plan, and the original building blueprints. (more…)
04/12/2013 10:00 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
Artist Rudy de Amicis has seemingly brought a casual Brooklyn bohemian vibe to his Milan apartment. The red fabric on the hall ceiling seems like an easy-to-execute strategy to warm up an otherwise empty corridor, particularly if the paint is peeling or the light fixture is fluorescent. (more…)
04/09/2013 11:00 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
The late Ed Koch was a surprisingly stylish guy, as these 1970s 1990s photos of his apartment from House & Garden reveal. We’re digging the heritage-preppy-equestrian-man-pad feel here, lent to an otherwise bland white box by the framed posters, sculptural dining room set, black shade with horse lamp, and two-tone wardrobe. Get out your pocket squares. (more…)
04/02/2013 11:00 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
Brooklyn Cyclone blogs the ongoing renovation of a South Slope house. It starts with the contract in January 2012 and discusses floor plans, ripping out walls and a built-in marble bar on the garden floor, putting a kitchen into the parlor floor, and stripping wood work and fireplaces, among other things. Currently they are blowing out the back and replacing the old extension with a new one, above. They liken renovation to having a baby: “You won’t get any sleep, you won’t have any money, you won’t have any more time to yourself, it will test your relationship. But just like with kids, they all say it was worth it in the end.” (more…)
03/26/2013 11:00 AM
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Photo Pool Challenge: Installing Unpasted Wallpaper
Brownstoner commenter, filmmaker and historic decor consultant Reno Dakota has finished one of the last remaining projects in his Bed Stuy house: decorating the bedroom in the extension at the rear of the parlor floor. Until recently a white box, now it’s papered in the Persian Roomset from Bradbury and Bradbury. This bedroom is not the only room in the house to receive the wallpaper treatment; the front parlor, dining room and parlor hall sport historic papers from Carter & Co., Clarence House and Charles Rupert Designs. “I think these houses look pitifully unfulfilled without [wallpaper], so I’m glad for any converts we can win over,” said Dakota. (more…)
03/21/2013 11:00 AM
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Old House Links
What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:
Today we bring you some entries bursting with color, including this London apartment whose bold color scheme got its start in the 1960s. Built up slowly over the years, the cozy English look of this home seems achievable without a huge amount of cash. (more…)
03/19/2013 11:00 AM
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adamc1303
May 21, 2013 | 09:56 AM