The Insider: Designer Brings Color, Texture, Quirky Furnishings to New Townhouse in ‘Burg

“Soul” is an ineffable quality in a residence, and not the easiest thing to infuse into new construction, where it is often sorely lacking. But Manhattan- and Montauk.-based interior designer Raine Heidenberg rose to the challenge when hired to furnish a brand new townhouse for a young couple with plans to start a family.

Its 2,100 square feet over three floors, including three bedrooms and 2.5 baths, said Heidenberg, “were soulless and uninspired — empty, white and boxy, with no history.”

To remedy that, Heidenberg chose warm paint hues by Farrow and Ball throughout. “I adore white in the right space, but here white just came off as too cold,” the designer said.

She selected furnishings with pronounced character, like a coffee table made out of an antique door and an industrial-style metal console with oversized wheels, and brought in lots of different textures to “play off each other and add substance to the flat architecture.”

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Heidenberg designed the custom dining table to be narrower than the norm. “I do this a lot in New York spaces that can’t handle a wide table,” she said. “Most dining tables come 36 inches or wider, and that isn’t really necessary in a practical sense.”

The high ceilings were a plus, Heidenberg felt, but the walls were “vast.” She worked with her clients to select pieces of art that resonated with them, but also complemented the space.

The appealingly eclectic result is, yes, soulful, and a far cry from the developer’s white box.

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

Textures abound in the living area, where a linen sofa with pillows of African Kuba cloth, a rustic wood table and an open-weave chair from Lillian August sit upon a vintage over-dyed rug.

The chandelier from Wooster & Greene makes a graphic statement.

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

An unusual metal console from Intérieurs sits behind the sofa, separating the living and dining areas.

The custom Roman shade was made with fabric from Mood.

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

Heidenberg’s custom-designed dining table is made of cold rolled steel. Light-looking woven chairs came from CB2.

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

Interior Design Ideas Brooklyn Raine Heidenberg Williamsburg

The master bedroom, is “swimming in texture,” Heidenberg said. “It has wildly tall ceilings, which made the space unromantic. I warmed it up with brick-red grasscloth wallpaper [by Phillip Jeffries], made an oversized custom headboard out of a soothing, neutral Ikat fabric, draped the bed in white linen and dressed the windows with linear sheers.”

A flat weave linen rug adds further texture, an oak chandelier from Wooster & Greene additional visual punch.

[Photos by James Ransom]

Check out the ‘The Insider’ mini-site: brownstoner.com/the-insider

The Insider is Brownstoner’s weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design/renovation project, by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday morning. Got a project to propose for The Insider? Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com.

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