Interiors & Renovation

The Insider: Curved Shapes, Playful Furnishings Rule in Gut Reno of Boerum Hill Townhouse

Architect Alexandra Barker created arched openings between rooms, along with numerous other curved details, in the gut renovation of a four-story townhouse for venturesome clients.

Photo by Gieves Anderson

by Cara Greenberg

02/22/2024 7 minute 0

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Quite a few 19th century row houses have coveted pairs of arched doors at the entry. Alexandra Barker, founder of Gowanus-based Barker Associates Architecture Office, took this classic motif and ran with it, creating arched openings between rooms, along with numerous other curved details, in the gut renovation of a four-story townhouse for venturesome clients.

“Everything had to be redone,” Barker said, from all-new mechanicals, kitchen, baths, and floors to creating new moldings.

But the standout architectural move was the creation of a deep vaulted arch with fluted plasterwork detail in the middle of the parlor floor. “Previously, everybody wanted open plan, but it brought problems,” Barker said. “Where do you locate the bathroom so you’re not just opening up the door and walking into the dining table? It’s become a strategy to create a deep threshold between the front and back to conceal functions that are necessary on the parlor floor but hard to find places for, like a powder room, closets, and sometimes a bar,” not to mention HVAC elements and other mechanicals.

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Curves were used liberally throughout, as in the deep-purple family room on the garden level, which is defined by ceiling soffits that hide lighting, HVAC, and window-shade pockets. “A curve between wall and ceiling feels more like a connection than an interruption,” Barker said. “Curves conceal a drainpipe or duct more gracefully than a squared-off interruption in the wall.”

Barker Associates Architecture Office’s interior design team curated the sculptural furnishings, which are mostly contemporary with a ’70s/’80s vibe. The unusual color scheme leans on mushroom, green, and purple. “I had a secret desire not to use any blue,” Barker said. “Blue is a friendly color, safe and easy. I wanted to try a different palette.”

Farrow and Ball’s Green Smoke envelops the entry vestibule. The green and pink checkerboard floor is a departure from traditional black and white.

The new staircase balustrade is made of Sheetrock, enclosing existing spindles. “We wanted to make something solid and sculptural but not completely rebuild the railing, so we used the spindles for structure,” Barker said. The original handrail was retained and painted white.

The front parlor’s adventurous furnishings include a white Julep sofa from the Italian maker Tacchini and a hand-knotted rug from Hatsu, based in Mumbai. A custom walnut sideboard anchors the corner of the room. A gold painted relief by American artist Andrew Zimmerman hangs over the mantel.

The velvet-upholstered Galatea armchair from Portugal, found on 1stDibs, is a “strange mix of 1980s and today,” Barker said.

The dramatic vaulted arch, with a bar area tucked within, frames the view toward the kitchen and new steel window wall at the rear. To create it, a skilled craftsperson from Brooklyn-based SuperStrata, a custom plasterwork studio, stood on an upturned bucket and hand-applied plaster to a frame with a special tool used for making grooves. “The control needed was amazing,” Barker said. “We didn’t want to have any wiggle in it.”

In the kitchen, a custom tambour stove hood contrasts texturally with smooth Shaker-style cabinets, painted Farrow & Ball’s Jitney. The upper cabinetry stops short of the ceiling, “so it looks more like furniture than built-ins,” the architect said.

Calacatta Vagli Viola marble, used for countertops and backsplash, was a bold choice. Found early on in the project, its pronounced veins of mushroom, purple, and green “became the template for the colors” used elsewhere in the house, Barker said.

A curved pantry cabinet flanks a pale oak dining table from Maiden Home and Giraffe chairs by Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, a Brazilian architect and furniture designer, found on 1stDibs. A trio of hand-blown glass forms from the Czech company Bomma hovers above. 

The new parlor-floor powder room, entered from the front hall, features creamy plaster walls, an asymmetrical mirror, and a sink of green Irish Connemara marble. 

The second floor, where the primary suite is located, is defined by its many arches, which divide rooms as well as frame the walk-in closet.

The bedroom is painted Farrow & Ball’s Pegnoir, a purplish gray, with a mottled treatment by Faux Coos, a New York City studio specializing in Venetian plaster.

A steel casement window over the freestanding tub looks out to the garden. Green onyx tops the oak vanity and lines the extra-large shower.

A new circular skylight brings the curvaceous theme to the top of the building.

The taupe guest bedroom features a green velvet bed by Rove Concepts and a trio of clay pendant lamps from Naay Studio.

Arcade wallpaper by Monologue makes a trompe l’oeil statement in the homeowners’ son’s room. Chartreuse stools by Kartell are used as nightstands; the Cirkus chandelier from Ago hangs above. The capsule-shaped rug is a custom piece from Alex Proba. 

The home office, painted Vintage Vogue from Benjamin Moore, has a desk of custom tambour millwork and lighting from the Luke Lamp Company.

In the sunny playroom on the garden level, an iconic Togo chair and La Pepino chaise from Owl, a design studio based in Barcelona, share space with a plywood table and chairs from the Danish company EO Play and a Squiggle rug from Okej, a Swedish-American brand.

The aubergine-colored family/media room, with its inset marble bar, custom walnut coffee table, and chartreuse velvet barrel chair, benefits from a newly installed wall of steel-framed windows.

Luxurious black and white marble lines the garden level bath.

[Photos by Gieves Anderson | Styling by Philippa Brathwaite]

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.

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