The Insider: Soup-to-Nuts Reno, Vibrant Interiors Polish Historic Heights Gem

The makings of a spectacular reclamation were all there: a five-story brick townhouse near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, dripping with detail; a creative client committed to preserving historic elements, with a no-holds-barred approach to vivid color; and a cohesive team of design professionals to make it happen.

“The house already had a lot of historic charm, but it had been chopped up into three units and the parlor floor stair modified with a switchback to take up less space,” recalled architect Michael Ingui, founder of the prolific Manhattan-based Ingui Architecture, which spearheaded the comprehensive renovation. “It was a full-on gut, mechanically speaking, but most of the detail was thankfully existing. We basically restored the house to the way it was originally designed, with the original flow and layout.”

It’s now configured as a single-family residence, and the parlor floor contains an elegant pastel living room with a standout leaded glass window, a central dining room clad in whimsical pink wallpaper, and an all-new bay-windowed kitchen in a restored existing extension. The primary suite, with a cobalt blue library and bath, occupies the floor above, and there are bedrooms for the homeowner’s three teenagers on the floor above that. The onetime attic is now a loft-like family room and entertaining space with access to a landscaped roof deck. Not shown here are a garden floor family room and second home office, as well as a cellar reimagined as a gym, wine cellar, and entertainment space.

Ingui Architecture had renovated the homeowners’ previous residence, a smaller Brooklyn townhouse, along with the New Jersey-based interior design firm Rinehardt | Miller, which partnered with them again on this project. Brooklyn-based SMR Craftworks, the general contractor, was another crucial member of the team. “There was so much restorative work and new woodwork that had to blend seamlessly with the original,” Ingui said. “This house needed that kind of attention to detail.”

The all-new furnishings are luxe but not intimidating. “Our guiding principle was the owner,” said interior designer Marvin Miller. “She wanted to make a home that was bold and creative, that speaks to them as a family — comfortable, not museum-like.” The crescent-shaped sofa in the front parlor (top photo), for instance, is upholstered in pink mohair. “It’s very luxurious, but mohair was used historically for movie theatre seating because it’s durable.” Striking artwork, such as the large scale painting by Chicago-based visual artist Caroline Kent over the sofa, comes from the homeowners’ extensive collection.

A custom marble floor with brass detail, an antique Asian console, and wall covering from Brooklyn’s own Flavor Paper in the entry vestibule set an adventurous tone from the get-go.

The restoration of the unusual barrel-vaulted ceiling in the front hall was carefully considered. “A version of that ceiling was there,” Ingui said. “I don’t know if was original to the house, but we wanted to keep it. We made it more complete, sculpting until we got it right.”

A switchback stair in this location was replaced with a straight run, as the original builders intended.

A rather magical powder room on the parlor floor is defined by moody grasscloth wall covering and a custom sink of Calacatta Turquoise Antico marble.

Mythical Land wallpaper by Kit Kemp for Andrew Martin in the dining room was among the first decorating decisions, establishing the color palette and whimsical bent to carry through the rest of the house. The room’s custom furnishings include a table by John Rosselli, chairs from Artistic Frame, and a Murano chandelier from Multiforme. An overdyed wool rug from Pakistan lies beneath.

The generously sized kitchen is a family hub, with multiple seating options. The Lacanche range in a custom teal was another foundational piece, purchased early on in the process.

Custom cabinetry of painted wood rimmed with bead detail is topped with the same Calacatta Noir marble that forms the backsplash. It is “neither traditional nor super modern,” Ingui said. Both the range and the restored leaded glass windows “want to be a star, so the cabinets have to be a little bit of a supporting player.”

Bermuda Turquoise paint from Benjamin Moore reigns in the second floor library/home office of one of the homeowners, a writer and law professor who was very much a part of the design process. Her penchant for whimsy and animal motifs is found in the monkeys and palm trees on the curtains, the peacock feather floor lamp, the antique French pottery table lamp with a pheasant and lion’s head, and the inspirational artwork by Caroline Kent. The desk, purchased at auction, was a prop in the Showtime series Billions. A custom sofa by Classic Sofa, New Yorker lounge chairs by John Boone, and a brass chandelier from Visual Comfort round out the furnishings.

The blues continue in the adjacent bath, whose brass-trimmed, glass-enclosed steam shower is clad in Moroccan tiles from Tilebar.

The space at the top of the house, set apart by a steel and glass enclosure, is furnished with a sectional from Crate & Barrel, an Orbit chandelier from Visual Comfort, and a Moroccan rug. It is a dream lounge for the family’s three lucky teenagers.

A hot pink kitchenette adjoining the lounge and roof deck makes for easy entertaining.

The massive roof deck was built by the general contractor and landscaped by Brooklyn-based Project Plant, as was the rear yard, with furnishings sourced from Restoration Hardware.

New openings on the rear facade include a large double door in place of a small existing window, which greatly improves the flow into the yard from the downstairs family room. As the yard is just a few steps up from the garden level and a short flight down from the parlor floor, “There’s good connection to the yard from both levels,” Ingui said.

[Photos by Adam Kane Macchia]

Got a project to propose for The Insider? Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com

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.

Related Stories

• The Insider: All-Out Carroll Gardens Reno Creates Home to Last Generations
• The Insider: Sweeping Reno Touches Every Floor of Brooklyn Heights Townhouse
• The Insider: Showstopping Stair Ties Together Heights Carriage House

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on X and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.