The Insider: Long-Awaited Reno Freshens Park Slope Home for Book- and Game-Loving Family
A piano in the kitchen, a marigold-colored stove and a dedicated closet for video and board games are pretty clear indicators that the family that occupies this three-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a limestone walkup is creative, color-friendly and delightfully unconventional.
Photo by Nick Glimenakis
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A piano in the kitchen, a marigold-colored stove and a dedicated closet for video and board games are pretty clear indicators that the family that occupies this three-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a limestone walkup is creative, color-friendly and delightfully unconventional.
After 15 years, and with their two children approaching middle and high school, the homeowners finally decided “to use the apartment to its full potential,” said Jane Kim, the Tribeca-based architect who reimagined the space. “They had never significantly renovated, and the kitchen was very old and in the wrong place, sandwiched between bedrooms in the back of the apartment.”
Kim shifted the kitchen to an enlarged space at the center of the apartment, open to the book-lined dining room, and moved a bedroom from that central location to join the two, others toward the rear.
There were plenty of other upgrades: Kim also added a small powder room toward the entry, a new HVAC system, new white oak flooring and new shelving throughout.
The charms of the early 20th century building remain, including tall windows that bring open sky and treetops into the space, and original panel doors, window trims, and moldings, which were stripped of all paint for a back-to-natural look.
The clients spearheaded the interior design, reusing most of the furnishings they had owned before the renovation.
There are two closets in the entry hall: one, flush to the wall, contains games top to bottom. The other door leads to a tiny new powder room in space carved out of what was a bedroom (now the kitchen) behind.
To the left of the entry door is the central dining room, now incorporating the new open kitchen.
The light fixture above the dining table is by Danish designer Verner Panton; the chairs, from Industry West, were among the pieces the clients already owned. The expandable dining table was purchased new from De La Espada.
There’s an airy view of greenery from the bay-windowed living room.
Another newly purchased piece is the vintage modern Danish cabinet under the TV, from Lanoba, a Jersey City warehouse.
The homeowners found this wood mantelpiece on the street. Kim sourced tile from Heath Ceramics’ seconds inventory to create a bold pattern within.
The artwork above “was always going to go in that place,” Kim said. “They’re really open to color and pattern.”
Kim designed a built-in corner desk to extend a wall of bookshelves and storage in the living room.
Color and texture were priorities in the L-shaped kitchen, where a punchy green backsplash plays well with custom walnut cabinetry. The cement tile has a handmade quality and is from the Original Mission company.
The stove comes from KitchenAid. “It’s the only American company that has color options,” Kim said.
The petite kitchen island maximizes storage with a bookshelf on the side. There’s a pantry cabinet to the right of the fridge.
The new powder room in the entry hall is minuscule but efficient, with “the skinniest sink we could find,” said Kim, and a pocket door salvaged from elsewhere in the apartment.
Graphic porcelain tile from Stone Source’s Mattonelle Margherita line has big impact in the small space. The floor is inexpensive glazed porcelain Futura tile, also from Stone Source.
Texture enters the primary bedroom by way of a painted brick wall that essentially forms a headboard.
The main bathroom’s deep soaking tub and lively patterned floor tile create a retreat that feels special, despite tight space.
[Photos by Nick Glimenakis]
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The Insider is Brownstoner’s weekly in-depth look at a notable renovation and/or interior design project by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday morning.Â
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