2007 Prospect Lefferts Gardens House Tour Recap
Checking out the two slide shows from Planet PLG and frequent Brownstoner contributor Bob Marvin made us extra bummed that we were not able to make it this year. While it looks like the tour had its usual staple of old-school goodness, we think the photos of the modern interior renovation look amazing. Was that…
Checking out the two slide shows from Planet PLG and frequent Brownstoner contributor Bob Marvin made us extra bummed that we were not able to make it this year. While it looks like the tour had its usual staple of old-school goodness, we think the photos of the modern interior renovation look amazing. Was that the highlight for most people?
Planet PLG House Tour Slide Show [Flickr]
Bob Marvin’s PLG House Tour Slide Show [Brooklyn Camera Club]
What’s always apparent about bashers like 11:38 is they know nothing about the neighborhood. The bashers make it sound like PLG only has a few gentrifier suckers who bought in the neighborhood only very recently, as short term investments. And the rest of the neighborhood are hoodlums. It’s totally untrue. Most of the houses on the house tour were owned by people who have been in PLG several years. Some of them 20 to 30 years. Raised or are raising their families here. Ask anyone who actually lives here; they love it. Not that the trolls or bashers matter much anyway. Anybody who decides where or where not to spend a million buying a house, based on what they read in anonymous posts on brownstoner is an idiot.
Anyway, back to the house tour. The modern reno on Lincoln was a lot of fun. People lined up to go in the master bath suite to see the water fall from the faucet installed in the ceiling, into the soaker tub, under a skylight. The shag rug is made of leather strips. It worked in that room great. There was another modern interior on Midwood, the one that showed just the basement. It was designed by a talented, young interior designer who also lives in LM. It was fantastic. I think if some found, as someone pointed out, that in the other houses not all the decor worked, it’s because people have lived in those houses a couple decades. So despite the period decor in other rooms, in the den you’ll see their everyday TV watching couch. That’s how I figured it.
loved the english basement renovation. i am about to buy a home in plg with an english basement and i’ve caught myself wishing it actually had a full garden level. but the english basement reno on the tour showed that it is possible to make an english basment a viable part of your home (not just a place for storage and laundry). Of course it takes some $$$. I didn’t work up the nerve to do it, but do you guys think its cool to come out and ask the homeowners how much their renovations cost?
The rug is ridiculous.
my favorite was the home (I think it was on Rutland) with the arts and crafts style and the great kitchen renovation. They switched the spaces for their kitchen and dining room which created a nice big family friendly kitchen and a really intimate dining room. Loved the honey yellow color in the dining room. This house – like many others – wasn’t ‘oh my god i just stepped into the pages of Wall Paper ‘ mind blowing – but it did show a great sense of style that seemed affordable (to middle/upper middle class brooklyn-ites).
That rug worked. I loved the Lincoln Road house, but the kitchens on Rutland also caught my eye. Of course the Midwood 4 story was great; the wisteria vine climbing the back of the house was worth the price of the ticket alone!
For the most part, the houses represented the styles I see in many of the houses in the Manor, 11:38 knows not of what he (she) speaks.
um – who said anyting about moving, buying or crime – this is about the house tour. stay on track. i am sure you’ll get another chance to bash plg in the near future.
There are a few nice houses in PLG which the tour highlighted but for people thinking of moving there theses homes are few and far… there is a plethora of section 8 residents in PLG who aren’t going anywhere. (Ocean Ave, Parkside). I think it will take a 10 to 15 year turn around for the crime to finally turn here and would point people to the crime stats before buying … I know brownstoner thinks park bordering hoods will pop but serioulsy look around and think about the walk home from the train at 10pm.
It looks like fun. Hopefully I can make it next year. I admire anyone who puts their house on tour, warts and all. Not everyone can afford state of the art renovation. If they are happy with what they have, who are we to complain?
I personally like a good mix of historical restoration, eclectic fixing up, and new interpretations of the rowhouse configuration. From the photos, it looks as if this was the case here. Kudos to everyone’s hard work.
Unabashed plug – the first Crown Heights North House Tour will take place on Oct 6. Hope to see all veteran house tour junkies there.
I really love Victorian and Edwardian interiors, so I was very surprised that the Lincoln Road modern interior was a major highlight of the tour for me. The wonderful art was part of it, but IMO the house was brilliantly done.