A Brooklyn Brownstone Swaps Restraint for Bold Color and Custom Woodwork
Barker Associates Architecture Office has renovated a four-storey brownstone in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill for a couple whose children have left home. The design keeps the building’s preserved architectural details and pairs them with saturated colours, custom woodwork and contemporary art.
The Moonza view
This project shows that respecting a building’s past and being bold with colour can go hand in hand. Many offices also sit in older buildings with mouldings, tall windows or timber floors; instead of covering these details, they can become the strongest feature of the space.
The key is matching furniture to that backdrop. Warm timber in desks and storage, one braver colour on a wall or on lounge upholstery, and a couple of artworks are enough to give a space identity without feeling corporate. Custom joinery also stops awkward corners in older buildings from going to waste.
- Keep original details and match furniture colour and material to them
- Use a saturated colour on only one or two surfaces
- Consider bespoke cabinets and shelving for awkward corners and alcoves
