When interior designer Nora Calderwood and architect Adam Darter bought their 650-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in Park Slope, they knew they would need to renovate in a major way but on a scaled-down budget. A year later, the result is not only airy and light, it smartly blends original details with the owners’ forward-thinking design ideas.
The apartment had endured some wear and tear, and had been divided up into four small rooms. But the couple realized what could be found underneath the surface. “We were able to look beyond the tattered conditions of the apartment and realized that, with nine-and-a-half-foot ceilings and six south-facing windows, it had potential,” says Adam.
By removing the walls in the main area, Nora and Adam created a loft-like living room, open to the inventive kitchen and dining area. To maximize space and minimize visual clutter (which are musts in a small apartment), Adam designed a kitchen island unit that can be used as both an eat-at island and as a dining table that pulls out into the room for larger dinner parties.
“Our challenge was accommodating our style in a small space,” Nora explains. “We love eat-at islands for when it’s just us, but we like to entertain for our friends and wanted a larger dining table. At the same time, we didn’t want to clutter the space between the kitchen and living area with both an island and a table.” The solution offers options while maintaining a certain level of visual spaciousness.
The fixed cabinets that form the kitchen island provide a serving space when the table is pulled out, seating ten, a rarity in smaller dwellings. Both the cabinets and table are made of solid American walnut, to keep the look cohesive. Blackleathercounter stools from Blu Dot and yellow Tabouret bar stools complete the setting.
The kitchen itself needed a full upgrade, which
the couple masterminded as a place where warm wood meets a welcoming blue for
the cabinets and a pleasing square subway tile for the backsplash. With one of
the six large windows bathing the kitchen with light, even on a cloudy day, the
simple palette comes to life and yet remains calm and sophisticated.
An original Womb chair from Knoll creates a serene
reading nook by the windows, paired with a tray table from Aero Studio.
Built in the 1920s, the apartment still possessed some
of its original details, such as window trims, wall
decoration, and parquet floors. By preserving these graceful elements, the
couple could find the right moments in which to insert both modern touches as
well as handmade ones. Along one wall, they installed a floating credenza of
their own design, wrapped in walnut. A Lindsey Adelman do-it-yourself light
fixture hangs in the kitchen. In the living room they designed shelving using metal
plumbing pipe from Home Depot and oak planks from Nora’s family farm in Maine—a
nod to both the past and the present.
To cut down on costs, the owners decided to work with the original tiling in the bathroom, incorporating the coral-pink trim tiles in the design and glazing the coral-pink tub white. They replaced the toilet and sink (by Lacava).
Adam carefully stripped layer upon layer of paint from
the window trims to preserve the wood detailing. A Noguchi ceiling pendant and
bedside wall lamps by Artemide Tolomeo illuminate the bedroom at night. Adam
made the headboard using Kravet linen.
Achieving
an affordable renovation in New York City is no small feat, especially now in
Brooklyn. With a gentle touch and smart design, this couple transformed their
new home without gutting it or breaking the bank.
Photographs by Michel Arnaud
Post by Anne Hellman