{"id":142853,"date":"2026-02-23T16:50:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/142853\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T16:50:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:50:25","slug":"inside-a-70s-inspired-brooklyn-brownstone-by-glam-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/142853\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside a 70s-Inspired Brooklyn Brownstone by Glam Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\tWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.\t<\/p>\n

Domino Reno: Before + Afters, DIYs, and Advice From the Pros<\/p>\n

Subscribe now to get our newsletter in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Historical homes are like time machines\u2014that\u2019s why Aubrey Ament and Will Glaser of Brooklyn-based design firm Glam Studio<\/a> love them. \u201cThere\u2019s this record of how people lived in these spaces across eras, and an architectural framing of those eras over time,\u201d says Ament. \u201cIf you had multiple generations of one family living in a house for 100 years, you\u2019d see time layering [through] all of those different styles.\u201d So it was on the parlor floor of a 140-year-old brownstone in Brooklyn\u2019s historic Clinton Hill neighborhood, which the design duo had been contracted to refresh while improving the flow of the spaces.<\/p>\n

\"antiqueThe vestibule\u2019s original mosaic tile floor informed the home\u2019s earthy color palette. <\/p>\n

Though many original details remained intact\u2014like the rosette-studded molding in the kitchen\u2019s door frames, the stained-glass panels in the living room, and the mosaic-tiled flooring in the entry vestibule\u2014the rooms had been modernized with early aughts embellishments like cove ceiling lighting and ebony-stained wood flooring. The combination seemed more cold and disjointed than harmonious.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminded me of a commercial lobby or, like, a weird Airbnb,\u201d says Glaser.<\/p>\n

\"creamBefore: The main space felt fragmented, the fireplace a stylistic hodgepodge. <\/p>\n

\"narrowBefore: The homeowners didn\u2019t think the living room\u2019s narrow proportions could accommodate a sectional. <\/p>\n

Yet the potential was obvious. \u201cWe felt like we had a lot to play with and wanted to bring the house back to life,\u201d says Ament, referencing how the house has endured through the Prewar period, the Art Deco era, and then into the glam of the 1970s and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"creamAfter: A curvy corner sofa from West Elm<\/a> \u201cfills the space in a way that feels open, inviting, and conducive to gathering,\u201d says Ament. Armchair, Lulu & Georgia<\/a>. Coffee table, West Elm<\/a>. <\/p>\n

To maximize circulation and brightness, the pair widened the opening between the entry hall and adjacent living and dining rooms. Shortening one wall of the narrow living room to do so ultimately made it feel more spacious\u2014and furnishings less crowded. They installed herringbone white oak flooring, a staple of old-world apartments, and stripped and refinished the millwork and molding throughout, embracing the varied wood species that were incorporated over the years: a pocket door remains mahogany on one side, oak on the other, and the treads and railing of the staircase coordinate rather than match. \u201cThat kind of wabi-sabi is good,\u201d says Glaser. \u201cWe leaned into it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"entrywayAment and Glaser embraced a mix of wood tones in the entry. Vintage Sische Simon & Shellen chandelier, Etsy<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"diningThe dining room\u2019s curvaceous furnishings play off the strong geometric lines of the door frame. Head chair, Soho Home<\/a>. Table<\/a>, rug<\/a>, and credenza<\/a>, Lulu & Georgia. Sconce, Forest Homes<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In the kitchen, the Glam Studio team increased storage with two custom wall niches, refinished the decorative fireplace, and converted a minor hall closet into a finished pantry that leads\u2014through an arched, fluted glass doorway\u2014to a burgundy lime-washed powder room. Another original fireplace, previously covered in dated tile and a mirrored mantel, anchors the adjoining living and dining areas. The team stripped the 2000s details and got it working again; now the family can have dinners in front of a wood-burning fire and a period-appropriate, far less imposing marble mantel.<\/p>\n

\"kitchenAfter: Wood accents, matte brass touches, and subtle color warm up the renovated space. Faucet, Rejuvenation<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"kitchenBefore: The kitchen felt stuck in the early 2000s. <\/p>\n

As with most historical renovation projects, peeling back the existing layers revealed plenty of surprises from the previous reinvention. Among them? Nearly two inches of poured concrete hidden beneath the floorboards, which added unnecessary weight to the house\u2019s foundation and needed to be removed before the floor could be re-leveled. <\/p>\n

And before the pair could restore the main fireplace, they had to build back the chimney stack that had been removed on the fourth floor\u2014but only the fourth floor. Ament says, \u201cI don\u2019t know who made that decision or why, but discovering those quirky moments is just part of the charm of working with old houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"archedGlazer built new wall niches to introduce the Deco-inspired arch motif in the kitchen. The refinished decorative fireplace features sponge-splattered tiles that nod to the house\u2019s Victorian past. Tile, Pratt & Larsen<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"kitchenInstead of replacing the kitchen\u2019s cabinets and countertops, the designers saved money by repainting them and adding brass drawer pulls and knobs. Paint, Farrow & Ball<\/a>. Hardware, Rejuvenation<\/a>. Sconce, Soho Home<\/a>. Pendant, In Common With<\/a>. <\/p>\n

With the functional elements in place, Ament and Glaser set to work creating an easy-going elegance that would allow the homeowners to relax as a family or welcome friends on a whim. Inspired by soft rose, ochre, and mauve in the vestibule\u2019s mosaic-tiled floor\u2014as well as the low-fi haze of photographer Dinanda Nooney\u2019s black-and-white photos of a bygone Brooklyn\u2014the pair wove in thoughtful Deco details: reeded pedestal legs on the dining table, frosted globes of a vintage Italian chandelier in the living room. A blonde wood, curvaceous olive-green velvet sofa in the living room lends a 1970s-inspired coastal-California vibe. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a beautiful little cadence of style that lent itself to this warm, glamorous, inviting design,\u201d Ament says. \u201cThere\u2019s this enveloping that happens visually with all the curves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"gifAfter: Glaser used Ikea<\/a> boxing and butcher block countertops to increase storage and create a working pantry. <\/p>\n

\"dark\u00a0Before: The pantry lacked personality and invited clutter. <\/p>\n

The result feels dreamy yet grounded, of a time but entirely modern, and honors the house\u2019s past as much as its present with tactile depth and layered finishes. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to take motifs and reframe them through another idea,\u201d says Ament. \u201cRenovations shouldn\u2019t be a completely new thing. They should build off the existing design in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"redAfter: Burnished limewash walls and a marble sink add depth and dimension, while the mirror and sconces lend Deco flair. Mirror and sink, Etsy<\/a>. Sconces, Soho Home<\/a>. Paint, Ressource Paints<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"whiteBefore: The vanity felt impersonal and dated. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Domino Reno:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,15981,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-142853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-core-home","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}