{"id":194899,"date":"2026-04-13T03:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/194899\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T03:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:02:12","slug":"this-prewar-brooklyn-apartment-is-full-of-surprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/194899\/","title":{"rendered":"This Prewar Brooklyn Apartment Is Full of Surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Modern<\/p>\n

A Brooklyn Apartment Gets a Playful Plot TwistNicole Franzen<\/p>\n

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”<\/p>\n

Above: Sheathed in Le Parc green paint by Ressource, the forest-inspired library doubles as a sleeping area and takes color cues from Prospect Park across the street. The wallpaper is by Iksel, and the picture lights are from Visual Comfort. A grass-seated chair by George Nakashima tucks into the built-in desk. The bed quilt is from Nickey Kehoe.<\/p>\n

When most designers get a commission to revamp a prewar apartment in New York City, they\u2019ll often start by opening up the floor plan. These historic units, built before WWII, tend to have strong bones and graceful proportions\u2014but their formal layouts can feel more suitable to a bygone era. Their small rooms create clear dividing lines between public and private spaces, and most have galley kitchens that are all but sealed off from the rest of the home. Rare is it that, in the renovation of one of these units, the number of rooms actually increases.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s exactly what happened when Kevin Greenberg<\/a> of design firm Space Exploration<\/a> reimagined a roughly 2,000-square-foot residence perched in a Brooklyn high-rise. The building was designed by architect Emery Roth in the late 1920s, around the same time he completed legendary Manhattan buildings The El Dorado and The San Remo, and the units have a classic prewar layout. Greenberg, an expert at crafting refined spaces within historic envelopes, leaned in. \u201cWe started out with nine rooms\u2014and now there\u2019s 14,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cPeople are usually opening things up, but in fact we made this one more subdivided.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/p>\n

The living room features a carved stone mantel from the Waldorf Astoria. Above the Guillerme et Chambron\u2013inspired credenza is a black-and-white etching by Willem de Kooning.Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Greenberg began working on the project in the spring of 2023, when a pair of writers who had moved from California with their two children hired the Brooklyn-based architectural designer to revamp their new home and inject it with moments of surprise and whimsy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted a large living room where people could gather, a sizable kitchen, and a recording studio,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was also interest in having a pretty well-articulated divide between public and private functions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenberg started with the foyer, installing arched passageways at either end that lead to the sun-drenched living room on one side and the kitchen and dining area on the other. He deliberately minimized the doors to the primary suite, library, and kids\u2019 rooms by blending them in with the foyer\u2019s custom millwork. \u201cI wanted to create this whimsical pathfinding as a way of articulating the public parts and concealing the more private zones,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/p>\n

The kitchen has herringbone floors, custom cabinetry, and a whimsical hidden powder room. The wall paint is by Farrow & Ball, and the zellige tile backsplash is from Zia Tile. Cherry wood stools by Jambosco line the island. The room also connects to a space with the family cat\u2019s accoutrements, and Greenberg even designed a tiny door so the pet has easy access to the space.Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

The camouflage continues in the newly enlarged kitchen (formerly a galley and now an eat-in), where Greenberg cleverly concealed a powder room so that it could almost be confused for cabinetry. \u201cWhat looks like a pantry is a small, well-lit powder room that\u2019s wrapped in a floor-to-ceiling Iksel mural<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cIt gave us a chance to do something surprising and romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n

That garden scene was a response to another one of the couple\u2019s original requests. They asked to embrace the apartment\u2019s prime location\u2014directly across from Prospect Park\u2014in their home\u2019s design. \u201cThey wanted to capture colors of the flora and the changing seasons to reflect where it was in Brooklyn,\u201d says Greenberg.<\/p>\n

\"Dining<\/p>\n

A painting by American artist Gary Komarin surmounts the dining area, which now adjoins the kitchen and features a banquette upholstered in a Dedar stripe. Around the Lulu and Georgia table are Somerset House chairs in the manner of French designer Charles Dudouyt. The smaller work of art to the right is by Leanne Shapton: \u201cShe painted it during a live performance in Los Angeles,\u201d says the homeowner.Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

The designer also expanded upon those natural motifs in the library. Out of a windowless space off the foyer, Greenberg crafted a verdant jewel box that does double duty as both a library and sleeping area for guests. Save one wall that features another botanical Iksel design, the room is covered in Le Parc green paint by Ressource on nearly every hard surface. \u201cWe wanted it to feel enveloping, sort of like a portal into a different world,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s no natural light in there, and it\u2019s naturally dim and cozy, so we went with a lacquer finish that would reflect light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/p>\n

Farrow & Ball\u2019s Parma Gray gives the primary bedroom a soothing feel. The Akari desk lamp is by Isamu Noguchi and the chair is from BDDW. On the wall is a framed 18th century chinoiserie handprinted wall covering.Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Within both the home\u2019s public and private spaces, the eclectic furnishings feel thoughtful, layered, and collected over time, even though most of the pieces are newly sourced. There are midcentury sling chairs by Charles Pollock for Knoll,<\/a> an oval cocktail table by Lambert + Hope<\/a> in solid oak, a Nordic Knots<\/a> sisal rug, and a delightful wooden stool by French luminary Charlotte Perriand.<\/p>\n

The furniture is mostly neutral\u2014Greenberg kept the color on the walls, carefully deploying soothing pastels (the primary suite\u2019s powdery blue Parma Gray<\/a> feels like a spring morning sky) in select areas. But the lone colorful statement piece is the living room\u2019s forest green sofa from ABC Carpet & Home<\/a>, which stands out amid the room\u2019s array of shapes and materials.<\/p>\n

Living Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Another angle of the home\u2019s living room, overlooking Prospect Park. The artwork at the right is by Gary Komarin.<\/p>\n

Entry Foyer\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Greenberg used the formal entrance as a way to beckon guests to the living room and kitchen at either end, while cleverly concealing the private areas of the apartment.<\/p>\n

Nursery\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

One of the kids\u2019 rooms features cheerful wallpaper from Ottoline with an ochre rug.<\/p>\n

Powder Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Off the kitchen, Greenberg used a forested Iksel wallpaper to create a secret garden\u2013like effect. The sink is by BAS Stone, with Waterworks fittings, and sconces by the Urban Electric Co.<\/p>\n

Primary Bedroom\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

The primary bedroom features Anthropologie velvet sconces on either side. The framed piece above the CB2 bed is a Japanese tenugui textile from Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto. Antique colonial overshot coverlet from Marston House in Vinalhaven, Maine<\/p>\n

Primary Bath\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Fireclay glass tile in pastel green gives the primary bath a retro look. The Anton Pinstripe sconce is by Volker Haug.<\/p>\n

Kids\u2019 Bath\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Complete Tile made the kids\u2019 bath penny round flooring in emerald green, while the tiles are by McIntones Ceramic Tile.<\/p>\n

Library\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

The library\u2019s IKEA bed has custom hardware.<\/p>\n

Kids\u2019 Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Morgane Richer La Fle\u0300che painted this mural in one of the kids\u2019 rooms on site. The light-up papier m\u00e2ch\u00e9 moon is from Pottery Barn Kids, while the screen behind the bed is by artist Mark Hearld.<\/p>\n

Living Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

Mullan Lighting sconces illuminate the living room; art by Stuart Ober.<\/p>\n

Kids Room\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Nicole Franzen<\/p>\n

A parrot sconce by Lladr\u00f3 leads to one of the kids\u2019 rooms, which features a moon work of art by Thomas Heath.<\/p>\n

Sitting among the new pieces is one item that looks like it could be original to the living room: the carved stone mantel. In reality, it came from the pre-renovation Waldorf Astoria, after being salvaged by vintage shop Olde Good Things.<\/a> \u201cI like that it\u2019s pretty understated and doesn\u2019t feel ridiculously baroque,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cIt\u2019s perfect for the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a little over a year of design and construction, the family moved into their new home at the beginning of last year, settling into their space\u2014camouflaged doors and all. \u201cThese owners have such a sense of humor and whimsical approach to life,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cWe always want our spaces to act as a backdrop against which life can continue \u2026 so the owners can fill in the blanks with their own memories and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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