{"id":308373,"date":"2026-07-29T06:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/308373\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T06:15:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:15:57","slug":"a-brooklyn-apartment-gets-an-english-countryside-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/308373\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brooklyn Apartment Gets an English Countryside Makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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It was only a few short months after Mary Claire Beach<\/a> left her project manager role at Studio Jake Arnold<\/a> that she got an inquiry from a young couple asking if she\u2019d redesign their two-bedroom apartment. For Beach, who was focused on getting her own business, Cypress Studio<\/a>, up and running, it was an ideal job: they were organized, eager, and had a specific vision in mind for their space. The only catch was they lived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, nearly 3,000 miles away from the Santa Monica-based designer. Beach happily took on the project, even though she wouldn\u2019t step foot in the apartment until it was completely finished.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The homeowners had been in the space for a little over three years, so they very well knew it wasn\u2019t reaching its full potential. They were living with a hodgepodge of old furniture and, at that point, were planning on starting a family. \u201cWe really wanted to do what we could to increase the apartment\u2019s lease on life,\u201d shares the client. They tasked Beach with creating a space that felt cohesive; one that could grow with them as they welcomed their first baby, and more recently, their second.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leave No Yellow Swatch Unturned<\/p>\n

\"whiteThe kitchen, before. <\/p>\n

\"yellowThey further brightened things up by installing Taj Mahal quartzite counters, tacking a sliver of wood on the end of the peninsula that has open shelves for toys, keys, and cookbooks below.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The moment Beach heard her client say \u201ccheerful\u201d when describing her ideal space, the designer pictured a yellow kitchen. It was an easy decision to make, but a hard thing to pull off. \u201cWe probably tested eight colors,\u201d Beach recalls. The challenge was finding a shade that looked the same on the upper cabinets as it did on the lowers. \u201cIt was tricky to get right with the natural lighting and the overhead lighting,\u201d says Beach. \u201cWe also didn\u2019t want a yellow that clashed with the floor finish.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"yellowCabinet color, Da Vinci\u2019s Canvas by Benjamin Moore<\/a>; Pendant Lights, deVOL<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Luckily, the client was game for testing swatches and texting Beach pictures of the results. All that back and forth led them to Benjamin Moore\u2019s Da Vinci\u2019s Canvas<\/a>\u2014a fitting name, given all the sampling they did to get it just right.<\/p>\n

Give an Unused Room Meaning<\/p>\n

\"modernThe dining space before it became the reading nook-slash-den. <\/p>\n

\"pinkBeach chose a trim color that was slightly darker than the off-white walls. It also called attention to new casing she added around the opening to the reading nook. \u201cBefore, everything felt so minimal, straight, and flat,\u201d she says. \u201cThe space was asking for a little more detail.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"pinkWall color, Templeton Pink by Farrow & Ball<\/a>; Sofa, Serena & Lily<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A design switch that has impacted the family\u2019s everyday life? Turning the old dining room into a reading-slash-TV nook. Beach added a new, extendable table in the corner of the living room, making way for a cozy striped sofa and tons of bookshelves where the clients used to dine (there are more shelves and a TV on the wall opposite the couch). \u201cWe use that space to its full potential now,\u201d says the homeowner. \u201cAfter the kids go to bed, my husband and I sit in there and watch TV or read. It\u2019s been a huge unlock for us.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was important to Beach that the color palette throughout the apartment be harmonious. \u201cI didn\u2019t want it to feel like you\u2019re getting whiplash,\u201d she says. \u201cYou should be able to easily move through the space visually.\u201d Cue Farrow & Ball\u2019s Templeton Pink<\/a>. The mid-tone shade plays nicely with the nearby kitchen cabinets and the new Lulu and Georgia sofa in the living room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weave Old Furniture Back In<\/p>\n

\"eclectic <\/p>\n

\"countrysideWall color, Spanish White by Benjamin Moore<\/a>; Sofa, Lulu & Georgia<\/a>; Rug, Ernesta<\/a>; Armchair, West Elm<\/a> in Carolina Irving<\/a> fabric; Vintage Rainer Daumiller table via Chairish<\/a>; Shade fabric, Robert Kime<\/a>; Ceiling light, Lights & Lamps<\/a>; Floor lamp, Crate & Barrel<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

While Beach\u2019s clients were happy to start anew, there were a few pieces of furniture they weren\u2019t willing to part with. It was up to the designer to incorporate said items\u2014many of them mid-century-style\u2014with the new, English-countryside-esque space. A worn wood bench that used to live in the corner now holds pride of place as a coffee table; the counter stools fit perfectly into the new kitchen as-is. Beach even kept their existing nightstands, pieces the owner has had since her childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"bedShade fabric, Jasper Textiles<\/a>. <\/p>\n

She was a little hesitant about reusing the CH23 dining chairs<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re such a classic mid-century chair, I didn\u2019t want it to throw off the design,\u201d she says. Ultimately, they ended up working really well. The finish of the wood matched the new pine dining table nicely and the paper cord seats brought the right level of coziness. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Leave a Ceiling White by Default<\/p>\n

\"officeThe nursery, before. <\/p>\n

Beach relied heavily on her client\u2019s willingness to compare samples when they got started on the nursery. \u201cThere was a lot of mailing samples back and forth,\u201d recalls the designer. They weren\u2019t just weighing wallpaper, but also a corresponding paint for the ceiling. White, Beach realized, made the space look unfinished. \u201cI convinced them to let me paint it blue,\u201d she shares. Initially, they painted it the same tone as the window trim, but that was a smidge too dark. Painting it for a third time was the charm. \u201cI just love being in there,\u201d shares the homeowner. \u201cIt\u2019s so cozy, and my son loves it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wallpaper a Bathroom When New Tile Isn\u2019t in the Cards<\/p>\n

\"subwayThe primary bathroom, before. <\/p>\n

Beach initially explored redoing the bathrooms but buying all new tile wasn\u2019t in the budget. Instead, she pivoted to meaningful cosmetic updates, like painting the primary vanity, swathing the walls in wallpaper, and upgrading the lighting. In the kids\u2019 bathroom, she created more functional storage for bath toys by wrapping the existing pedestal sink in a fabric skirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"subwayThe kids\u2019 bathroom, before. <\/p>\n

\"wallpaperedSkirt Fabric, Leah O\u2019Connell<\/a>; Wallpaper, Ian Mankin<\/a>; Sconces, Etsy<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really fun to walk into the space for the first time, having never been there,\u201d shares Beach. \u201cI was like, \u2018Wow, this feels really good. And I did this from 3,000 miles away.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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