{"id":331371,"date":"2026-08-27T22:10:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/331371\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T22:10:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:10:31","slug":"the-insider-lighting-wallpaper-transform-park-slope-gem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/331371\/","title":{"rendered":"The Insider: Lighting, Wallpaper Transform Park Slope Gem"},"content":{"rendered":"

The streetscapes of Brooklyn\u2019s historic districts are there for all to enjoy, but to get a glimpse inside a home like the late 19th century Romanesque Revival mansion reimagined for a family of L.A. transplants is a rarer experience.<\/p>\n

The multi-faceted architecture, design, and lighting firm charged with renovating this richly detailed treasure, TM Architecture<\/a>, is known for such high-profile projects as the illumination of the facade of Prada\u2019s New York flagship and the\u00a0Louis Vuitton and Cartier stores in Miami, as well as cultural institutions and residences throughout the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TM Architecture treated the building\u2019s antique features, notably an elaborate carved fireplace, coffered ceilings, wainscoting, and other woodwork, with utmost sensitivity. It would indeed have been criminal not to preserve most of it, but to make the space suitable for modern family living, two of the firm\u2019s partners, Alex Miller and Aiofe O\u2019Leary, sought to introduce what Miller called a \u201cwave of lightness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was interesting was finding opportunities for contemporary interventions to balance the materiality of this classical brownstone without undermining the character,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe wanted to introduce secondary textures to the very heavy elements, like the coffered ceiling, the wainscoting, and the fireplace surround\u201d in the grand rear parlor (top photo).<\/p>\n

Among those changes were inserting wallpaper panels \u2014 they used Imbue by Calico, with a metallic sheen \u2014 between the beams of the coffered ceiling, and replacing the leaded glass in the room\u2019s mantelpiece with clear slumped glass to create sculpture niches on either side. \u201cIt\u2019s subtle, but makes a difference,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n

TM designed custom lighting throughout the project, such as the sconces reinterpreting vintage fixtures, in the same vein. \u201cThey\u2019re materially expressive \u2014 you perceive the base, the bulb, the glass around the bulb. It\u2019s a contemporary take on an old-school aesthetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"front
\n\"CENTER<\/a><\/p>\n

The entry door leads into a center stair hall. To the right is the front parlor, used as a dining room. In the back parlor, to the left, there\u2019s a glimpse of the homeowners\u2019 own furnishings. \u201cThey are contemporary, so they are inherently minimal and don\u2019t overwhelm. They\u2019re not fighting\u201d with the original Victorian detail, Miller said.<\/p>\n

\"GRAND<\/a><\/p>\n

Opposite the low-slung seating is the extraordinary fireplace, whose green terra-cotta tile is original. \u201cThere were conversations about removing the upper portion of the millwork to lighten it, but we said \u2018No, let\u2019s keep it,’\u201d Miller recalled. \u201cWe did a linear uplight at the top of the wainscoting,\u201d a modern treatment that makes the space feel \u201clighter, more soft, and ambient\u201d \u2014 and particularly atmospheric when the retractable movie screen is unfurled and the lights dimmed.<\/p>\n

The abstract art in the corner is the work of the Arnie Zimmerman, the late sculptor and ceramist.<\/p>\n

\"DINING<\/a><\/p>\n

In the front room, used as a formal dining room, Tarrytown Green paint by Benjamin Moore distinguishes the carved trim and mantelpiece. Five clear-glass pendants carry through the same idea as the reimagined vintage sconces, Miller said. \u201cThere\u2019s cast glass enclosure, but you still see the mechanicals, the strap it hangs from, the cable coming down to the light source, all those different layers.\u201d The small individual pendants, hung in multiples, \u201callow it to feel light. You see through the fixture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dining table, a soapstone slab with veins of beige and green designed and fabricated by TM Architecture, sits on a base of sheet brass. The vintage Scandinavian dining chairs were sourced by the clients.<\/p>\n

\"BLUE<\/a>
\n\"DINING<\/a><\/p>\n

A full gut wasn\u2019t needed in the kitchen and family dining area on the garden level, where TM Architecture took a practical tack. Existing French doors on the back wall were retained, as was most of the kitchen millwork. TM repainted the cabinetry using Railings, a soft blue-black by Farrow & Ball, replaced countertops with soapstone, and spec\u2019d a new brass stove hood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe clients wanted another large dining table and a kids\u2019 play area,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe designed a continuous custom banquette, with leather cushions and integrated toy storage, that runs from the side of the stair all the way back to windows that look onto the garden.\u201d Ombr\u00e9 wallpaper \u2014 Aurora Bayou from Calico \u2014 creates what Miller called \u201cits own horizon in the space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MARBLE<\/a><\/p>\n

A closet with marble doors at the end of the hall on the garden level, utilitarian but luxe, stands in for a more typical mudroom.<\/p>\n

\"CENTER<\/a><\/p>\n

The hefty carved woodwork on the winding central stair had its own patina and didn\u2019t need refinishing. A custom runner with a deep green crosshatch pattern carries forth the color scheme established by the original fireplace tile downstairs.<\/p>\n

\"UPSTAIRS<\/a>
\n\"BEDROOM<\/a><\/p>\n

Two children\u2019s rooms on the floor above were treated as thoughtfully as the rest. \u201cThe key to those spaces is the paint and the wallpaper,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n

The girl\u2019s room is clad in Magic Garden paper from Missoni, wrapping continuously from walls to ceiling. \u201cWe wanted it to feel super immersive,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe sacrificed some crown molding to get that beautiful rounded condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood trim in the boy\u2019s room was painted Stiffkey Blue from Farrow & Ball; the ceiling was papered with Arty, a lively pattern from Pierre Frey.<\/p>\n

\"TOP<\/a><\/p>\n

The whole of the top floor was gutted to allow the creation of an all-new primary suite, which includes a soaring, skylit library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.<\/p>\n

\"DRAMATIC<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dusk wallpaper from Calico, with a metallic substrate, fully covers the walls and ceiling of the primary bedroom. \u201cIt\u2019s the end of the journey,\u201d Miller said, a poetic notion that begins with a corresponding Calico paper, Daybreak, in the downstairs entry vestibule.<\/p>\n

\"BATH<\/a>
\n\"SOAKING<\/a><\/p>\n

The fully gutted and reconfigured primary bath \u201crequired a ton of work,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIt feels a little more Japanese, more contemporary,\u201d with walls curved to frame a round skylight and soaking tub. \u201cWe wanted something a little bit organic, a little softer.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Photos by Alan Tansey<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Got a project to propose for\u00a0The Insider?\u00a0Contact Cara at caramia447 [at] gmail [dot] com<\/p>\n

The Insider\u00a0is Brownstoner\u2019s weekly in-depth look at a notable interior design\/renovation project, by design journalist Cara Greenberg. Find it here every Thursday.<\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

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\nThe Insider: Soup-to-Nuts Reno, Vibrant Interiors Polish Historic Heights Gem<\/p>\n

Email tips@brownstoner.com<\/a> with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n