HOW AN ELLE DECOR EDITOR LOVINGLY RESTORED HER LONGTIME BROOKLYN HOME

The rain poured down as movers arrived to empty my Brooklyn home. Boxes filled with books, furniture, children’s school projects, and a lifetime of possessions were loaded onto the truck. A month earlier, my husband Joel Simon and I had secured a contractor, Guillermo Grasso, after a long wait. Grasso informed us that he was available, but only if the apartment was empty, including us, in four weeks. This led to a frantic packing session, and we had a surreal moment seeing our rooms as blank slates once again. Putting our cat in her carrier, we headed to temporary accommodations in rural Connecticut.

Unlike typical renovation stories where a new home is bought and the wrecking ball comes in, our situation was different. We had found our apartment two decades ago—a two-bedroom duplex in an 1870s brownstone. We fell in love with its period features, including original decorative moldings, pressed-tin ceilings, and wide-plank wood floors. Despite the quirks like rattling windows, hissing radiators, and a bowling alley-like layout for our two girls sharing a bedroom, we didn’t want to leave this cherished home.

dining room with light wood plank flooring and a long table set with white tablecloth and simple wooden chairs pulled up to it on a hatchwork rug in a neutral beige and flanking the fireplace on the left two tall blue painted secretaries

Charmed by our new home, I even wrote a book about renovating old townhouses, titled “Restoring a House in the City.” However, the reality was that, until then, we had only done minor tasks like painting the walls. As time passed, the windows became unfixable, and the pine floor on the lower level deteriorated beyond repair. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our home, originally not designed for intense multitasking, became the workspace and living space for all four family members, including my now college-age daughters. As the girls returned to school, we decided it was time for significant changes. The majority of our renovation budget had to be allocated to non-negotiables: replacement windows, electrical upgrades, and a ductless mini-split system for air conditioning and heating. In the past, when the weather got hot, parts of the apartment were unusable.

hallway with striped runner on floor and stairs leading up with matching striped fabric and on the walls is a very verdant wallpaper

As a design editor, I heeded my own advice: hire a professional. Jennifer Hanlin, whom I knew through friends and admired for her interior design work, became our go-to expert. With a background in architecture, she brought valuable insights to the table, especially as we expanded our punch list, which now included dividing the girls’ room into two. Jennifer tapped into her network of professionals and resourcefully stretched our modest decorating budget.

She commenced by meticulously measuring the apartment and discussing our priorities. My husband and I, both writers, needed ample space for our growing collection of books and dedicated writing areas. We enjoy hosting gatherings, and our home is frequently filled with family and friends, many of whom are artists, furniture designers, and textile creators. Given the limited footprint of a New York City apartment, we sought rooms that could serve multiple functions while providing a retreat from the city’s bustling energy.

cozy entry with painted door with half window with white curtains and a bench and hooks on the right

high ceilinged room with tall curtained windows at the back and plank floors and a fireplace at left against cream walls and a pale purple settee and sofa in pale blue with a round table with flowers at center and a oval hanging pendant lamp from pressed tin ceilings surrounded by intricate deep molding

living room has a smoky blue sofa across from a grayish daybed and a light wood oval cocktail table with books and flowers on it, a fireplace with a round mirror flanked by artwork and windows, and large white paper pendant

a living room has built in shelves and cabinets along a wall that also houses a frame television by samsung that has a picture of a colorful fish, sliding doors with decorate glass and two navy stools with white stripes

kitchen with light plank flooring and light greenish blue cabinetry and white countertops

a dining area with off white walls has a table with wooden chairs in foreground, in background is a fireplace with a decorative oval mirror above and is flanked by twin armoires in a seafoam color

Despite my desire for a new kitchen, a full-scale demolition wasn’t feasible within our budget constraints and didn’t align with sustainability goals. Instead, we opted for a kitchen facelift, refreshing the cabinetry with new Shaker-style doors, widening the drawers, and replacing the countertops with milky-white Vermont Danby marble. The adjoining dining area, a central hub for various activities from meals to homework, received special attention.

Jennifer Hanlin designed a pair of custom armoires that now flank a salvaged mantel in the dining area. Drawing inspiration from antique secretaries, each armoire features a drop-leaf desk. We repurpose one as a stylish bar and the other as a functional home office.

The initial design decision for the kitchen cabinets centered around the color Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue. To develop the overall color scheme, we enlisted the expertise of the paint line’s virtual color consultation service, guided by Patrick O’Donnell from Farrow & Ball. O’Donnell recommended Slipper Satin, a vanilla shade used consistently throughout, as the perfect white, and suggested a warm neutral (Stony Ground) for the living room.

Following his advice, we opted for a cohesive and modern look by painting walls and trim in the same color (albeit in different finishes) while keeping ceilings white. The living room, adorned with matching Belgian-linen curtains, exudes a sense of unity. We curated the space with meaningful objects such as a wooden hippo from a friend in Zimbabwe, block-printed fabrics by Elizabeth Hewitt of Tulu Textiles, and a hand-beaded mirror crafted by Mexican artist Andrea de la Cruz.

kitchen with light plank flooring and light greenish blue cabinetry and white countertops

On the lower level, we adorned the ceilings of my daughters’ newly separated bedrooms with pressed-tin tiles, matching the antique ones. For the primary bedroom, Jennifer Hanlin proposed a 180-degree rotation of the floor plan, positioning the bed to face the windows overlooking the garden. This strategic move allowed us to repurpose existing furniture, with the only upgrades being a new Stearns & Foster mattress, ceiling fixture, and rug.

The most remarkable transformation occurred in the hallway. By introducing a window into the entry door, the space now boasts increased brightness. Adding wallpaper above the new chair rail creates an illusion of expanded dimensions, making the hall feel twice as large.

Upon completion of the renovation, it was time to celebrate. Friends and family traversed the house, and the space truly came to life. They paused for cocktails in the kitchen, enjoying the pop-out bar, and congregated in the living room around the fireplace. It was a joyous house rewarming, and we felt grateful to be back home.