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Wrought-iron railings, wedding-ready stoops, carved window lintels, big bay windows—there is a lot to love about Brooklyn’s brownstones, and this list just covers the exteriors. Inside, we’ve seen countless takes on these buildings’ notoriously narrow layouts. The homeowners who are lucky enough to own a place where the original details are intact, whether it be delicate wedding cake plasterwork or swirly newel posts, often like to spotlight them. Others have had to start from scratch, adding architectural features that are totally their own, from fluted glass bathroom doors to lofted sleeping nooks.
In honor of our December digital cover story stars, Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon (aka the Brownstone Boys), we are taking a look back at some of the best Brooklyn brownstones we’ve featured.
The Brownstone Boys’ Brownstone, Take 2
Slocum and Bordelon recently remodeled their personal Bed-Stuy brownstone for the second time. Their goal: Finished what they had started six years earlier. This time around, the couple weren’t afraid to introduce bold paint colors, like Farrow & Ball’s dark green Dibber.
The Space-Saving Brownstone
As you’d guess by the name of their design studio—Brooklyn Home Company—Bill Caleo, Lyndsay Caleo Karol, and Fitzhugh Karol have a well-known portfolio of homes in the neighborhood. In the Karols’ own house, they reinvented the traditional floor plan as a modern duplex; the parlor floor not only contains a street-facing bedroom, but also a loft bed above the kitchen’s enclosed storage wall.
The Open-Concept Brownstone
Many brownstone owners choose to open up the parlor level completely, but tearing down walls can quickly compromise a home’s character. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for developer Merrill Lyons’s Park Slope project. Even though she nixed a wall between the entryway and living room, the space is the picture of continuity thanks to white oak herringbone floors throughout.
The Zen Brownstone
Designer Claire Hung’s clients wanted to go all in on oak in their 1910 Cobble Hill brownstone as a nod to both their northern European heritage and the many trips they’d taken to Japan. The extra-low, built-in sofa, which seems as if it’s sunken into the floor, is just the beginning—the woodwork continues under the steps and window bench, both of which feature hidden storage.
The Mod Brownstone
We only toured the kitchen of this brownstone, but it’s so good, it made the list. Drawing inspiration from Milanese restaurants, Ksenia Kagner and Nicko Elliott of Brooklyn-based firm Civilian Projects dreamed up an arched, poppy red vent hood and paired it with a wall of grade-A maple plywood cabinetry (the matte finish reminded them of Charlotte Perriand’s furniture from the 1950s and ’60s).
The Art-Filled Brownstone
Interior designer Danielle Fennoy’s home is overflowing with works that make you look twice, from a gradient wallpaper that she created alongside Twenty2 Wallpaper and Textiles (the design was inspired by the illustrations in The Snowy Day) and the large Jamele Wright tapestry in the living room that hangs from simple screw eye hooks.
The Moody Brownstone
Brownstones’ long, windowless rooms can read gloomy. But the design team behind this Park Slop brownstone, made up of Appel Architecture and Crystal Sinclair, encouraged the owners to lean in with dark paint colors, mossy green bedding, and bold blue marble. To help move light around in the primary suite, they installed a fluted glass partition.
The Fresh-Start Brownstone
Slocum and Bordelon are known for their love of natural wood, but this client project required flexing their painting muscles. In the new parlor-level kitchen, they coated Semihandmade’s paintable DIY Shaker cabinets in their favorite neutral hue, Shaded White by Farrow & Ball.
The Black and White Brownstone
Bordelon and Slocum kept the updates timeless in this Bedford-Stuyvesant house, replacing mismatched spindles and painting the stairs and balusters an inky black. In the guest bath, they kept the black and white theme going with penny floor tile and a clawfoot tub.
The Brownstone With Top-Notch Transitions
Given a typical brownstone’s slim blueprint, show-stopping features can often be found in the transitional spaces. In this Boerum Hill project, architect Joshua Kea and designer Anne Brewer of Lewis Birks took advantage of an in-between spot on the parlor floor with striking glass pocket doors and a tucked-away wet bar.
The Brownstone With the Epic Backyard
There are a lot of things you can do with the blank canvas that isa brownstone’s backyard. In photographer Winnie Au’s oasis, you’ll find a cozy seating corner, a raised vegetable garden, a dining zone, and a tool storage area. The key to ensuring some privacy is a fence that’s taller than you are.