As one of 16 designers I was invited to participate in the inaugural Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse. Being a Brooklyn resident for eighteen years and never having done a showhouse I jumped at the opportunity. I was designated the laundry room, which comprised of a ceramic sink, a towel rail and a past-its-best washer and dryer. The room had not been renovated in any way, shape or form in decades, so we had our work cut out for us. What my team and I did immediately love and appreciate were the 9 ft ceiling, South facing window and all that untapped potential - in other words a blank canvas!
The grand 5 storey townhouse at 32 Livingston Street was built in the 1860s in an early Brooklyn Heights Neo-Greco style that emerged after the Civil War, During its 150 year history the landmark townhouse has had its fair share of illustrious owners, including Stewart & Marian Pratt, members of the Brooklyn family for whom the Pratt Institute is named; Dr William Dudley Jr, who specialized in otolaryngology at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill, which his father co-founded and Robert Feemster Chairman of Dow Jones.
Michael Milner Cooper, who along with his parents have owned the house since 1960 has been dedicated in gradually restoring the house to its original grandeur. The Brooklyn Heights Association collaborating with Karin and Saul Cooper, graciously agreed to open their home for the Designer Showhouse.
Note the classic Neo-Greco architecture of The Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse located at 32 Livingston Street, Brooklyn NY 11201: open from September 29 - November 5: 11am - 5pm Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays): admission $40, includes a journal
Before - The aforementioned blank canvas...as Michael Cooper a co-owner who lives on the garden level explained, at one time this was a dark room where he would process film
Before - Walls and ceiling will require serious skim coating, the outer edges on either side of the window will be straightened, reinforced and the ceiling strip light replaced
Before - The closet door will be removed to open the space and the 2 cabinets will also be removed
Before - This window saves the room as it turns what would otherwise be claustrophobic into a light and airy space...a soffit will be built to cover the "lovely" red gas pipe
Before - Bye bye ceramic sink, towel rail, exposed pipes, linoleum floor covering and dated washing machine & dryer
A free-hand sketch elevation of what we're working towards - by Vivian I Wang, Architect
The room's scheme - wallpaper and paints from Farrow & Ball, fabric from Osborne & Little, trim from Samuel & Sons, carpet tiles from Flor
After - Hello fully renovated laundry room! A room transformed to a sophisticated space that's welcoming, light filled, inviting with a dash of glam from the crystal pendant light. Artworks by Todd Williams from Peg Alston Fine Arts, bronze pots from AngloRaj Antiques, washer & dryer by Electrolux, from AJ Madison, sink & faucet from DXV, towels, accessories, bench and throw from Garnet Hill, crystal pendant light from Minka, laundry products from The Laundress - all construction, wallpaper hanging, painting, cabinetry fabricated and installed by The Finishes Group, custom-made window shade and pillows by H & A Upholstery
Side table and crystal vase from Global Views
Perfect open closet for those delicate little numbers that need to air-dry