The 2022 Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, presented by the Brooklyn Heights Association along with media partner aspire design and home, opens on September 23. The historic 1839 townhouse, located at 145 Columbia Heights in Historic Brooklyn Heights, is filled with beautiful, innovative design; from the window boxes and front garden done in tribute to Ukraine, by Serhiy Mshanetskiy of Brooklyn Heights Gardens, Inc. to the rooftop garden accessed by floating stairs, by Nigel Rollings Landscape Design.
Co-chairs of the showhouse, Erika Belsey Worth and Ellen Hamilton, along with BHA president Koren Volk are delighted to present these incredible spaces created by a talented slate of emerging designers, most of them local to Brooklyn and New York City. Volk shares, “I really want to stress that our focus this time has been on emerging talent, and we are thrilled with the work this group has done in this house.”
Honorary Design Chair Harry Heissmann, who lives in this beautiful and historic neighborhood, says, “Brooklyn Heights always reminds me of Europe. It is a true neighborhood with so many charming corners, and it has become my home. This special neighborhood needs to be protected for generations to come, which is precisely why the work of the BHA is so vital.”
Hear from this talented roster of designers below, as they describe their designs from inspiration to execution.
Photo by Adam Kane Macchia.
Parlor Kitchen | Michael Ingui and Sohui Kim of Baxt Ingui Architects & Meghan Laky of BIA Interiors
“Our first step was partnering with Taffera Fine Building & Finishes to combine a galley kitchen and formal dining room to create this ‘Parlor kitchen.’ So, we created a large communal space where people can mingle. It’s a little bit more informal, but at the same time inclusive with all the different seating areas. The color of the space is more monochromatic, and we accented circular shapes, which you can find in little details like the knobs and the light fixtures, and even in the leaded glass.”
Vestibule and Powder Room | Laurie Blumenfeld Design
“The powder room was outdated, so we ripped everything out except for the floor, and because we had all these warm saturated colors in here, I thought it would be nice to make the bathroom feel a little more ethereal. In the hallway, I decided to take the space and make it moody and dramatic and interesting in the moment.”
Photos by Jonathan Hoekklo (left) and Tim Cree (right).
Garden Level Vestibule and Solarium Bathroom | Antonio Deloatch
“In the Solarium bath… the Flavor Paper wallcovering brings in Brooklyn elements like Nathan’s, the Cyclone, Biggie Smalls, a Rabbi and so many other elements. And I also added a black and white photograph of a barber shop in Harlem by a local photographer, which is really a safe space for our community. Downstairs in the vestibule, I wanted it to be a place of rest. It has a natural light flowing through it, and it is a place to have a cup of tea or take a phone call or sit down and put your shoes on.”
Garden Level Sitting Room | KD Reid
“I wanted the sitting room to be a laid back, contemporary space, because I knew the rest of the house is more formal. The wallpaper by Flavor Paper is called ‘Eye of the Beholder’ and I imagined it as a visual guest book of people who have visited. I worked with BoConcept to really curate pieces that reflect the curves of the archway entrance to the space. And many of the antiques are from a shop called Anglo Raj Antiques, owned by Sandra Long, who really taught me so much about antiques.”
Garden Room | Circa 22 Design
“I envisioned this space as a second garden that can be enjoyed year-round. I want this to be playful. I want this to be inspiring. I want to come in here have a cup of coffee, read a book, do nothing. The rug from The Rug Company picks up the natural movement and the furniture all has organic forms. The floral mural from Flavor Paper was in this pink, and we just said, ‘Embrace the pink!’”
Library | Collyer’s Mansion
“Our inspiration for this room was a lady’s library, so we started with a neutral peachy sandy colored paint. We envisioned this being a place where she retreats, and she’s surrounded by her collections and her passions. It’s a place to relax and have a drink at the end of the day, surrounded by things she loves.”
Guest Bedroom | Studio Dorion
In belief that the smallest of rooms can often be the most inviting, Studio Dorion outfitted the second floor bedroom for even the most discerning of house guests. Inspiration for the decoration was found in the design principles of Greek Revival style (symmetry, simplicity, and elegance), while also embracing modernity.
Lounge | Rupp Studio
“I wanted to create a space of solitude, a place where someone could come and be by themselves. It’s a room where you can go to the secretary and write an old-fashioned letter, read a book, entertain a friend on the couch or take a nap on the day bed. If it was my house, this is where I would spend all my time, in a cozy chair.”
Laundry | MeLinda K Design
“My specialty is millwork. So, when it came to the idea of doing a laundry room, I said, ‘Oh, I can have some fun in here.’ The main idea of my entire space is beauty and necessity. It is functional, but I also wanted it to be something intentionally beautiful. It’s very warm, very ethereal, and delicate.”
Study | Antoninio Buzzetta
“I wanted to provoke this sexy 70s vibe that I’ve always been attracted to. And being Italian, I just came back from Italy, and it really inspired the space. It’s a little tongue and cheek so when you walk into my space, I want you to feel super sexy and relaxed, but also not so serious.”
Sitting Room | JS Interiors’ Jessica Stambaugh
“This is the sitting room, which was inspired by the Renaissance concept of the Studiolo, a small study, an intimate space that would be used for contemplation or study. I was inspired by the Studiolo from the Ducal Palazzo in Gubbio, in the Met Museum. The walls are a digitally printed textile from Pierre Frey, and some of the elements are the display of a collection, globally sourced textiles, plates, and art. It’s a very personal mix.”
Photo by Kirsten Francis.
Children’s Bedroom | JDK Interiors
“We were inspired by the circus and childhood experiences. We commissioned an amazing artist (Adam Sultan) to paint the ceiling and the murals, and we just wanted a really playful experience. It includes all the different patterns and fun shapes that a kid would just dream to be surrounded by in their space.”
Solarium | Meagan Camp Interiors
“Solariums were rooms where 16th century, wealthy Europeans would use to grow citrus trees in their houses. And I’m originally from California, so a lot of my work is Northern California meets New York City. So, this room is a mash-up of traditional with the freshness of the West Coast. If you poke around, you’ll see that everything is garden-related or citrus-related. You could be in France; you could be in Napa. And it’s a room for lounging and hanging out. A place to bring a cup of coffee and a book. It’s light, and polished, and airy.”
Primary bedroom, dressing room, terrace, hallway and stair hall | Tara McCauley
“My bedroom suite is inspired by the Surrealist Movement, and I imagined that my client was Elsa Schiaparelli, who collaborated with the great Surrealists like Cocteau and Dali. The color palette is grayscale, which I got from Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete, but with touches of the shocking pink that Schiaparelli was known for. The hallway wallpaper is Trompe-l’œil, and over the bed, the curtains are magically opened by a pair of disembodied hands. The artist Thomas Englehart made the surrealist mirror over the fireplace, in the shape of an eye, with eyelashes.”
Photo by Jeff Holt.
Double Parlor | Chused & Co
“I was thinking of the late 30s and early 40s, as well as mixing a little bit of the history from around the time that the house is built, and then adding some modern 70s influences and really modern lighting.”
The Shops at 372 and 373 | The Primary Essentials and Assembly Line
This space is a collaboration between The Primary Essentials and Assembly Line, two neighboring stores on Atlantic Avenue’s stretch between Hoyt and Bond in Boerum Hill, offering a shoppable element to the showhouse.
Photography by Tim Cree, Creepwalk Media, unless otherwise noted.
aspire design and home would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the sponsors of this year’s Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse: 3 Walls, Forbes & Lomax, Fiber-Seal Northeast, Taffera, The Hudson Company, BoConcept, Elegance in Hardware and Bath, Shakúff, Saatva, Sherwin-Williams, Pure & Original, Ferguson, Brownstoner, Steering House, Two Trees, Wovn Home, Walker Zanger, and Flavor Paper.
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