A 1970s Long Island Home Gets A Tranquil Makeover

Elisa Baran is not quite 30. But she has an eye for furnishings and techniques that transcend time periods, sourcing old and new and “high and low pieces,” many from before she was born. Her intent? That her clients can “consume them forever.” Mixing vintage finds with new constructions, she says, is her favorite part of her work. She loves old treasures that live on.

Sustainability and long life have been important to Baran since right after college, when she launched a fashion line using salvaged fabrics, including men’s tie materials, to create menswear-styled pieces for women (Erin Wasson reportedly wore one to Coachella.) Older can be better, and not wasting is paramount. For this Long Island home, she thrifted all the vintage Danish lighting from a Brooklyn shop.

In the kitchen, she opened up the height and light around an arched entryway. “There were tons of walls but not much light,” she notes. She got rid of the playroom attic to create more space. “This client is young and wanted to flip the switch. She wanted tranquility, not the look of a split-level that hadn’t been touched,” says Baran. “She is neat but also wanted cozy. She loves Christmas. So that meant shearling and pebbly textures, cozy bouclé on top of a side table.”

The homeowner had traveled to France and Italy and wanted the walls to look timeworn, like “old Venetian homes and cathedrals,” Baran notes. The team perfected a mottling technique for the whole house through trial and error. They applied JH Wall Paints Limewash with a block brush and back-and-forth motion to create a textured finish.

As much as the client loves cozy, Baran knew upkeep had to be low-stress. No complicated cleaning, no knotted rugs. In the laundry room, a tile floor that can be swooshed with a Swiffer.

Also in that laundry space: “A tree I foraged from the yard. Its roots were pushing up through the sidewalk. But I hate trees being knocked down. It makes me sad,” says the woman with a soft spot for sustainability. May this Long Island homeowner “consume” the beauty throughout this house for a good long time to come.

Photography by Jared Kuzia.
Dining Table from CB2. JH Wall Paints throughout in Limewash 103 (first coat) and 114 (second coat). Railing from Artistic Iron Works. Hardwood engineered floor from BuildDirect. Tile in laundry room from TileBar.

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