7 min read
Generally speaking, no contrast is more welcome than contemporary interiors in historic buildings, and few homeowners appreciate said juxtaposition more than husband-and-wife duo Brendan Fallis and Hannah Bronfman. The creative pair—he's a DJ and the founder of Fallis Studios, and she is a creator, entrepreneur, and wellness advocate—purchased their 3,000-square-foot unit in an unassuming New York City building erected in 1900 and, with the help of local architecture firm This Is Eau, have made it into a quiet, calm retreat for both themselves and their two children, Preston and Claude.
Though the three-bedroom residence offered more than enough to work with—double-height ceilings, a full basement, and a massive skylight included—there was plenty of room for improvement, as it was also rife with architectural elements that dated it for the worse. "The goal was always calm and inviting, but design-driven," Fallis explains. The only way to achieve that goal was by way of a complete gut-renovation, and that's where This Is Eau came in. Luckily, the firm and the couple were aligned on the vision: minimal, layered, and above all, warm. Another non-negotiable? Designing the home in a way that allowed the couple's collections to take centerstage.
Said collections come mostly in the form of art and objects, both of which are most prominently displayed in the living room, where one of the home's most impressive existing features—a built-in bookshelf spanning the longest and tallest wall—survived the renovation. It was the work of the home's previous owner, the rare book curator at The Strand, a New York institution for any avid reader.
Surely when the former resident lived within the historic walls, every shelf was occupied by a special tome, but Bronfman and Fallis decided to take a slightly different direction for the built-in, using it instead to display sentimental objects they hold dear, including art and memorabilia. As a nod to the former homeowner, a massive Bottega Bonetta leather purse donning The Strand's logo and colors sits right smack-dab in the middle of the built-in, proudly overlooking the living room.
There's also a custom Russ & Daughters skateboard (sans wheels) for Bronfman, a lifelong New Yorker; a cherry-red telephone that has lived in the apartment for the better part of four decades; and the original license plate that belonged to Fallis's grandfather, among other cherished treasures.
The built-in shelving, complete with a custom Putnam Rolling Ladders on original wheels, is just one small part of the living room that Bronfman and Fallis love. The Camaleonda sofa, a modular masterpiece by BB Italia, is the true pièce de résistance of the sweeping space. "Since the sofa kind of reads like a piece of art, we decided to make it a bit more interesting. Every other piece alternates slightly in color and fully in material," Fallis notes.
While the couch is the main focal point on the ground, the extravagant lighting certainly draws the eye upward, and that was the point. "The bare, raw ceilings look so cool, and although we toyed with the idea of a big, regal chandelier, we ultimately decided that a trio of more modern pieces that don't take up a ton of space visually made more sense," Bronfman adds. The two suspended over the living room are both by Flos, while the slightly more traditional fixture dangling above the dining table is a Visbizzuno piece.
Though it certainly adds a touch of drama to the dining room, the sculptural fluted glass chandelier is hardly needed, as the entire dining area—including the B&B Italia and Maxalto table and chairs—is situated beneath a sweeping skylight. "It's the area that gets the most natural light, so we find ourselves spending a lot of time here because it's such a bright and inspiring space for us," Fallis explains.
What's more, the couple decided to hit pause on the blonde wood that covers the floors across most of the first floor so that they could opt for something a bit different, further separating the dining room from the living space just one step down. "The terazzo, in these natural and muted tones, breaks up the wood that you see in the rest of the house," Bronfman says. It also perfectly ties in the dramatic and moody marble backsplash that covers the wall above the entire bar.
The furniture and lighting certainly establish the aesthetic and vibe the couple was going for, but what makes the house a home has nothing to do with either; it's all about the objects scattered neatly throughout. Claude, their two-and-a-half-year-old-daughter (named after Fallis's grandfather), loves to grab the rotary phone off the shelf and pretend she's having a conversation with someone on the other line. Bronfman gets to gaze at her skateboard, with the Russ & Daughters logo on one side and the famous fish on the other (she insists that the trout mousse is the cafe's best and most underrated offering). Fallis, on the other hand, can thumb through the pages of House Beautiful's October 1959 issue and see his parents' home. Preston, Claude's five-year-old brother, can shoot hoops with the custom turquoise basketball Fallis custom-made for him.
There are objects the whole family appreciates, and there are objects that are particularly special to each member, no matter how young they might be. Luckily, Bronfman and Fallis have plenty of shelf space left to fill, so as their kids grow up and they continue to grow their collections, they have more than enough places to store their wares.
The unique architectural elements continue up the gently winding staircase that leads directly into the couple's bedroom, with a spacious bathroom on one side and an even bigger closet on the other. Perhaps the coolest thing in the bedroom is the wall across from the bed, which boasts floor-to-ceiling glass panes that can completely fog up at the press of a button. "It's the easiest way to get privacy up here," Fallis says. From downstairs, one may be able to make out a silhouette or movement, but not much else when the fog is on. It's certainly a step up from traditional window treatments.
Installing the fogging glass was only one of many things the couple incorporated into the cozy bedroom. They also took down a cashmere wall, "which was interesting, but not quite what we were going for," Bronfman admits, and they got rid of a built-in bed. "It was just limiting in terms of what we could do in here, so starting with a blank slate was the best approach," Fallis adds.
They took the same route in their bathroom, which they completely overhauled to achieve a dark and moody, but still highly luxurious look. Bronfman's non-negotiable addition was a clawfoot tub, and one from Kohler had her heart pretty quickly. "It's really the pillar of the space—at least for me," she says. Fallis's complement to the tub, a chandelier from 1stDibs, is the perfect vintage accent to give the already soulful space an extra boost.
On the other side of the bedroom is the entrance to the closet, which, unlike that of most New Yorkers, is nearly double the size of the bedroom. Fallis's unique approach to the couple's shared closet—he wanted it to feel like a luxury retail experience complete with monogrammed knobs on all of the drawers—keeps them, their clothes, and their accessories organized so that getting ready in the morning and again at night is easy and enjoyable. "Some of the details, like our initials on the hardware, may be a little extra, but we really like it. It's a fun touch," Fallis adds.
Bronfman, known in part for her daily looks, admits that the closet isn't just a place for her to put outfits together. "We have a lot of great conversations in here, too. It's where we chat, go over logistics, and talk about strategy," she explains. "It's also a great place for our kids. Our son is actively trying to take after his father, who does style me quite a bit, and now our son wants to be a part of it. It's so sweet."
Downstairs, the palette is a bit brighter and softer, with shades of blue, yellow, and more that are pulled in from the furniture, art, and objects on the bookshelf; upstairs, the couple kept things a bit simpler. The palette in the bedroom—an array of earthy neutral hues—sets the tone for each space flanking it: The closet comprises lots of black and white so that the clothes can have their moment to shine, while the bathroom is done in a warm charcoal paint meant to mimic a limewash. "It just adds to that moody feel, especially after remembering that this whole bathroom used to be an all-white room," Fallis explains.
Bronfman and Fallis may have had their work cut out for them on the third floor of their home (the first being the basement), but they didn't completely overhaul the main level. In fact, they decided to embrace three of the biggest pieces the former resident left behind: massive gilded mirrors. One was anchored halfway up the wall with nothing under it, so the couple installed an old mantel from Ancient Surfaces to make that space more of a design moment. The second sits nestled in the space between each bookshelf above, and the third, easily 10 feet tall, leans elegantly against the wall in the dining room.
"It's funny, I feel like the natural order of things would be fireplace then mirror, but the mirror was already here, and it looked a little random without anything under it, so we added the antique mantel to give it a little more context," Bronfman says.
As for the enormous canvas swathed in bright yellow paint, it's Chief Joseph by Fred Brown, and Bronfman grew up with it in her childhood home on the Upper West Side. Brown and Bronfman's mother are childhood friends, and he installed it himself back in the early 1990s. "When we moved in here, with these big beautiful white walls, I knew Chief Joseph could have a new home in our house," Bronfman says. "It's a little surreal having grown up with this painting watching over me, and now he's in our home watching over my kids."
