When interior designer Hannah Blumenthal of Studio Olivine first stepped into this 2,600-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn, New York, something felt like it was missing. Despite its soaring, 13-foot ceilings, enviable city views and the historical 1920s Beaux-Arts building it occupied, it didn't feel homely. 'Every wall and bit of cabinetry was a shade of white or cream,' Hannah explains. 'It felt beautiful architecturally, but it didn’t yet feel like home.'
A total chromatic transformation was in order, but there was one catch: it had to happen quickly. The new owners were expecting their second child just months after completion. Hannah called on her little black book of trades and trusted vendors, but made sure that speed never came at the sacrifice of style. 'Although we had to work quickly, we didn’t want to skimp on the lived-in, layered quality that the clients were seeking,' she explains. 'They wanted the space to feel elevated and refined, but not overly designed.'
Paint, wallcoverings, millwork and lighting were all overhauled in a compressed sprint, but the result feels anything but rushed. Hannah approached the palette like a composer, threading warm burgundy, dusty pink and earthy yellow from room to room so the semi-open floor plan is cohesive without ever feeling overly coordinated.
Vintage finds mingle with the client’s existing artwork and furnishings in the living room, while a butter-yellow kitchen glows with warmth. A deep blue snug, wrapped in grasscloth, feels cocooning and cinematic. A blush pink bar tucks cheerfully into a hallway, communicating almost telepathically with a nearby jewel-box powder room, drenched in Farrow & Ball's Sulking Room Pink. Colour, it turns out, was the secret ingredient this home needed all along.
The living room
Hannah spent most time on the living room to ensure it became the calling card of the project. 'It’s the largest room in the house and the centrepiece of the home, so it was important to get the scale and mix of shapes and textures just right,' she adds.
That involved incorporating mainstays of the overall palette, like a mustard-meets-butter sofa and a grounding blue rug. The star of the show, however, is a bespoke credenza by Hudson Valley furniture maker Matthew Robbins. 'When we showed this piece to the clients, they couldn’t resist,' adds Hannah.
The kitchen
While the kitchen had a workable layout and quality finishes, it lacked the charm the homeowners were looking for. To help ease it into a more whimsical existence, Hannah swathed the cabinetry in Farrow’s Cream by Farrow & Ball, a frothy yellow that adds a gentle warmth to the scene. 'The yellow paint, which stops about three quarters of the way up the wall, also helps to make the high-ceilinged room feel more on a human scale,' the designer adds.
The rest of the space was kept streamlined and functional, with plenty of space for housing dishware, cookware and entertaining extras. 'To add additional storage and complement the height of the tall cabinets and panelled refrigerator behind the island, we added a standing cabinet from Pinch in a custom rusty red lacquer,' adds Hannah.
The drinks nook
Located in the main hallway, the drinks nook acts as a stopover for entertaining on the way to the living room. 'Painting it a warm pink was an unexpected choice that adds a touch of fun and whimsy to the overall colour scheme,' explains Hannah, who also selected new, daintier hardware to suit the clients’ preferences.
Get the look: the layered family apartment
The snug
Designed to wear many hats, the cosy snug oscillates between a TV room, an office and a guest room, thanks to a chic sofa bed from RH. An inky grasscloth wallpaper from Serena & Lily brings subtle texture, cocooning the room like a hug. 'The clients spend a lot of time in this room because it just feels like a place where you want to be,' adds Hannah.
The downstairs loo
'The only tinier sink you’ll find is on an airplane,' Hannah jokes of the petite powder room washstand from Waterworks. Still, she didn’t skimp on style in this room, covering the walls in a powdery pink hue that speaks the same language as the bar down the hallway. 'We chose the shade because it gives off a very flattering, rosy glow,' the designer adds.
The entrance hall
Hannah preserved the history of the home wherever possible, including this pre-war paneling in the entrance hall, which connects it visually to the adjacent kitchen. 'Though this is largely a pass-through zone with multiple doorways, the vintage rug and Kalmar chandelier with parchment shades soften the space and create a welcoming entrance to the home,' she adds.
The main bedroom
With enviable views of nearby Prospect Park, the main bedroom didn’t need much to stand out. Hannah echoed the terracotta tones found throughout the rest of the home, finishing the bed with a heavy linen coverlet from Nordic Knots and a wispy Pinch pendant light overhead.
The main bathroom
Hannah dialled back the colour in the primary bathroom, instead turning to tonality and texture to communicate visual interest. 'I love the way that the existing limestone slabs on the floor and walls transition into small marble tiles in the enclosed shower,' she adds.
The nursery
'This sweet nursery for a baby girl eschews traditional pinks and instead leans into pale blues and greens enlivened with pops of orange in the window shade,' says Hannah. 'A clear view of the Grand Army Plaza arch from the window makes this a perfect first room for a Brooklyn babe.'
The kids' bathroom
In the kids’ bathroom, Hannah chose a tranquil palette of blues and greys to maintain a youthful yet classic appeal. A whimsical wallpaper from Mazy Path adds a storybook quality.
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