Dogwood Midcentury

The clients had recently relocated their family from Brooklyn after a career transition to Nike – requiring them to leave behind their stunningly recently renovated brownstone, but providing the opportunity to snag a home, rich in vintage charm and tucked away on a private street. With the kitchen and connected lounge areas being the central hub of the family and hosting, plus their love for the ritual of baking, preparing meals with homegrown vegetables, the main level required some reprogramming. The primary focus became optimizing functionality, improving experiential flow, and creating a cozy atmosphere in a long corridor-type portion of the home.

Working in tandem with Sarah Westhusing, we decided to reconfigure first on a macro level – zoning out areas as if we were moving from one event to the next over the course of an evening or weekend, and grouping formal dining with casual island seating at one end and a relaxed lounge with plenty of room to display art at the other. Then on a micro level – getting precise with work and preparation flow, carving out intentional preparation areas like a baking nook, cocktail bar, and also seeking creative solutions to increase storage capacity and variety. It was important to carry a sense of familiarity in what they loved about their previous home – a crisp clean palette and a timeless air – while also honoring the original architectural intention of the home by employing mid-century detailing throughout. As a result, rich walnut offsets an otherwise white palette, lines selective niches, and offers additional privacy by way of a slatted partition / stair baluster. Simultaneously, the monochrome palette allows for lively dimensional texture, playful pattern, and cabinetry framework to shine forth.