A Whimsical Family Loft in Brooklyn: Whale Wallpaper Included - Remodelista
Set in a newly converted former factory in Dumbo, this Brooklyn loft had everything its owners wanted, including a sleek, well-detailed kitchen. But how to make the wide-open setup feel like home for a young family of four? Photography by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. An all-white kitchen is at the center of the open 40-foot-long living space, and fits seamlessly in thanks to touch-latch Corian cabinetry and an inset sink and work area. Designed by the building’s architect-developers, Alloy, headed by Jared Della Valle and Abby Hamlin, the well-detailed kitchen was one of the loft’s selling points for the new owners. A wall of open shelving–introduced by Robertson and Pasanella on the opposite side of an entry they built–displays the couples’ collection of cafe au lait bowls and adds an injection of color and pattern to the setting. For a better look at the wall of cafe au lait bowls, see page 288 of our new book, Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. Hidden on the inside of the island is a microwave and oven. The kitchen is further pushed in a playful direction thanks to kids’ paintings hung with colored washi tape. The focal point of the living room is the owners’ eclectic collection of art united in a salon-style grouping with mirrors. Robertson and Pasanella made kraft paper templates of each piece and, over dinner one night, the two couples laid out the templates on the floor and then the wall, fiddling with the pieces for hours to get the arrangement right. The brick walls had been unfinished and dominant–the ceilings are 13 feet high. “We organized the main room by using furniture to define living, dining, and study areas,” says Rebecca. The dining area is sectioned off from the living room by a low two-sided bookcase designed by Pasanella. Made of oiled black walnut and Cor-Ten steel topped by a 1.5-inch-thick slab of soapstone, Pasanella’s bookcase is 36 inches tall and extends for 12 feet. Pasanella, by the way, is the owner of one of our all-time favorite wine shops... ...Pasanella & Son Vintners in New York’s South Street Seaport; he’s also a celebrated designer and writer: he documents his journey through the wine world in his book Uncorked. A light that doubles as sculpture, the Lindsey Adelman Custom 7-Globe Branching Bubble chandelier is the dining area’s focal point. The antique oak table is from Ochre; it’s surrounded by vintage aluminum dining chairs, similar to the classic Emco design but made by Good Form of Youngstown, Ohio. Another Robertson/Pasanella touch: zebra wood radiator covers fabricated by Official, LLC. An alcove opposite the dining area has been cleverly put to use as a library, thanks to an extended kitchen wall and shelves added by Robertson and Pasanella. The yellow lamp is a vintage Jielde from France (still in production, the Jielde Loft Desk Lamp is available from Horne, as is a special Remodelista edition of the Jielde Signal Desk Lamp in bronze). Robertson and Pasanella solved the riddle by building a nook that gives “the piano a place to live as well as to be celebrated.” Working with the loft’s architects, they inserted the piano niche (note the inset point light), which fronts a new bedroom (see below). Stairs next to the piano lead to a family room and roof terrace. The Bubble Chandelier with a gold finish is by Pelle of Brooklyn. The kids’ Lego Star Wars creations are tidily displayed in the family room on Room & Board’s steel Slim Media Console. Under the stairs, the designers carved out a child’s bedroom. The guest bathroom is papered with Little Whales by LA company Pottok Prints. Serenity reigns in the master bedroom, which has a wall of Cole & Son Woods wallpaper. The bentwood bed is the Case Study Alpine Bed from Design Within Reach with companion Case Study Alpine Bedside Tables; the bedside lamps are Ikea’s rice paper Väte design, $9.99 each. A TV needn’t be intrusive–a small model rests opposite the bed atop the Grove Six Drawer Dresser from Room & Board. Another of the loft’s original attractions: in lieu of a bathtub, a marble-tiled shower for two. The loft’s elevator initially opened directly into the living space. The pierced silver light is the Filigree Sphere from Terrain; the bench is from Ikea. The loft’s layout was conceived by New York architect-developers Alloy; Robertson and Pasanella collaborated with the Alloy team to introduce a few structural additions, including an entry foyer and bedroom inserted under the stairs.