Architect Jess Thomas Hinshaw was at work on her own Brooklyn townhouse when she sold a Lindsey Adelman DIY pendant light from her former place on Craig’s List. The two had met as project managers at Made Architecture and were about to establish their own firm, Shapeless Studio.
Photography by Hagan Hinshaw of Blurry Hinge, courtesy of Shapeless Studio.
Community-minded sorts with an eye for new talent, they loved being part of Hinshaw and Fisk’s startup: “This was a launch point for them, and our project got a lot of attention and enthusiasm.” Join us for a look at our favorite room in the house.
The townhouse is 20 feet wide—”you really feel it when it’s only 17 0r 18 feet wide, at least I do,” says the political consultant—and had been divided into three apartments, which it still is: friends of the owners rent the two upstairs floors.
The 1870s structure had few original details and required a complete overhaul which enabled the owners to install a new kitchen on the main floor in place...
...of two bedrooms the public rooms had been downstairs we wanted to invert this relationship so the entertaining space would feel that much more grand says Hinshaw
As with all Shapeless projects, the cabinetry is the careful work of James Harmon of Workshop Brooklyn, who honed his craft by studying wooden boat building.
Like the island, the counters are Pentelicus Venato marble. The fridge isn’t visible in the photos, but is situated to the left of the range.
The backsplash is tiled with with Weathered White Zellige from Clé that lends the requested human touch: “We wanted the cabinets to be rather minimal and understated in order to let the zellige and stone be the focal points,” says Hinshaw.
As for installing zellige she add every time it s a bit of a fight with the contractor they don t like installing imperfect tile The trick for zellige is to use a piece of thin cardstock like...
...a business card to space them out so they re extremely close but never actually touch We ended up laying out this tile several times in order to assure that it would be installed correctly She recommends Clé’s Zellige Installation Guide
The counter and open shelves are reserved for a few kitchen tools, such as cutting boards and wooden spoons by Allison Samuels of Two Trees Studio and a Terracotta Fruit Bowl by Virginia Sins.
The island’s black undermount sink is from Alfi and the matte black pull-down faucet is the Corsano from California Faucets.
The shaggy Wool Tapestry is the work of Elżbieta Knapik of Lale Studio in Trzebinia, Poland: “she had done a number of chromatic pieces; we worked with her on the color scale.” The light over the island is Muuto’s Ambit Rail Lamp.
The owners wanted to incorporate a lot of storage—while still maintaining “an airy, open feel”—so the back wall was designated for cabinets and shelves.
The architects explain that white oak (with touch-latch openings) was selected “to elevate the space” and link it to the adjoining living room.
The architects inserted a little bench next to the cabinets (cushioned with pillows and throws from Minna).
Of the couple’s many houseplants, they say, “We love how the room is being populated with green. It feels warm and inviting, and wonderfully complements the white oak and soft green of the cabinets.” The cantilevered oak chair is the Sit, Set by Campagna.
The owners initially wanted the kitchen and living room to be one big loft-like space.