Welcome to my brother’s charming Brooklyn home
A couple of weekends ago, I had the chance to go up to New York City with some of my girlfriends. It was a short but fun-filled trip with lots of food, shopping, and getting in our many steps. My brother, John, and his partner Stephen bought a home in Brooklyn right before the pandemic and I finally had the opportunity to go and see it. It was a feast for my creative eyes because they added so many personal touches with interesting art, sentimenatl photos, and vintage treasures. I loved every square inch of it and just had to share their charming Brooklyn home on the blog.
If you’ve been here for a while, you may remember when I helped design his studio home in Astoria. He had just finished a 2 year national Broadway traveling tour of the Cinderella show. He was tired and wanted to finally have a place he could call home. That studio will always have a special place in both of our hearts because it was such a memorable project for both of us. I loved seeing many of those special pieces we used in his Astoria home now in his Brooklyn home. He went on to live in a high rise in the financial district for a few years and then made the move to Brooklyn with Stephen.
This was actually my very first time going to Brooklyn and I must say that I fell in love! He lives in a quaint part of town full of brownstones and wonderful small businesses that line the streets. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the city, there are trees and much more space for families and dogs to walkabout. He told me many families live there because of those reasons alone. I can only imagine how magical it looks during Christmas time.
The living room opens up to the dining space and that also has room for an office desk. Stephen works there all day (sometimes night too). I remember texting back and forth when they were shopping for specific pieces like the sectional, office desk and where to hang the mirror. They did a fabulous job and I loved everything about it.
The paint color is Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore. It has a more subtle gray in their home and looks lovely especially with all the natural light pouring in. They hired a company called Fichman to custom build this beautiful standing wood cover to hide the radiator. For their coffee table, they found an old antique sewing machine and had a piece of glass cut to sit on top of it. I love that they already have their stockings out.
Their home is full of character from all their unique antique finds. The cool DIY shelf was built by John for his Astoria home. I showed him the photo and he figured out how to build it with materials all from Home Depot. It used to be hung up in Astoria but I love how it looks on the ground and is used as a bar area.
The vintage flag was another awesome find and it’s displayed in a large distressed frame. The dining set was from Walmart many years ago and seats 6 people comfortably.
Stephen works from this corner on this beautiful desk they found at Costco.
The bedroom is pretty large and has enough space for a sitting area. The rugs in this room are from Ikea.
The dresser holds more antique treasures and artwork.
I love the way watches are displayed and organized. Function and Style!
When John graduated college, he did Teach for America for a couple of years. Years later, one of his students drew a picture of him as the Prince in Cinderella. It’s such a sweet and sentimental gift that has moved with him throughout the years.
Now, my favorite part of their home was probably this corner in the bedroom. IT’S SO SO GOOD. Doesn’t it belong in a magazine? It’s a mix of a masculine, bold but relaxed vibe. We got that trunk from a cool thrift store in Astoria and they said it had come from a nunnery. How cool is that?
Their kitchen is really pretty but I realize I only took videos so you’ll just have to imagine it. If you want to see more in-depth videos, you can check out my Instagram where I saved all the videos under my highlights. It’s definitely worth watching especially since I also share all the delicious foods I ate all weekend.
I had the best day spending time with John, Stephen, and their sweet dog, Henry. I asked them if we could trade homes for one month. Basically, we would take care of Henry and live in Brooklyn while they lived in our house taking care of our 3 kids. We still haven’t heard an answer yet. Seemed like a fair trade to me!
Omg if you’re in Brooklyn, make sure to try Mia’s bakery because their almond croissants are huge and delicious! They also have some other amazing desserts that we tried after an IG follower told me to go back and try their cupcake.
I can’t wait to go back! I hope the photos gave you some inspiration especially if you live in a smaller home. I know it inspired me!
I also just wanted to say thank you for all the kind comments on my life update post. The comments and direct messages on my social media were some of the kindest I’ve received. Thank you for being here and letting me share all the things with you.
xoxo,
Let all that you do be done in Love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
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