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Brooklyn firm Barker Architecture Office renovated a four-story, landmarked 19th-century brownstone in Clinton Hill for an empty-nester couple moving from Tribeca. The design combines surviving period details with vivid colors, contemporary materials and the homeowners’ art and furniture collection; the source report does not provide a project completion date or budget.
Brooklyn-based Barker Architecture Office (BAAO) has renovated a four-story, landmarked 19th-century brownstone in Clinton Hill for a couple who left a Tribeca townhouse, reshaping a former short-term rental into a home for their art and midcentury furniture collection. A report by Design Milk describes a design that preserves surviving historic details while introducing vivid color, custom woodwork and contemporary finishes.
The house had been divided into short-term rentals, a change the report says had removed much of its original ornamentation. BAAO retained the architectural features that remained and placed them alongside cleaner modern additions. The homeowners wanted a setting that could accommodate contemporary art and midcentury furnishings while feeling warmer and more expressive than a restrained modern interior.
Color appears from the entrance onward: deep olive doors open to a terracotta vestibule, while the central staircase is painted yellow and finished with a red runner. On the parlor floor, diagonal white oak floorboards reference historic parquet patterns. The living room retains original plaster crown molding and a restored plaster rosette, alongside a fireplace faced with textured porcelain tile and a chandelier by Richard Tuttle.
The kitchen wraps around the room’s perimeter, pairing white oak cabinetry and honed soapstone with a lilac marble backsplash. In place of a conventional island, BAAO set a dining table beneath vintage aluminum pendants. The garden level combines a bright family room opening onto the garden with a darker, walnut-paneled library. Upstairs, the primary suite uses russet, ochre and moss-green tones; three bedrooms for the couple’s adult children are arranged around a skylit lounge on the top floor.
A New Life for Historic Interiors
The renovation illustrates one approach to adapting a historic New York home after its original interior character has been reduced: preserve what survives, then make new elements legible rather than imitating missing ornament. That balance matters in a landmarked building, where the historic setting is part of the project even as the home must serve its current occupants.
Here, the design also reflects the owners’ specific routines and collection rather than treating renovation as a neutral upgrade. A dining table replaces the kitchen island as the gathering point, while the separate library offers a quieter use for the garden level. The report presents the project as a tailored residential renovation, not evidence of a broader change in Brooklyn’s housing market or landmark rules.
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From Tribeca to Clinton Hill
The homeowners are described as an empty-nester couple who moved from a Tribeca townhouse to a landmarked brownstone in Clinton Hill. Design Milk frames the move as a shift toward more room and privacy, but the renovation details offer the clearest account of what changed: a four-story building formerly used for short-term rentals was reorganized as a personal home, with space for the couple’s art, furniture and family.
BAAO worked with the owners on furniture selections and the placement of artworks across the house. The collection named in the report includes works by Alfred Stieglitz, Inez Nathaniel Walker and Amy Sillman, as well as tattoo artist Stoney St. Clair. The source report is written by Adrian Madlener and credits photography to Gieves Anderson.
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Project Costs and Timeline Unreported
The report does not give the renovation cost, construction timeline or completion date. It also does not identify which original architectural elements were lost when the building was divided into short-term rentals, or provide details about approvals associated with work on the landmarked property. No statements from the homeowners are included, so their views are conveyed through the project brief and the report rather than direct quotations.
The article describes the design and materials but does not provide independent assessments of the project’s environmental performance, accessibility or long-term maintenance needs. Those questions cannot be answered from the available account.
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No Further Project Milestone Listed
The source report presents the renovation as a completed residential project, but it names no upcoming construction phase, public opening or related announcement. The home is described as arranged for the couple and their adult children, with the owners’ art and furniture distributed throughout.
Any further information about the project’s cost, schedule, landmark review or performance would require details from BAAO, the homeowners or relevant city records. The Design Milk report does not indicate that additional updates are planned.
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Key Questions
Where is the renovated brownstone?
It is a landmarked 19th-century brownstone in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
Who designed the renovation?
The homeowners hired Barker Architecture Office (BAAO), a Brooklyn-based architecture practice.
What is distinctive about the interior design?
The design pairs surviving historic details, including plaster moldings, with saturated colors, contemporary finishes and custom furnishings. The entrance uses olive, terracotta, yellow and red; other rooms introduce materials such as white oak, soapstone and lilac marble.
What happened to the building before the renovation?
The report says the brownstone had been divided into short-term rentals, a use that removed much of its original ornamentation. BAAO preserved the historic elements that remained.
How much did the renovation cost, and when was it completed?
The Design Milk report provides no project budget or completion date.
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