Jewels in the Crown

The 1890's brownstone in Brooklyn, belonging to lighting designer Michelle James, has been curated and edited to perfection...

Via here (Originally via here; Photography by Nicole Franzen for Remodelista)

Just a hint of lavender...

Hilary Robertson's gorgeous brownstone in Fort Green, Brooklyn...

And then a fabulously strong statement in the diningroom...

Via here (photographed by Trevor Tondro for the New York Times)

Nicole Franzen - The Creatives

More gorgeous images of inviting and light-filled spaces from Brooklyn-based food and lifestyle photographer, Nicole Franzen (featured previously here)...

Via here

Two Mantels

I love the sheer whimsy of the objects on these mantlepieces — unrelated and oddly juxtaposed.  The renovation of this 1870's Red Hook (Brooklyn) home belonging to painter, Todd Bonné and lifestyle photographer, Alexandra Grablewski is painstakingly documented on The Little House That Could. Makes for great reading and fortitude for those who are attempting a giant restoration, as well as a glimpse into the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy...

See more of the house on Designsponge

Wythe on the Waterfront...

Fancy some home-made ice-cream in your hotel room bar fridge? No problem for the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. In fact add Marlow & Sons granola to that. There is even a house butcher. Sound amazing enough? Just another major dosage of cool in the borough. Additionally, the farm-to-table restaurant Reynards, has an open-air kitchen centered around a wood-fired oven and grill. And naturally, say-no-more with regard to that floor...

Read more at TheNYTimes

While working on...

A final posting about our house in Baltimore, I found an image of what has to be one of my favorite rooms of all time: in Hugo Guinness' Brooklyn home...

Vogue Living

The Plight of The Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital Complex

When I came across the photographs and write-up via The Kingston Lounge, I realized that the piece had been written in 2009. It became apparent that the historic and long-derelict structures had been on the verge of demolition on several occasions. According to a NYT article written in 2010...

Kristin Leahy, the cultural resources manager for the National Guard Bureau, the federal agency that controls the site, said engineers had found that the historic structures, particularly the timber shed, might be beyond repair. “We hired these engineers with tools to stabilize the buildings,” she said, “and that is when they came back and said we had a problem.” 


One proposal at a subsequent meeting last month was to deconstruct the building and then incorporate the salvaged pieces into a new structure. But Mr. Herrera of the Landmarks Conservancy said that deconstruction was another word for demolition.

The Navy disposed of NAVSTA Brooklyn in the late 1960's. Upon departure, they stabilized and abated the main hospital building and the Surgeon's Residence, both deemed New York City landmarks. New York City purchased the yard in 1967 but attempts to revitalize it failed until 2000, when the city began to invest in stabilizing its infrastructure. Currently, Steiner Studios - the largest film and television complex outside Hollywood - is the yard's largest tenant.

Most recent plans include a 74,000-square-feet grocery store, and the restoration of two buildings on Admiral’s Row — the timber shed built prior to the Civil War, and the oldest town house.

Undoubtedly, it is a fascinating place with roots deep in the Civil War, WW II and the ship-building industry. Read more about the redevelopment and hopeful further restoration here and here...

A map of the Hospital Annex during the Civil War

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

Naval Hospital

The Commandant's Residence - originally the Surgeon's Residence - with an elegant concave mansard roof, dates back to the Civil War. The original interior details are surprisingly in tact...

Photographs via here...