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Livingetc has published a feature showcasing eight New York brownstones whose interiors combine historic architecture with contemporary design. The homes span Brooklyn and Manhattan neighborhoods and include renovated family residences, a Cobble Hill home owned by designer Athena Calderone, and an 1845 Greek Revival house in Brooklyn Heights.
Livingetc has highlighted eight New York brownstones that pair historic features with contemporary interiors, presenting examples from neighborhoods including South Slope, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Cobble Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. The feature documents how designers have adapted the 19th- and early-20th-century homes for present-day use while retaining, emphasizing or, in some cases, reworking their architectural character.
The projects differ in how much original material survives. A 1901 South Slope brownstone designed by Crystal Sinclair was shaped around a family-friendly brief, with mid-century modern influences and a bold palette. In Park Slope, Studio Nato kept existing crown molding white; founder Nathan Cuttle said that choice helped keep the rooms bright while drawing attention to the carved details.
A Fort Greene home by Home Studios had undergone multiple renovations, leaving few original features to preserve. The designers reworked its floor plan to create a more open, light-filled family home. In Cobble Hill, interior designer Athena Calderone worked with Elizabeth Roberts Architects on architectural changes, including opening the upper ground floor. Black-painted doorways, window frames, stairs and fireplaces set off pale gray walls and vintage furnishings.
In Bedford-Stuyvesant, renovation designers Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon, known as The Brownstone Boys, used white walls and ceilings to foreground original details. Another featured project is a 3,500-square-foot brownstone in the Fort Greene Historic District, built in the late 19th century and redesigned by BarlisWedlick to better serve an expanding family. The supplied source also identifies a Brooklyn Heights home dating to 1845 and described as Greek Revival, but does not provide its full project details.
Old Details, New Family Homes
The feature shows the design choices involved in adapting older townhouses to contemporary domestic needs. Some projects preserve visible elements such as molding, fireplaces, arched openings and staircases; others make larger interventions to improve flow, light and usable space. The examples are relevant to readers interested in renovation because they illustrate that a historic interior can be treated as a design asset, a constraint or, where little survives, a starting point for a broader reworking.
Livingetc frames brownstones as highly sought-after homes today, contrasting that status with a period in the 20th century when they fell out of favor. The article is an editorial selection of interiors, not a market study: it provides no price data, homeowner survey or measurement of how common these approaches are across New York.
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From Sandstone Facades to Renovation
The term brownstone refers to brown sandstone used on many New York townhouses. Livingetc says builders adopted the material in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a less expensive alternative to marble and limestone, helping make the style accessible to middle-class buyers. Brownstone buildings later became associated with New York’s residential streets and, according to the feature, regained desirability after falling out of fashion in the 20th century.
The eight examples in the article are not all presented as identical buildings or renovation projects. Their construction dates range from an 1845 Brooklyn Heights house to a South Slope property built in 1901, while the Fort Greene projects include homes built in the 1900s and late 19th century. The common thread is the attempt to balance historic fabric and modern living, not a single design formula.
““We let the architecture and original features of this house speak for themselves with a nice, clean white paint on the walls and ceilings. It emphasizes the richness of the original details.””
— Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon, The Brownstone Boys
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What the Feature Leaves Unspecified
The source material does not give a publication date, identify all eight projects in the available text, or provide full details for every home. It refers to a Brooklyn Heights Greek Revival house from 1845 but does not include its designer, renovation scope or specific interior features. It also does not report budgets, project timelines, preservation approvals or whether every historical feature described was original to the building.
The article is based on selected design projects and provides no independent assessment of their costs, energy performance or long-term effects on the buildings. Its description of brownstones as sought-after and luxurious is editorial characterization, not evidence of current sale prices or a measured citywide trend.
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More Project Details and Tours
Livingetc’s feature directs readers to individual project tours for further photographs and design information. The source material does not announce a related event, new renovation milestone or forthcoming policy decision. Any additional details about the properties, including costs, construction schedules or preservation work, would need to come from the full project features or the designers and owners.
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Key Questions
What is the news about New York brownstones?
Livingetc published a design feature showcasing eight brownstones in New York and describing how their interiors combine historic architecture with contemporary updates.
Which neighborhoods are represented?
The supplied material names South Slope, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Cobble Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant, along with an 1845 Greek Revival house in Brooklyn Heights.
Are the homes all original or fully preserved?
No. The projects vary. Some retain and emphasize details such as crown molding and fireplaces, while one Fort Greene home had undergone enough previous renovations that few original features remained, allowing a more extensive redesign.
Who designed the featured homes?
Named designers and firms include Crystal Sinclair, Studio Nato, Home Studios, Athena Calderone with Elizabeth Roberts Architects, The Brownstone Boys and BarlisWedlick. The provided source does not give complete design credits for all eight homes.
Does the feature include renovation costs or timelines?
The supplied report does not provide project budgets, construction schedules or sale prices. It focuses on architectural and interior-design choices.
Source: rss
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