On a tree-lined street in Brooklyn, a newly built brownstone quietly distinguishes itself through landscape and light. Conceived by Lucy Harris Studio, the four-story townhouse was designed as a sanctuary for a young couple and their newborn — a home that balances refinement with real life.
“The client wanted a beautiful and practical space that the family could grow into,” says Lucy Harris. Over the course of the 1.5-year project, that brief became literal: their first child was born as the interiors took shape. “Their first child was born during the course of the project, so the client needed the home to be both alluring and baby-ready.”
Nature operates as both metaphor and material. The couple’s attachment to the American Southwest emerges through earthy oranges, deep blues, and mossy greens, woven into a serene base palette. In the dining room, a custom banquette upholstered in Brecon fabric by Tibor anchors a Marathon Table by Yucca Stuff, beneath an Arrow Pendant by Apparatus. Vintage vessels sourced from Maison Gerard and art from Uprise New York — including works by Blake Aseby and Alma Charry — punctuate the walls.
The living room layers tactility: an Aqueduct Sofa by Poiat in Dedar’s Karakorum, a Barba Chair by Fogia in Kvadrat Safire, and an Ojai Chair by Lawson Fenning orbit a Paul Frankl Bigfoot Coffee Table reproduction. Underfoot, a Gunta Stölzl rug by Christopher Farr grounds the composition. Built-in millwork and a bespoke Carini Rugs design arrived late in the process. “Seeing these key elements arrive last and really complete the spaces was exciting,” Harris reflects.
Throughout, craft and character prevail a Heath Ceramics tile in the foyer, a Half Circle Mirror by Bower, a USM cabinetry in Gentian Blue in the media and play areas and a Risom Lounge Chairs by Knoll and Fermob’s Luxembourg seating on the terrace. Upstairs, softness reigns — a Pacific King Bed by Jenni Kayne, scalloped sconces by Nickey Kehoe, and in the nursery, a Spindlewood Crib by Crate & Barrel beneath Aimee Wilder’s Cactus Spirit wallpaper.
“The first time visiting the home after its completion, the home was full of life,” Harris recalls. “There was children’s artwork taped on the doors, music playing, and the back doors were wide open to let in the summer breeze.”
Modern eclecticism, here, is not aesthetic excess but emotional calibration, a house designed to evolve as its family does.
