A modern surprise in old Brooklyn

Ever walk past a home and be totally stopped dead in  your tracks?  That's what happened just a few blocks away when I saw the result of this renovation.  It was obviously a renovation because the style of the home is so outside what you normally see (as you can tell from the surrounding homes).  A little google search revealed the gorgeous interiors as well. 




via Barker Freedman Design








Despite being a hard and fast old home lover, I adore what they did here. I wonder how the neighbors feel about it being out of context though. 


Perhaps because I live in an old home, some part of me is drawn to clean modern spaces.  Lots of white and light without all the fuss.


What do you think?  Are you a slave to sameness or do you appreciate the stark difference in style? Do you crave a different style than you are generally drawn to?





16 comments:

  1. I love it! It's hard to find fault since the neighboring home's historical character is completely obliterated by the vinyl siding. Perhaps I would feel different if this was next to something that had been restored.

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    1. I'm sorry - I didn't mean to imply there was historical significance before. There definitely wasn't. It's just very out of character in terms of surrounding houses but I adore it.

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  2. This could be a Denver neighborhood. Just curous what's the price point in the area? laura

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    1. This is a pretty unique house here so I couldn't say what this particular house would sell for now. I did look up the public record and it looks like it sold for 1.3M in 2015 which I assume was pre-renovation. I imagine it would sell for more now.

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  3. I live in Providence, RI and we have this walking/jogging path that goes through a row of million dollar homes called Blackstone Blvd. It is such a mix of old historic homes, beautiful brick colonials, houses that are fully gated and look like a compound and some really modern, Contemporary looking homes. Now that the weather is warming up, I love strolling by and really seeing the mix of house up front. I like the mix!

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    1. Sounds like a beautiful area to house gaze 😜

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    2. Being from RI I must agree that Blackstone Blvd. has some really elegant older homes in the high end range.

      I like how they modernized the house considering the house next door is rather drab.

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  4. If the neighbors don't like it, it's probably because they are-shall we just say-"envious" that these owners were able to do all this. I'm sure the inside is just as fabulous. Who can argue wth a very tastefully done update?

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    1. Oh I'm sure some are. But I do know people who aren't jealous, they just don't like when one house sticks out as it breaks up the visual continuity on a block. I see what they mean but I still love this house.

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  5. It's not my taste, but it's well done. I don't care for flat roofs. It looks like the neighborhood is full of them, though...and I like this one better than what I can see of the surrounding ones! What do they do if they get a few feet of snow?!

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    1. Almost all the homes in Brooklyn and Manhattan have flat roofs. We do get snow and it's not really a problem. It melts and the runoff goes down the gutter. The roofs are generally pretty strong - I assume for many reasons but maybe mostly for that? You don't generally hear of roof collapsing because of snow on a row house.

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    2. Oh, I see, thanks! It must be perfectly engineered. I had no idea flat roofs were so common there!

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  6. There's so much light in the house! I really like it!
    sofa cleaner in Hammersmith

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  7. I love it too. We did a similar renovation on our 1840's brick single family in Boston. We left the front pretty much alone, just adding a "zinc" shingle clad full floor dormer. The back is a total surprise though! We blew out the back and added a cedar and window filled back with cool metal decks on each floor. It has a definite WOW factor and it was a little bit controversial at first. Funny thing is we are seeing more of this style popping up around Boston. We love it and are so happy that we get to live in it.

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  8. I do love it but yes I do not like when they build them in older and/or historic neighborhoods. They have taken to doing that here even going as far as to tear down Craftsman style homes to build their uber sleek condos. Our town has started a "build like you live next door" initiative but I fear it is too little too late. Now a new development with this style would be fabulous, I am vintage at heart but love the minimalist sleek style as well. Thanks for sharing!

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