Reno Diary

A Couple Finds a Clinton Hill Apartment Where They Could Take a Few Promising Risks

The architect homeowners created a timeless style with a few tricks up their sleeves
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“I hang out in the reading corner in the living room, especially when the morning light filters in,” Julie says. “We’ve since added more shelves and books to our Vitsoe shelving system. It’s our first home, so I’m looking forward to making it feel like ours and filling it in nicely with more sentimental objects and recent reads.” A Ferm Living Pond Mirror is on the wall.

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Architects Julie Tran and Khoi Nguyen know promise when they see it. As the husband-wife duo behind the NYC firm Future Projects, it’s essentially their job. So, when they got twinkles in their eyes touring a co-op apartment in Brooklyn, they decided to make it the ultimate personal home and professional project.

“It still had its original 1940s compartmentalized layout, but these older buildings tend to be more generous with space compared to many new developments popping up in Brooklyn,” Khoi says. “We knew it could work with some reimagining.”

BEFORE: “A unique challenge was that we weren’t able to move or add new light fixtures without dropping the ceiling or running exposed conduit, due to the existing structure and wiring,” Julie says. “Instead, we used pendants on what few lighting points we had and strung them over to where we needed them. For the rest of the lighting, we used lamps and plug-in sconces.”

To realize their shared vision, they wiped out a dividing wall, embracing an open layout for a kitchen, dining, and living space in the process. Down the hall, a bathroom and two bedrooms were updated in a calm, complementary palette. The couple determined that their overall design would be modern yet cozy—a pinkie swear they made to ensure their tastes would be equally presented. But aside from balancing their opposing aesthetics, the renovation also struck a compromise between two contrasts that rarely find a space to coexist: timeless design and cutting-edge style. “You can take risks and still have a timeless design,” Julie says. “We were working with a constrained palette of classic materials but managed to use them in interesting and unexpected ways.”

After about four months of work, which wrapped up last year, Julie and Khoi can relish in the satisfaction of making a solid judgment call. In the end, the home they created is exactly what they had in mind.

Location: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

BEFORE: The original kitchen was boxed in by a wall that the couple sought to tear down.

AFTER: “​​You’ll often find me at the dining table, and it’s the place where I default to throughout the day,” Khoi says. “The table is a hand-me-down from a former employer and was actually salvaged from a condemned church in SoHo around 1980, before the building was demolished.”

The before: “The apartment didn’t have the historic details and old-world charm that you [might] find in prewar buildings,” Khoi says. “But it did have a great layout, tons of natural light with south-facing and corner windows, and amazing views on a prime block in Clinton Hill. With the renovation, we knew that we could bring those fundamental aspects of the apartment to life through a few simple design moves, like opening it up and refreshing the material palette.”

The inspiration: “We ultimately treated this project as an exercise in designing with contrast,” Julie says. “This idea permeated every decision we made throughout the project and can be seen in the way we mix cool and warm tones, hard and soft surfaces, and old and new furniture pieces.”

Square footage: 1,000 square feet

The budget: “We originally budgeted $75,000 for construction and materials,” Julie says.

AFTER: “With everything out in the open, we knew that the kitchen had to be a focal point for the design, and we didn’t want a white kitchen that fades into the background,” Khoi says. “We knew it needed to anchor the space as a prominent design feature, yet we still wanted a timeless design that we could grow with.” They chose a Liebherr refrigerator and Bosch range as part of their appliances.

AFTER: “The great thing about this subtle blue-black paint color is that it looks different throughout the day and throughout the seasons, as it catches different types of natural light,” Khoi says. “It can look like a deep navy blue on bright, sunny mornings and a soft charcoal during the late afternoons.” Benjamin Moore’s Vanilla Milkshake was used on the walls, and Simply White was chosen for the ceiling and trim.

Main ingredients:

Kitchen cabinet paint: Benjamin Moore’s Cheating Heart

Knobs: Forge Hardware Studio

Pulls: Emtek

Jute rug: Armadillo

Faucet: Newport Brass

Sofa: HAY Mags

Rug: Gestalt Calla

Shelving: Vitsoe 606 Universal Shelving System

Most insane splurge: “We splurged on the appliances,” Julie says. “We have a built-in, custom-panel refrigerator and dishwasher. We worked closely with our contractor at Lambo Construction to finesse all the kitchen details, like the fluted side panel, so it felt right to integrate the appliances to be as seamless with the millwork as possible.”

When it came to the entire renovation, Khoi points out another detail. “I think new floors were the single biggest line item in the renovation,” he says. “Our unit didn’t have original parquet floors but had laminate ones from the ’80s. We replaced them all with white oak planks and don’t regret it one bit. There’s a saying that it’s wise to spend money on a nice bed and shoes because you spend life in either one or the other. Nice floors should definitely be added to that list.”

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AFTER: “One thing we say to clients when we’re working with a limited budget is that instead of high-end materials, use shape and color to create design moments,” Khoi says. “Interesting shapes and unexpected colors can create that wow factor at a fraction of the cost of a fancy material.” The custom triangular fluting in front of the kitchen is one example.

AFTER: “Because the kitchen is so crisp and modern, we incorporated warm, natural materials wherever we could to contrast the cool, contemporary design,” Julie says. “This design strategy of combining contrasting elements is used throughout the apartment. In the bedroom, the black steel bed frame is paired with casual linen sheets and a vintage wood stool. In the bathroom, the warmth of the white oak vanity is a focal point against the cool gray tiles and chrome fixtures.”

Sneakiest save: “As much as we wanted to continue splurging on custom millwork, we saved in the bedroom by building our own IKEA closets and used brass pulls for a nice touch,” Julie says. “Our contractor framed the walls, so that we could slip them in to achieve the final built-in look.”

What I’ll never do again: “Living through construction,” Julie says. “Thankfully, we only had to endure this in the last few weeks when our sublet was up. We always recommend our clients to be flexible with their living arrangements for the final few weeks of construction, as you never know what unexpected circumstances could push your move-in timeline.”

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Final bill: “The bill ended up being just under $87,000, with some unexpected electrical work and a few splurges,” Julie says.

BEFORE: The original bathroom had a brown-and-beige palette, with old fixtures.

AFTER: The apartment’s singular bathroom was given a timeless-meets-modern design of allover subway tiles installed vertically.