Name: Kelly and family, Patrizia and family
Location: Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York City
Size: 1500 square feet — 2 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms
Years lived in: 2-5 years
>> Enter Kelly and Patrizia's Gallery!
Maybe I am taking the adventure theme a bit too far this week, but getting to these homes was, for me, a thrill. I took the Staten Island ferry on a rare but gorgeous spring day, biked up a hill over to Tompkinsville, and was then shuttled all over the neighborhood in a mini-van. It was all worth it. Staten Island is wonderful. This neighborhood is full of stately Victorian and Queen Elizabeth era homes. The streets are lined with trees and the front yards spill onto the sidewalk with their fragrance and foliage...
>> Enter Kelly and Patrizia's Gallery!
Today's tour is part of a series on Staten Island that began with the 19th Century Firehouse and that will continue next week with more great homes. Kelly emigrated to Staten Island from the Upper West Side with her husband in anticipation of raising a child. Patrizia, an artist, emigrated from the edge of Chinatown with her husband and is now also raising a child here. They both knew they wanted to be in walking distance of the ferry and wanted to see how far their budget would take them in terms of quality architecture and space. They both refer to their new environment and friends as if they were part of an ex-pat community. They have quickly met the other recent emigres from around the neighborhood and have formed solid social networks.
They are pioneers in the slow gentrification of Staten Island by outsiders. They have sacrificed the convenience of not living a ferry ride away from the other 4 boroughs, for the incredibly detailed century old homes that offer suburban scaled space on beautiful blocks, within at least visible distance of the rest of New York City.
These homes are works in progress. In the midst of raising children, Kelly and Patrizia are first time home buyers taking stock of how much square footage they have and what they can do with it. For each, the move was a bold choice but the right decision. So, it wasn't just an adventure for me. It's a bit of an adventure for them as well.
>> Enter Kelly and Patrizia's Gallery!
Kelly's Survey
Style: Folk Victorian (?) on the outside. Everything from the Arts/Crafts era to the present on the inside.
Inspiration: about 100 World of Interiors issues squirreled away in the attic.
Favorite Element: Having views of greenery on 3 sides.
Biggest Challenge: To go against what seems to be a prevailing trend of Victorian homeowners to strip the moldings down to the natural wood.
What Friends Say: Those in the neighborhood who own mansions say it’s “cute”.
Biggest Embarrassment: squeaky floors
Proudest DIY: hanging the turn-of-the-century wallpaper from Secondhand Rose, and getting it to turn out despite the rude discovery that some of the 100 year old rolls had faded to a significantly paler shade of peach than the other rolls.
Biggest Indulgence: Putting in a working fireplace.
Best Advice: Paint the woodwork.
Dream Source: Quintessential Ebay store and Koch Antiques on the Upper West Side.
Patrizia's Survey
Style: Victorian Townhouse
Inspiration: New Orleans and vintage things
Favorite Element: water closet and daughter's room
Biggest Challenge: doing everything ourselves
What Friends Say: they admire our attention to detail and unique style
Biggest Embarrassment: main bathroom..it’s been half demolished for 3.5 years now!
Proudest DIY: water closet
Biggest Indulgence: still to come!!!
Best Advice: Don’t stress about getting it ALL done. It will get done….don’t ruin your lives over it.
Dream Source: Hmmm…I don’t think we have one. We like to find things here and there and never all in one place.
(Images: Jill Slater)
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I love how crazy the living room is, quit an assortment of styles, colors, patterns but it really works and feels very inviting. The kids room is so fun, lots of stuff but very organized. I really like the colors in the bedroom as well.
Very lovely home, thanks for sharing.
lovely home. I ADORE the ceiling in the kids bedroom! Absolutely fantastic!! I love that the entire house looks lived in and loved . . . and not like a show-room. and I really like the mismatched chairs together with the retro chandelier in the dining room. Lovely!
What a lovely house tour! Although some of the style choices are real departures from my own taste, the vintage-chic nature of the decor comes across as beautifully retro and convey a real feeling of 'home.' I especially loved the child's bedroom!
"emigrated" and "pioneers"? A bit dramatic, eh?
My husband and I also moved from the Upper West Side to Staten Island this March. We love it too! I am an artist and designer and work at home for both, so my commute is great, and my husband actually loves taking the ferry every day - it's free, has food and bathrooms, and gives you great views. There are a lot of really interesting houses and neighborhoods that we are discovering every day. It's also amazing how far your real estate dollar will take you down here.
nice space! love the wall covering in the kids room.
thank you, AT for featuring homes in my hometown of staten island!
i get the whole "emigrated" thing...yeah, its dramatic, but that's because SI is not an easy transition for "city" people. even though its part of NYC, it feels like another state.
in a time before brooklyn was cool, manhattanites and even the B&T crowd mocked us islanders, mostly because SI used to house a large landfill. the island is bigger than people think, tompkinsville is nowhere near the landfill. .
SI really does have a lot to offer...more green spaces than any other borough, cheap, larger scale housing, cultural centers, and a fabulous green market in st. george. now the landfill is closed and the city is funding its cleanup. many city people are moving to the quaint borough of SI for a quieter life
word of advice, though...for those considering "emigrating" to SI from another borough, stay away from the southern side of the island. its still a little too "americana" out there (mcmansions, abundant strip malls, mafia wannabes driving H3s). stick to the north side where there's culture and you at least feel remotely part of NYC.
A very different style from my own... nonetheless, I can easily appreciate it. You have a wonderful eclectic home! It's busy, lived in, yet neat, interesting, and visually appealing...
all with a baby! Kudos to you for that, becuase my baby only seems to contribute a lot of design disorder!
it really is like the upper west side in the '70s and '80s. bizarre.
What warm, inviting homes-- and sweet little cutie baby!
Eclectic and charming. I appreciate the fun details and furnishings throughout the home. I love what you were able to do with the blue tiled and tub bathroom without ripping it out. Instead of dated and kitschy, it looks vintage and chic. And the girl's room is wow, I'm 28 and would move in there in a heartbeat! That's what's great about having artists as parents, imagine getting to fall asleep and wake up to that whimsical mural everyday.
And while they are really cool, I just wish it wasn't until Photo 20 to start seeing their beautiful rooms, instead of just the details. Also, I would've really loved to have seen the outside of the house, the porch shot (with Kelly and her adorable baby) was a mean teaser!
And props to AT, for showing us some really amazing House Tours in the past 2 days. This is the inspiration I've been looking for in the past few weeks!
very cool, both families! awesome! real happy design! comfy too! and smart!
I love how "lived-in" the space appears. Its tidy but not pristine...a family home.
Wow! Love this house tour! The girls room is so adorable with the darling and whimsical painted ceiling. Very nice eclectic mix of furniture.
Beautiful home. The child's room and the ceiling mural are fantastic. Staten Island is filled with incredible homes and apartments that would make your jaw drop. Your dollar will go incredibly far. You can get three bedrooms with a garden for what a studio overlooking a brick wall costs elsewhere. I had a spectacular three-bedroom, duplex apartment with a roof deck there overlooking the harbor. But the ferry is a nightmare and having to live your life according to the ferry schedule is even worse. And you need a car. Until the city makes a commitment to high speed ferries and better public transportion for the island, it's going to remain a drag to live there.
Love the mix of eras, patinas and colors, and the kid's ceiling mural is tres cool. Is there a guest room? Because I've been told I'm a great guest.
I like Staten Island for all the reasons outlined. I think it's entirely feasible and agreeable to use the ferry.
The house was warm and inviting but not really out of the ordinary. I guess it's extraordinary for the ordinary to be possible within NYC.
I didn't think it was necessary to include a shot of the toilet paper on a roll on a blue-green bathroom wall.
I don't know what the term a "Queen Elizabeth" house means. It's new to me. Please clarify ...
Effortless elegance.That's the way it should be ;-)
I like the challenging nature of the second house - it's very bohemian, with its clashing colours and patterns. Olive green paint and pink patterned wallpaper? It'd drive me crazy but some people march to the beat of a different drum. I can admire it for its difference.
What a beautiful family home - one of the loveliest and most interesting ones this year!
LOVE the details in the child's room, especially the ceiling and the growth chart! Also, love the stove.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Just to put this all into perspective, a house like this in the North Shore of Staten Island (i.e. the neighborhoods near the ferry) costs about the same as a 300 square-foot single-room studio on the Upper West Side. I'm not exaggerating.
I lived on Staten Island when I first moved to the city and had an apartment by the Ferry, so it was a nice microcosm of young urbanites.
The rest of the island is a scary step back in time (10 maybe 15 years)... spiky hair, big muscles, tans, heavy Brooklyn accents, lawn ornaments galore, duplexes, and ugliness. The commute is bucolic, but 1 1/2 hour every night and every day is a big chunk of time out of your day. With the ferry schedule and this commute, it's not the type of place where you can just decide to hop into the city on a whim.
The only upside... a nice large space like this.
Let's see, where to start... okay, that chandelier in your dining room is gorgeous! Love it! Your stove is an envy, I had an operable O'keefe & Merritt once and I miss it! And your little girls room is terrific! Your house is truly a home! Thanks for sharing!
It works for me. What a lovely house.
I like this but at the same time feel there's a bit too much going on in the baby's room. Sweet lil girl btw... Beautiful home nonetheless! I also love your vintage stove - jealous! Enjoy your home it's awesome!
One of the best house tours in a LONG time. It's great to see an eclectic mix of items that is lived in and still looks so great. Everything looks like it has a story of a rich past life to tell. Very well done.
I love how quirky and eclectic this is. Unusual objects in unexpected places
Queen Elizabeth house? I hope this is not used in the way "Victorian" is used. AT used to have writers who knew a smidgen of history.