There’s a smart new shop that just opened in NoLita, and for which I was in charge of decorative painting. I had hoped to scoop this one for myself, but the media blitzkrieg was so instantaneous that pictures of the opening party were online before the first cork popped. Nonetheless, let’s take a peek…
Proprietor/designer Nina Freudenberger hails from Munich, and there’s a taut, Teutonic crispness to the furnishings on display, but that doesn’t mean they lack whimsy. Textiles and glassware get us in the door, but look closer and you sense a shrewd mind at play. Books on butlering, Venus flytraps and vintage prints might say “snark” until you realize most of these sundry items are quite interesting. The shop up front becomes design studio in the back, with services ranging from consultation, a “wallpaper bar” to complete renovation. Furthermore, the entire palette of stock and shop is black, white and grey, which is where I enter the frame.
For the key pattern in the window (my favorite thing ever is when a designer hands me a fabric swatch and says “make me this”) we used Farrow&Ball Skimming Stone 241 over Railings 31. It’s black and white without being cold. The floor is a kaleidoscope of colors from too many paint companies to count, but you get the picture.
Haus is conceived of as a place where 30-somethings can furnish their first nice apartment, with many items priced under $300, and it’s truly an original. Quoth she: "How much time can you spend staring at the Crate & Barrel website?"
Haus Interior
250 Elizabeth St, New York
- Mark Chamberlain, interior and decorative painter
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I'm dizzy!
view GreatFriend's profile
I love the floor--what a wonderful way to draw customers into the store.
view bcthree's profile
Beautiful! Love the shades of black and grey and I appreciate the design and painting skills.
view orangecookie's profile
Must be nice to consider under $300 as affordable for home accessories. I guess I'll be over at Crate and Barrel.
view mattab's profile
Would this be a good place to link about floor painting?
I love this treatment.
view DahliaCactus's profile
the shop photographs well. are these patterns from the merchandise? it looks like blend of tory burch and jonathan adler by way of of a david hicks dream.
why throw in a negative quote about crate and barrel in an otherwise positive article?
view patrickmc's profile
I love the walls - that's a great design.
What fabric is it derived from I wonder?
"why throw in a negative quote about crate and barrel in an otherwise positive article?"
Because it's a direct quote from the owner of the shop - and while C&B has it's place, much of their wares are rather banal and uninspiring.
view bepsf's profile
I love the floors, walls, etc.!
view apdesigngirl's profile
Love it love LOVE IT! Great work, Mark. I'm dizzy with inspiration. Thank you.
view olga's profile
see bepsf like your quote; it sounds snooty, snobby, and snarky, not pretty in the business of making things look beautiful.
view patrickmc's profile
As the owner of Haus Interior, the comment seems to have taken a life of its own! If you take a look at another story about my own apartment, I clearly love CB2 and use it for myself and would recommend it to anyone.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-ninas-elegant-modern-prewar-new-york-082688
I am a firm believer that there should be as many affordable options out there for people who love and value design while staying within a small budget, which is exactly what I worked for in creating my store. Hope you come visit us on Elizabeth Street. And Mark, your work is awesome, thank you!
view nf12280's profile