Name: Jon Crawford-Phillips
Location: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
We bought this 1,100 sq ft apartment because we fell in love with three things: the high ceilings (10'6"), the layout (two equal sized bedrooms either side of an open living space) and the location in a late 19th century apartment building in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. But the interior was completely cookie-cutter, and we wanted to not only make better use of the space but bring some character back. Installing two pairs of 8' high double doors between the living space and the bedrooms opened up the entire space, and took advantage of the high ceilings. And a floor-to-ceiling sheer ripple-fold curtain helps bring light in while blocking the view of a busy intersection. And we tried to find a contemporary hybrid of traditional Brownstone and Georgian styles (we are British, after all). Strong symmetry and single-tone color in all of the new wall moldings, picture rails and baseboards are designed to make a feature of the expansive walls.











Fabulous! What color paint did you use in the blue room?
view SadieDB's profile
I love the sheer ripple-fold curtain. I'm looking for something similar for my living room. Can you tell me where I can find it? Thanks.
view Domino73's profile
This is beautiful! Would you mind sharing the charcoal grey paint color?
view lisao's profile
What a beautiful space!!! Just the right touch of architectural detail. But you must share with us the name of the blue paint color as well as where you bought the gorgeous sheer curtain.
view Star Princess's profile
the door-as-wall idea is a neat one...
resource question: small white endtables near the flokati rug.
view redneckmodern's profile
It's dam perfect.
Really lovely space and the paint colors are excellent. I love that you painted just that one room (the study) the dark paint and how it looks from the bedroom with the black/white art on both walls.
The walls are so beautiful its nice to see all one color on the walls, not painting baseboards and trim another color, very elegant.
Your art and furniture looks so great in this space.
What color paints, the white is so clean and milky and that black with the blue undertone is gorgeous.
view LoriSF's profile
Gorgeous. An inspiration to those of us living in Brooklyn. It reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment on Sex and the City, which is a compliment :o)
view sassifrass's profile
You added the moldings yourself? I've been thinking about doing that -- was it pricey? Was it difficult to do? If you have DIY ideas for cheap and easy ways to add similar box moldings to your walls without it looking sloppy, amateurish or uneven, I'd love to see that.
view jplee's profile
This is so beautiful! I'm loving the contrast between the dark room and that bright white room. While it's still a little too modern for my taste, it still looks rather comfortable. Great job!
view dunklekatze's profile
Very nice!
view driftingfocus's profile
I can imagine you fell in love with the layout, it feels very soothing and harmonious. I could easily live in a place like this:
lovely apartment!
view Elise_B's profile
Elegant and beautiful.
view sally305's profile
this apartment reminds me of the one from 27 dresses...not the decorating, but the layout.
view allicoop86's profile
a good example of how breaking the rules are fine if they make sense: I'm sure most people would say you CAN"T mount a tv between two windows but it's fine here.
view ec05's profile
Wow!! Full house tour, please!
view PhillyLass's profile
great space!
view wc_canuck's profile
This is really nicely done. Fresh and airy, unpretentious. I love your use of light as wall and ceiling pattern. Kudos.
view stt64's profile
Nice place. Love the lighting and the way the pendant light casts a cross-hatch over the room.
view bromeliad's profile
Where is the leather couch from?
view Alexis9's profile
Jon, please share how you made or where you found the two white benches on either side of the TV. Are the legs Fintorp legs from Ikea? The benches look really nice, as does the rest of your apartment!
view Myshkin's profile
Beautiful. I love it all, but especially the blue room.
view vvn's profile
I would love to know if the dining table has always been white. I am looking to paint my table white and the chairs orange and this is such great inspiration!!!
view hrleise's profile
Wow.... that's about all I have to say.
Love the walls. Love the color. Love it.
Please show us more. Including images of your wonderful doors closed.
view louisw's profile
Love it. Where are the TV components hidden?
view Max's profile
Perfect, layout, colors, furniture....Perfect Apartment, would love to see more!
view mns2000's profile
Thanks for all the comments! Some answers to your questions:
- The blue is actually a bluey gray (Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray) and the white is Benjamin Moore Super White.
- The material for the curtain was from Joes Fabrics on Orchard Street (there is a seamstress there called Mimi who made up and installed them).
- The white accent tables by the couch are from CB2, but I'm not sure that they carry them anymore. The couch itself was from ABC about five years ago.
- The benches either side of the TV are actually beautiful leather panels that a friend had made as part of a built-in headboard. We adopted them, reinforced them and put them on Ikea Fintorp legs (well spotted Myshkin). This was one of my proudest DIY moments.
- We put a power outlet directly behind the TV and opened the wall to hide the cables, which come out behind a wicker basket close-by that hides our cable box, mac mini and stereo.
- And the molding was all new - we marked it all out, but to be honest, jplee, it's a professional job to install it properly.
view joncp's profile
Really fantastic space! Beautiful and thoughtfully done.
view queenbee1230's profile
Very elegant and sophisticated space. Would you mind sharing where you got your bed? It's nice and modern but still inviting.
view hb100's profile
Thanks hb100 - it's the Coconut Bed from CB2.
view joncp's profile
Definitely saved in my bookmarks as a favorite. This is one of the best homes I've seen yet!
I vote Full Tour!
view Andrew D.'s profile
if you put a full tour of this, i will do one of my London pad.
Its so lovely. Really, very inspiring. Classy, Modern and ever so slick.
view Fred Astaire's profile
Layout and colour scheme are beyond Gorgeous. Love, love the wall detailing.
view hunterk2's profile
I've been ill for months, but this really drew me in. Love the colour, had to comment. Thanks joncp for providing the colour name/mfr. Fresh, modern, comfortable, clean, perennially crisp. Full tour, please!
view avianmission's profile
what a beautiful place! love the colors of the walls and the design aspects. where is it located in boerum hill? my husband and I have been deciding where in brooklyn we are going to land, williamsburg, boreum hill, brooklyn heights.
view shari51185's profile
joncp- I love when people come back and tell what they did, thanks. The headboard benches, genius!
Wow surprised about BM-super white paint curious to know what your exposure is? Must be California stronger sun in my western exposure room I tried this white and all I can say 'straight jacket" in your space its to milky nice.
view LoriSF's profile
Love it!
view misohungry's profile
Great space. Thanks for sharing it.
view JamesG's profile
Where did you get the benches in your living room by the windows? I'm looking for something similar to put in my bedroom
view sgayle's profile
You have alot of different shades of wood. Flooring Table base, kitchen chairs, lounge chairs, bed end chase etc. (It all works very well together).
Q: What stain is your timber flooring?
view Planetzorack's profile
I love it. My only complaint. I want more pictures, your home is gorgeous thanks for sharing.
view absOsteele's profile
I forgot to ask where did you get the wooden chairs in the living room from I've been looking for something like that.
view absOsteele's profile
love the couch and the floating tv..very impressive.
view yellowpolkadots's profile
A perfect Euro-USA marriage which at once is fresh and comforting. Excellent. ... but TWO crowned HRMs?? ;)
view EAM's profile
Lovely!
I beg to differ on the issue of installing the wall moldings. It can be done by an amateur with the right tools (miter saw, measuring tape, level, hammer & nails) and a tendency towards carefulness. The molding itself is inexpensive.
view spanky's profile
Love it! Can't believe it started off as "cookie cutter" – you've done a great job to make it look anything but. Very creative and modern-looking place.
FYI, I have a hallway that connects the front part of my house to the back part of my house and I did the same thing you did. I made the front and the back very light and I used a similiar dark paint for the hallway. The effect has wowed everyone.
view niabassett's profile
what is on top of your dining room table? are they votives with something in them?
view menilges's profile
I absolutely love it! It looks very chic.
view bloobrey's profile
Yummy cool!
view LuvModern's profile
heh, i scored two of those cb2 tables when they were 9.99 each!! i wish they had more, yo.
you've got one sexy abode. great job!
view kdkaboom's profile
The lighting is phenomenal. And the sheer curtains - love love love them.
It looks well-loved, comfortable, super sophisticated, orderly, vibrant & respectful.
(In my mind I now award you the medal for wonderful interiors).
view annalyssa's profile
To be honest Jon, I kinda liked it how it was before. Any chance of you salvaging what little left there is of the original apartment?
couple of queries...
did you use brushes or rollers to apply the paint to the walls? what did you use to protect the floor - Newspaper or sheets? Do you have any i can borrow? And what colour is your garden?
view tony tube's profile
very tastefully done!
view ss622's profile
love how the tv is integrated in the interior instead of standing out. The shape fits the coffee table, which makes it one whole. Awesome!
view Meindert's profile
Oh you make me want to live in Brooklyn again. I love EVERYTHING about your space. Spacious, charming, modern and inviting without being cold.
Lovely job!!!
view Botany's profile
Perfect.
view leadingedge's profile
Hi- I love the white shelves/ small wall mounted cabinet combo - we are looking to do something similar where did you get the pieces from? Thanks
view showe's profile
I really like the idea of the blue sofa blending into the color of the wall. I may do that for my living room.
such a nice space with flow. I would love to see the kitchen and bath.
view Juni MooN's profile
Thanks everyone, really appreciate your feedback...
showe, the white shelves are Jarpen and the wall-mounted cabinet is a basic Akurum kitchen wall cabinet (mounted low) - both from IKEA.
Planetzorack, the floors are exactly as we found them, so not sure what the stain is unfortunately.
absOsteele, the wooden chairs are Eames plywood lounge chairs (in Walnut).
view joncp's profile
Fantastic setup! Would you mind telling us about your art pieces?
view janiewg's profile
janiewg, the Queens are by Grant Innes, a Canadian artist and a friend of ours. You can see more of his work at http://www.innesart.com. The rest are either photos we've taken of gifts from friends...
view joncp's profile
It's beautiful. I also agree we need to see the full house tour :)
view storyscribe's profile
An all-time favorite. Love all of this. You've done a fantastic job of decorating a place that looks like a joy to live in. Beautifully styled, but not over styled!
view kelleyk's profile
This is to die for…
Two questions, both about BM "Super White" paint color:
1) Can you tell us what sort of white this is? Does it have ochre mixed in, blue undertones, etc? (I live in Europe where BM paints aren't sold, or I'd just go buy a can).
2) Are you by any chance a fan of Vicente Wolf? He recommends this white paint over all others, says it is perfect.
THANK YOU, and WOW, again!
view BlueAholic's profile
Beautiful! I think your dining area in particular looks very inviting, and the shadows cast by the light fixture there are neat!
BlueAholic, I think that Super White is supposed to be a white that is devoid of undertones. Here's a link AT post I've been looking at that describes some of the most popular BM whites: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/follow-up-best-white-paints-065672
view LovelyDarkandDeep's profile
What a lovely space. Where did you purchase the lattice pendant fixture over the dining table? Oh, the shadows it casts! Brilliant.
view DigNDesign's profile
LovelyDarkandDeep - THANK YOU! Just came checking to see if there was an answer about the whites! The link is very useful, indeed; just printed it to have on hand.
The BM Super White sounds like just what I want. Guess I'll have to pack a small can in my bag next trip to USA! (And then try to match it here with another brand - wish me luck…). Thanks again!
view BlueAholic's profile
Just saw the Jon and Ro house tour and I loved what you did.I just finished (well almost) renovating my 2 bedroom apt in Mnahattan and I love it! Feels like a new place. Having an architect that understood what I wanted, and helped me acheive what I wanted really made a difference. And having a great contractor, someone that actually showed up everyday, someone that takes pride in his work and did really top notch work also made for this wonderful outcome!!
view norine's profile
Hi Jon,
Can you advise me on how you did the double doors? Do they make a good seal between the rooms? How's the sound? Did you ever look at doing sliding doors?
Thanks,
David
view david b's profile
beautiful!!! i love what you've done with this space!!
the only thing that puzzles me: why did you turn the 2nd bedroom into a small living room? it seems a better use of space would be as a home office or guest room. it just looks a little odd to have couch seating directly off from the living room. but the actual decorating you've done is gorgeous! :)
view vintagedress's profile
I love love love this.
I need to know where I can get the lattice lamp. It's beautiful!!!!!!
view Julygirl's profile
DigNDesign and Julygirl - the pendant above the dining table is the Kina lamp by David Trubridge (a NZ designer). You can see it here http://www.davidtrubridge.com/kina/ and you can buy it from DWR. We love it too!
david b - the seal between the double doors is not perfect, but certainly works for us. The edges where the doors meet was planed at a angle to allow a tighter fit, and while there is a narrow gap between the doors, sound insulation is perfectly fine (solid core doors are essential). We looked at sliding or pocket doors, but we wanted the effect of double-wide french doors and were lucky to have enough room behind them to allow them to swing 180 degrees.
vintagedress - the second bedroom is in fact still the second bedroom - the sectional couch is a pull out bed that we use for guests, and the large white desk next to it serves as our home office. it's a very versatile room - for working, entertaining and guests - we hated the idea of having a spare bedroom that we only ever use if a friend is in town. and it's going to evolve into a nursery in November....
view joncp's profile
I adore this apartment.
Two questions:
1. did the contractor help you lay out the molding?
2. where is the dining room table from?
view midcentury fan's profile
Great job...I think this is exactly what my apartment would look like if I had the money and the space!
One question: Where did you get the rug? I love it.
view Ericjstroud's profile