SF House Tour: Lena Corwin’s Curated Charm

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published Feb 4, 2008

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(Welcome to Leah, one of the finalists in our San Francisco Blogger search. Comment away!)

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Name: Lena Corwin
Location: Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1,800 sq. ft.
Years lived in: Almost 3

Personal style doesn’t fall too far from the tree. We recently featured Lena Corwin’s childhood home and it left us wanting to know about this former SF girl’s current digs.

Lena probably needs no introduction to most of you. The textile artists designs have made the blog rounds and her personal blog is a source of inspiration for many.

A classic Brooklyn brownstone is where Lena and her husband Josh call home. Sure, a beautiful apartment doesn’t hurt– but it’s Lena’s placement of diverse patterns, vintage furnishings and found objects that star here.

In her own words…

My/our style: Colorful, evolving

The inspiration for my home: Scandinavian design, our neighborhood and its history, images from books and magazines.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Favorite element: The old details of the house itself– the moldings, the beautiful marble fireplaces… it was built in the late 1800s.

Biggest challenge in designing my home: being content. I always want to change things!

What friends say about my home: It’s very colorful! And that we’re lucky to have a good amount of space in the city.

Biggest embarrassment in my home: The practically-neon orange color that I painted the kitchen cabinets. I’ve been meaning to paint over it for 2 years! Update: I painted it this week!

Proudest DIY: The slate patio in our back yard.

Biggest indulgence with respect to my home: Our Crate & Barrel bed. almost everything else in our home was from relatives, ebay, or thrift stores.

Best advice given or received: Never say no to antique furniture from relatives. Well, not really never because sometimes you just don’t have the space. But even if you don’t love the style of something, a piece can still be really nice mixed in with your other furniture.

Dream source for stuff: ABC Carpet & Home

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Resources:

Hardware:
We buy antique hardware from salvage shops

Furniture:

Our couch is from ebay– recovered in Hable Construction fabric.

The credenza is from ebay

Vintage chair recovered in fabric by Elizabeth Eakins

Accessories:

Owls canisters and plates are vintage, acquired form thrift stores mostly

Most of the pillows are vintage, many from my grandmother

Red pillow on chair is my design

bedroom sheets are vintage from my grandmother

crocheted quilt on the couch was a handmade wedding present

Lighting:

Drift wood lamps are “Tropique” from Blue Nature

Paint:

Living room paint is Farrow and Ball

Bedroom paint is Ralph Lauren

Rugs and Carpets:

Wool rug from IKEA

Window Treatments:

blinds are from Smith & Noble

Beds:

Bed is “Elan” style from Crate and Barrel

Artwork:

Large painting over couch is by Elizabeth Schuppe

Two paintings between the windows in living room are by John Jeho (top) and Timothy Berry (bottom)

Other:

Wallpaper is “woods” by Cole & Sons

Thanks, Lena!

(Editor’s reminder:
When leaving comments about the home, play nice or you’ll be asked to leave the sandbox.)

-leah