Even the apartments a Boreum Hilla tree-lined neighborhood and one of the most sought-after in Brooklyn, they must sometimes make a virtue of necessity. For a young couple employed in the tech sector expecting their first child, time and wallet did not allow for too much margin. The 150 square meter apartment on the first floor of the Ex-Lax Building it was in fact finished in sunshine 6 weeks by the French interior designer Margaux Lafond. Between the pandemic and a baby on the way, the work was carried out in full emergency, finding creative solutions to deal with the delays and expenses that more extensive interventions would have imposed.
The first difficulty (not a small one) was that the main space had no lighting, but the concrete ceiling did not allow the electrical circuit to be embedded. “Since the space has a loft style, we thought it would work well to have the system exposed on the ceiling,” explains the designer. On the other hand, however, the ceiling had too many imperfections: a line of paint that stops half a meter from the top distracts the observer’s attention to focus it at eye level.
Vice versa is the flooring to punctuate the atmosphere throughout the interior: however characteristic, the parquet now ruined it had a strange orange hue and needed to be replaced. Lack of time made us opt for one new black tint, which gave a modern character to the interiors, while unifying the various rooms. It is precisely this unit that constitutes the visual carpet on which the furnishings are inserted neutral colors. Among them there are some made to measure by local builders such as the Navy Yard, Greenpoint and Red Hook, always to minimize construction times. In particular, storage spaces have been implemented, essential for maintaining a calm and orderly environment, and limiting the chaos of the child’s games and accessories. These new inserts, under the window, have made it possible, for example, to create a small multifunctional space behind the sofa, which will most likely be the theater of the new family’s first memories, be they games, yoga sessions or simple rest.
Economy of means and time have also invaded the kitchen. The good condition of the furniture led to a general lighter repainting, which also better matched the worktops, and the replacement of the handles, taps and electrical switches. The same principle applies to the bathroom, with the restoration of pre-existing tiles. Custom-made furnishings are scattered everywhere, like the pouf and coffee table in the living room, as well as the large wardrobe in the bedroom. Accents of color are concentrated in a few chosen elements, such as the tiled seats by Willow, and the dresser lights by Joe Colombo a bright green.
www.margauxlafond.com
Stefano Annovazzi Lodi is a freelance contributor who mainly deals with design and cultural projects for Elledecor. It seems that for years he has been dedicating himself to a novel with which he will win the Nobel, in the meantime he is revising his acceptance speech and working as a story editor for a production company in Rome.
