Brooklyn Blogger's Brownstone

From oceanfront in Santa Monica to an 1888 Neo-Grec townhouse: Courtney and Matt Winslow's Brooklyn home brings Los Angeles flavor and a touch of rock & roll to Park Slope.

SLIDESHOW: Brooklyn Blogger's Brownstone

They had six months to complete the “soup-to-nuts” renovation—from facade work to furniture placement—but Fitzhugh Karol and Lyndsay Caleo of the Brooklyn Home Company were up to the challenge. Their clients, concert producer Matt Winslow and his wife, Courtney, had found the ultimate Greek revival townhouse on Park Slope’s historic Lincoln Place but had yet to make the move east with son Cash, now two and a half. “They were still living in California during the renovation,” says Caleo, “so they had to trust us a lot.” Even from a distance, though, the clients were involved in the project. “Courtney had a great vision. Often times clients say, ‘We have no idea what we want to do,’ but in this case it really was a collaboration,” Karol recalls. That cross-country collaboration resulted in a richly colorful and dynamic 21st-century take on the 3,500-square-foot 19th-century brownstone—with contemporary floor-plan adjustments, custom Sapele woodwork and a sprinkling of Santa Monica style. The Winslows “had that California vibe,” explains Karol. “We wanted to go with that.” Thanks to Matt Winslow’s musical background, the Winslows had “all kinds of prints and music-related photography. We had a lot of things to work with that we knew were mainstays,” including the architectural details of the townhouse, many shared by its neighbors in the historic Park Slope district. “The house is full of amazing original details,” wrote Caleo in an email, “and we wanted to emphasize all the beauty of those details but update them. I became obsessed with painting the foyer, hallways and kitchen, which are all heavy with this amazing cake molding in a rich, gorgeous off-black. It added a lot of drama and modernized the space while still keeping it classic.” After highlighting the brownstone’s historic architecture, the design duo paid tribute to their clients’ individuality as a young, stylish family. “We took [an] antique chandelier in the kitchen and dunked it in red rubber,” says Caleo. “We had some offbeat ideas but they were great with letting us really go for it.” From roof cornice to stoop, the house is a testament to the family-run Brooklyn Home Company’s core mission—to create rooms with a sense of “escape.” Using eco-friendly materials, nontraditional treatments and pieces with a handmade component, Karol and Caleo and their team of local Brooklyn artists and builders work to create spaces where, says Karol, “you feel you can exhale when you walk in.” Perfect for a Brooklyn home in which you can—almost—catch the Santa Monica breezes blowing through. Courtney Winslow may have best summed up her new home in the blog that she has started since moving to Brooklyn. Its name? “Fabulous in Park Slope.”

SLIDESHOW: Brooklyn Blogger's Brownstone

All photo credits: Emily Gilbert/Emily Gilbert Photography