A Shapeless Studio Brooklyn Townhouse Remodel in Pinks, Greens, and Grays

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What happens when two young architects get to be their own clients? Budget constraints are, of course, a given—so things like learning how to hang wallpaper come into play. So does treating the house as a treasure hunt, and finding out what’s hiding under the carpets and painted mantels. And, of course, experimenting with the transformative power of paint.

That’s but a sampling of what took place when, after a year of real estate hunting, Andrea Fisk and her partner, James Klauder, got to overhaul their own late-19th century townhouse in Brooklyn’s Bushwick. “The structure had been barely altered since it was built, which was very appealing to us,” says Andrea, pointing out its original plaster crown moldings, Eastlake-style door and window frames, and lavishly carved stair. But there was also much to do, including flipping the arrangement of the floors: to help pay their mortgage, the couple turned the garden level into a rental apartment. They restored the parlor floor as a living space—it had previously been divided into bedrooms—and reinstated bedrooms on the top floor.

Andrea is co-founder with Jess Thomas of Shapeless Studio, a rising Brooklyn architecture firm with a focus on residential work, and James specializes in transportation and aviation designs at Gensler. Andrea took the lead on the project, and, as with Jess’s own place—see The Sentimental Minimalist—the results serve as a showcase for the work they can do. Come see.

Photography by Hagan Hinshaw of Blurry Hinge, courtesy of Shapeless Studio.

shapeless studio architect andrea fisk townhouse entry, brooklyn. hagan hinshaw 17

shapeless studio architect andrea fisk townhouse living room, brooklyn. hagan h 18

Above L: The couple tiled the entry in a pattern called Agadir from the Cement Tile Shop and painted the walls and door in Benjamin Moore Arctic Seal: “lighter colors make boundaries more visible, so going with a dark color in a small space can have the effect of dematerializing the volume of the room,” explains James. Above R: A glimpse of the living room.”During the construction, we found a funny foundation block signed ‘Sam, Mike, Mickey, 1891,’ so we think they were the builders,” says Andrea, adding “1891 makes sense because we have Eastlake Victorian details and also some touches of Arts & Crafts, and that year was right on the verge between those styles.”

“We were first-time homeowners and right after our closing, I went down a rabbit hole of trying to learn everything I could about our house’s history. It’s so much older than we are and has seen several generations of New Yorkers come and go; I felt as if we had to respect that. In the 1900 census, the house was owned by a husband and wife who had been born in Ireland; they had five adult daughters and a son living with them, all of whom worked as bookkeepers and dressmakers. By 1940, there was a different family of six, and the father was a watchman for WPA projects. We’re excited to be part of the house’s story.”

for andrea the most magical moment of the renovation was &#8\2\20;ea 19 — Above: For Andrea the most magical moment of the renovation was “early on, when we stripped dozens of layers of paint from the three original fireplace mantels and a gorgeous green and pink slate emerged. This uncovered stone became the inspiration for our color palette: deep greens, dusty pinks, and cool grays.”

The room is painted Benjamin Moore Lost Locket—and note that that includes the ceiling and crown moldings for an immersive effect. For cohesion throughout, the window and door frames are called out in white. All of the house’s paints are from Benjamin Moore’s Color Stories collection from its Aura line

the room is flooded with natural light thanks to its 7.6 foot tall, 6 foot wide 20 — Above: The room is flooded with natural light thanks to its 7.6-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide window. “We wanted our furniture to have a very casual feeling; it gets constantly moved around depending on what we’re doing,” says Andrea. The Large Gray Round Pouf is by Ferm Living, and the Dune Sofa is from Industry West. The shelving is CB2’s Stairway Bookcase.

shapeless studio architect andrea fisk townhouse living room, brooklyn. hagan h 21

shapeless studio architect andrea fisk townhouse living room, brooklyn. hagan h 22

Above L: The nuanced color of the slate mantels and their plant motifs served as inspiration for the whole remodel. Above R: The sofa is upholstered in green velvet.

the aforementioned crash course in wallpapering was for the powder room, now cl 23 — Above: The aforementioned crash course in wallpapering was for the powder room, now cloaked in Cole & Son’s exuberant Singita pattern, one of the first elements selected for the house and an encapsulation of the colors used throughout. “Wallpapering is hard work,” says Andrea. “We would hang two panels and then stop for the day; I think it took us six weeks to finish.”

The “self-rimming” sink is the Yeni Klasik from Nameek’s, and the print is by Brooklyn street artist Pixote.

each room is painted a different color—&#8\2\2\1;the palette all goe 24 — Above: Each room is painted a different color—”the palette all goes together, but each space has its own character,” explains Andrea. The dusky purple TV room, shown here, is in Benjamin Moore Soho Loft. Hanging above the made-for-lounging Gray Sofa is a screen print called Ellipsis by British artist Dan Hillier. The rug is the Walkabout by Lori Weitzner, a discontinued West Elm design.

there&#8\2\17;s also a proper dining room divided from the living rooms by 25 — Above: There’s also a proper dining room divided from the living rooms by pocket doors. “I’m a big fan of separating the dining area from the kitchen when possible,” says Andrea. “I don’t enjoy doing dishes, and I don’t want to look at them while I’m eating.”

This room is in Benjamin Moore Lilac Hush, “which seems to change from blue to pink depending on the lighting,” says Andrea. The rug is an over-dyed vintage Turkish design from Revival Rug in a dark green selected to”help the slate mantel pop, and to also tie the room to the living room’s emerald sofa,” explains Andrea. Ferm Living’s Mingle Table in charcoal linoleum—”we love linoleum”—and DWR’s Note Chairs were selected to ground the space.

the couple added a kitchen to the parlor floor, framed here by moldings painted 26 — Above: The couple added a kitchen to the parlor floor, framed here by moldings painted Benjamin Moore’s Vanilla Milkshake, the color used throughout. They uncovered the pine subfloor by removing layers of vinyl, tile, and carpeting.

shapeless studio&#8\2\17;s go to millworker, james harmon of workshop brook 27 — Above: Shapeless Studio’s go-to millworker, James Harmon of Workshop Brooklyn, built the cabinets, which are painted Benjamin Moore Blacktop and have a soapstone counter and integrated soapstone sink. Andrea says she’s learned to leave the soapstone as is and allow it to develop a patina—”but it’s taking some patience” (see our post Soapstone Counters: Are They Worth It?)

The pull-down faucet is the Delta Trinsic. The backsplash is Daltile’s Keystone Mosaics, a 2-by-4-inch porcelain tile with a slight texture that gets picked out in the light.