My Houzz: Gentlemen’s-Club-Meets-Treehouse Style in Brooklyn
http://www.decor-ideas.org 04/29/2015 02:14 Decor Ideas
It wasn’t until Antoni Porowski moved into Joey Krietemeyer’s Brooklyn, New York, studio apartment that everything began to change in the creative couple’s perspective on home design. Each had a growing interest in interior design thanks to their professions — Krietemeyer is an art director; Porowski is an actor, a chef and a vintage-furniture dealer — but living together forced them to get their hands dirty to create a space where they could comfortably coexist. Krietemeyer’s sister, an architect, sat down with them to help draw up a floor plan that would include the necessary modifications to make the space feel open while meeting their needs.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Joey Krietemeyer and Antoni Porowski
Location: Clinton Hill/Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 600 square feet (56 square meters)
“I loved the exposed brick, large windows and square footage,” Krietemeyer says. “I think we were lucky to have found a space that’s more square than a long rectangle, as it allowed us to really segment the area into different living spaces.”
Porowski (left) and Krietemeyer (right) use their living room area to relax on Saturday afternoons. They decided not to install curtains to take advantage of the direct sunlight, which is also a natural alarm clock. “Our fig tree loves it, and it helps us get out of bed in the morning!” Porowski says.
The dark wall color is something of a surprise to many people. “A lot of our friends had doubts when I told them I wanted to paint some walls to be almost black, but it paid off in the end,” Krietemeyer says. “I’m in shock that I didn’t do it sooner.”
Rosewood love seat: Live Auctioneers; brass lamp: West Elm
The light is at its most brilliant near their dining room table. A bench against the wall can seat two guests.
Dining table: 1stdibs; candle: Diptyque
Budget constraints meant the the two were drawn to street finds when they were setting up their apartment. “It’s all a work in progress … a never-ending one, it seems,” Porowski says. “Our tastes change, our interests evolve, and our aesthetic develops along with everything else.”
The surfboard in the dining area is an example of their eye for using thrifty items in an inventive way. Krietemeyer found it on the street and scrubbed off the wax by hand. The project took three hours to complete.
Since Porowski is a cook for both business and pleasure, it was important to make the small kitchen a powerhouse.
“I love an exposed kitchen and think that appliances, knives and cookware are a thing of beauty,” Porowski says. “I wouldn’t mind a larger kitchen with maybe a vent for when I cook salmon, but all in due time.”
Ram’s head: The Evolution Store; frame for vintage flag: Ikea
The terrarium seen here was made by Krietemeyer’s father. The succulents it originally held didn’t last long, so the couple swapped them out for a blue stone.
Sheepskin: Ikea; backpack: Mismo
Krietemeyer channeled his childhood to make some of the pieces in their apartment, including the wooden bed frame (built around an Ikea base) and the headboard.
“Growing up, I used to watch my dad in his workshop creating different pieces for our old house,” Krietemeyer says. “Now that I’m an adult, it’s been incredible to work with him on these kinds of projects. They act as such wonderful reminders of the memories we’ve shared, and I get to appreciate them whenever I’m at home.”
Pillows: eBay
Krietemeyer’s other projects include a wall unit made out of piping that acts as a divider. He also stained the side tables in two different colors and added brass handles found on eBay.
Side tables: Ikea
Krietemeyer and Porowski use the console as a display for unique finds, like vintage boxing gloves and old photos of James Dean and Johnny Cash. It also keeps on-the-go items — such as leather jackets, Porowski’s favorite pair of Converses and a vintage Louis Vuitton weekender bag — accessible.
Omersa rhino: Scully & Scully; lamps: Target
Arguably the sweetest touch in the home is a map of Pomerania, a present from Krietemeyer to Porowski, which hangs near a fig tree. The map is from the 1600s, when Germany and Poland were one territory, and it has a sentimental value for the couple because Krietemeyer’s ancestry is German and Porowski is the son of Polish immigrants.
Iron lamp: CB2
Krietemeyer likes to leave books around the apartment that trigger memories of points in his life, such as when he was living in his first apartment in Montreal.
“Joey has an incredible eye for design, but I’d like to think I bring the nostalgia factor to the space,” Porowski says. “Every piece has a purpose and a story, which never gets old for me.”
The Kay Bojesen monkey seen here was a gift from Krietemeyer to Porowski this past Christmas, and the bowl next to the brass lamp was carved by Porowski’s grandfather.
Overall, the couple is designing their version of a sanctuary with good materials and textures, like distressed black leather, polished brass and plush animal furs. And while they love the natural light the apartment gets, they also appreciate the ability to change the lighting to fit their mood.
“I think we both enjoy coming home from a long day of work to relax in our space, so dim lighting is crucial,” Krietemeyer says. “We’ve installed dimmers on almost all of our switches.”
Lucite tray: CB2
“It’s sort of a gentlemen’s-club-meets-treehouse — we definitely sway towards masculine furnishings, and I also love lots of plants and natural wood pieces,” Krietemeyer says.
Poster of Lana Del Rey: Interview magazine
Neither Porowski (left) nor Krietemeyer (right) is oblivious to the need for a little more space, such as for a reading room or a larger kitchen, but they couldn’t be happier in the place where they have found themselves. “It’s our dream space for now,” Krietemeyer says. “We live in an amazing neighborhood in Brooklyn and have invested enough in our home to have it feel like home.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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