At the edge of Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, just steps from the Barclay’s Center on Atlantic Avenue, a young couple enlisted the help of Handin Browne’s Samantha Goldman and Samantha Polkow to design an airy oasis. The two Samanthas set to work pulling together a space that reflects the couple’s passion for modern art and architecture balanced with their preference for neutral, natural materials.
We sat down with the designers to hear more about their process for this home - from the art they selected, to how Maiden Home became the focal point of the great room, to a very special doggie-client with particular tastes.
Tell us a little about your clients and how you worked with them
Our clients in this project are a pair of newlyweds who moved into this apartment right before getting married. This was their first “grown up” apartment with space to host people and have guests stay over, so they wanted to make sure that it reflected their style as a couple. They were starting with a completely blank slate, bringing nothing from their former apartment except their plant! They wanted it to be designed beautifully incorporating layered color and materials, but it also be pet friendly for their dog & cat.
The Warren Sofa is a such an amazing piece in this space, why did you choose Maiden Home for this project?
The timeline and great price point for a semi-custom sofa were the key deciding factors in going forward with Maiden Home. In talking with the team at Maiden Home, we got access to The Warren sofa before it had officially launched - perfect timing for this project! The clean lines and squared arms were exactly what we were looking for in this new modern apartment. Finding a sofa that we could customize in the way that I needed, in the budget and on the right time frame, was incredibly difficult. Maiden Home met all the criteria we were looking for, did not break the bank for high quality and was able to be delivered before our clients left for their wedding!
You were able to add an extra layer of customization to The Warren - can you tell us a little about what modifications you made?
We customized this sectional to have 2 long bench cushions and an extended chaise. This living space is the main TV watching room, so with a massive dog and a lot of friends we had to have as much seating room as possible. Bench cushions allow more people to squeeze on the sofa since there are no cracks between the cushions for someone to get stuck in.
Interested in adding an extra level of customization to your piece? Reach out to your Design Advisor to explore the available options.
The main elements in the space (the sectional and live-edge dining table) are fairly neutral, tell us a little about how you incorporated color into the space.
Luckily for us, our clients loved a neutral scheme as much as we did! We both were not pushing for a lot of color. However, blue has become a neutral in our design palette. The darker teals and blue/greens were an easy way to add some dimension and color without distracting from the more muted, modern design. We used teal felted dining chairs to add an unexpected splash of color to the main living space - this was definitely not something they expected, but were super excited about!
There are some amazing decor pieces that accent the space, where did you source these pieces?
The large light linen sofa was the most important and largest piece in this space, sitting directly in the middle of the open floor plan. Accenting around it properly was key to this design to make it seamlessly work with the Living, Dining and Kitchen areas. Even though budget was important in this project, they both were willing and excited to add the extra elements in order for their apartment to look custom and one of a kind. Because the fabric is a light linen, we wanted to balance it with using different and more saturated textured materials. These included a dark wool & jute rug, a rich teal mohair on the accent chair, and a simple but bold print on the throw pillows. We also added different hard materials including an open grain media console, a polished brass side table and mixed iron & wood dining table.
Art is an incredibly important element to this space; how do you normally select art for your clients? Do you have any tips and tricks for accenting spaces with art?
Art 100% is the difference between a good project and a great project. It pulls every room together and determines the overall energy of the room. We feel strongly about mixing different art mediums in a space. We love balancing the boldness of photography with softer mediums like drawings or paintings - this highlights the contrast between the two and allows for the eye to travel throughout the room. We love when a client has specific taste in art, because it guides our design and instantly sets apart a project from others. The result is entirely unique to the homeowner. The main piece of art in this room is from Tappan Collective, a great resource for emerging fine artists.
One of your clients in this home was a little unconventional - a goldendoodle with a flair for social media - did he figure into your choices for the design at all?
Bodie was the most important element for all design decisions during this project. He sometimes forgets that he is a dog and thinks that every piece of furniture is his own personal dog bed. The pet friendly performance linen on the sofa, dark rug, charcoal vinyl on the dining banquette and felt dining chairs were all Bodie-based decisions.
Want to discover more home tours? Explore all of our projects here. Want to get started customizing your own Maiden Home living space? We recommend starting with fabric swatches.
Handin Browne chose The Warren chaise sectional in Creme Performance Linen. For more Handin Browne projects, follow them on Instagram here.