Before & After: A 19th-Century Brooklyn Brownstone Is Saved From Utter Disrepair
Following a meticulous restoration and gut renovation by Frances Mildred, an elegantly revamped Park Slope townhouse hits the market for $4,495,000.
When Lindsey Branca and Mike Grosshandler purchased a historic brownstone in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood in early 2017, the decrepit building was mostly in a state of disrepair.
Yet the duo, who launched the residential renovation and restoration firm Branca & Co., know a good opportunity when they see one.
Before: Slope Townhouse Exterior
The Brownstone's former exterior blended in with its neighbors and required restoration and repairs.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Slope Townhouse Exterior
The original brownstone exterior was given a bright refresh with Farrow & Ball Skimming Stone paint on the facade and Benjamin Moore Black for the trim, door, balusters, and handrails. The architectural designers also added new windows and doors.
Nicole Franzen
Enlisting the help of Brooklyn–based designers Sheena Murphy and Tor Sauder of sheep + stone, with whom they had worked with previously, as well as the architectural designers at Frances Mildred, Lindsey and Mike completed a gut renovation of their investment property while preserving as many historic details as possible.
Before: Entry
With worn walls, damaged ceilings, and dated carpet tiles, the former entrance was in desperate need of a refresh.
Mike Grosshandler
The hallway was dark and uninviting—and also had a gaping hole in the ceiling.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Entry
The vestibule floor was retiled with ivory-and-sage penny tiles, while five-inch white oak planks were put down as new flooring throughout.
Nicole Franzen
"The biggest overall challenge was successfully transforming it into a high-end home with authentic details and high-quality finishes without totally busting the budget," explains Sheena.
"While ensuring the team made smart decisions about where and how to spend money, it was important to the owners and founders of Branca & Co that the house be restored with absolute integrity and without cutting corners, so it was a fine balancing act."
Before: Living Room
Located to the left of the entry hall, the living room felt disjointed with walls painted in a variety of different colors.
Mike Grosshandler
The fireplace in the living room had been blocked in with sheetrock by the former owners.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Living Room
The living room gains an airy and modern update with new crown molding and walls painted Sherwin Williams Origami White. The clients also restored the living room's marble fireplace and painted the grate Benjamin Moore Black.
Nicole Franzen
The large living room doorway was preserved and frames views of the original staircase that was restored with the treads, risers, and balustrades painted Benjamin Moore Black. The mahogany handrail was sanded down to its raw color and finished in a water-based clear coat.
Nicole Franzen
In addition to repairs and restoration work, the brownstone, which dates back to 1890, was reconfigured with a new floor layout better suited to the busy lifestyles of the modern urban family.
Before: Office
This bathroom, later converted into an office, was in a severe state of disrepair.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Office
The compact office was wholly redesigned and can be readapted into a nursery, study, or even a child's bedroom.
Nicole Franzen
Every room was meticulously renovated and rebuilt from top to bottom. Meanwhile, the team was also careful to salvage as many original features as possible, from the doors and window shutters to the trim and crown molding.
Before: Master Bedroom
The master bedroom had a constrained footprint due to the closet.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Master Bedroom
The updated master bedroom includes new crown molding. The former closet was removed where the left nightstand is now located; the closet door was reused for the family room on the ground floor.
Nicole Franzen
The master bedroom fireplace with a marble surround was also fully restored by the clients.
Nicole Franzen
Spanning an area of 2,040 square feet across four floors, the fully renovated brownstone features four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and a 50-foot-deep private garden with a back deck and rear patio.
Before: Kitchen/Dining Area
This lime-green room was completely gutted to make room for a new kitchen and dining area.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Kitchen/ Dining Area
In an effort to keep costs within budget without sacrificing looks, the fully gutted and renovated kitchen features IKEA cabinetry framework with shaker-style fronts by Semihandmade. The cabinets were painted Farrow & Ball Pigeon.
Nicole Franzen
The kitchen countertops and shallow shelf are Olympian White Danby marble. The white oak cabinet knobs are from Etsy.
Nicole Franzen
The kitchen and dining area are made to feel bright and airy with minimalist decor and walls painted Sherwin Williams Origami White. The lights hanging over the island are Allied Maker's Blobe pendants.
Nicole Franzen
"We love it all, but the kitchen is probably our favorite," notes Sheena. "The overall mood is very calming, and it overlooks the garden, making it feel like a bit of a haven from the city streets."
"The light is gorgeous throughout the day," she continues, "and the pale green on the cabinets gives it a softness and dimension. The layout provides great circulation, and it is both visually and physically connected to the living room."
Before: Bathroom
An image of the old kitchen before it was transformed into the master bath.
Mike Grosshandler
After: Bathroom
The updated master bathroom includes a double vanity with a Calacatta Michelangelo marble countertop with chrome plumbing fixtures from Waterworks Easton.
Nicole Franzen
A clawfoot tub was installed beneath the window and can be seen from the bedroom. The semi-enclosed shower room is lined in white subway tile while sage green penny tiles cover the floors.
Nicole Franzen
The Garden Bathroom serves as the powder room and the guest bathroom. The Maison C via Studio Four wallpaper complements the Benjamin Moore Bone White-painted walls.
Nicole Franzen
The shower is lined with matte white squares with an irregular, handmade feel. Matte white square penny tiles are used for the shower floor.
Nicole Franzen
The kid's bathroom on the second floor is lined with white penny tile and white square tiles in a running bond pattern. The wallpaper is from Juju Papers.
Nicole Franzen
The Garden Den enjoys direct access to the backyard and is envisioned as the more casual counterpart to the main living room.
Nicole Franzen
Custom closets painted Benjamin Moore Sterling were added to both kids' bedrooms. One room has a built-in window seat (pictured) and the other has a built-in desk.
Nicole Franzen
A look at the Park Slope townhouse floor plans.
Located at 413 8th St, New York, New York, just one block from the subway, the elegantly updated Park Slope townhouse has been listed on StreetEasy for $4,495,000.
Project Credits:
Architectural Designers: Frances Mildred
Builder/General Contractor: Robertson-Tait
Interior Design: sheep + stone
Cabinetry Design: Semihandmade
With a presence in three centuries, Christi Azevedo’s Victorian survived the quake of 1906 and served as a laundry…
A house that survived the Great Quake and the intervening decades is reborn after a serious intervention by a modernist…
Bucolic yet modern, this environmentally conscious home in Dutchess County, New York, connects to the surrounding…
Boulder, Colorado, straddles a dynamic geographical border where miles of Rocky Mountains descend into flat plains that…