How a Park Slope Duplex Added a Wine Fridge and Trough Sink
A Park Slope garden duplex gets a retro-modern refresh with new kitchen cabinet fronts, Caesarstone countertops, and a 36-bottle wine fridge tucked under the stairs. The renovation also updated both bathrooms with classic details, including a statement-making trough sink.
Meanwhile, an uncovered exposed brick wall brought Alicia and Ed’s home closer to the classic-with-a-modern-twist style they wanted.
- Homeowners: Alicia and Ed posted their renovation on Sweeten
- Where: Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
- Primary renovation: The kitchen was refreshed with new cabinet fronts, unified countertops, and a wine fridge tucked under the stairs. The downstairs bathroom was updated with a trough sink, while the master bath gained better storage and lighting. The renovation also uncovered exposed brick, led to repairs around the wall and flooring, and added smart-home updates.
- Homeowner’s quote: “Find a contractor you trust, and take their advice on what things would work well and what to avoid. We used tools like Pinterest, the Sweeten blog, and other online tools to get ideas.”
A Park Slope duplex ready for a personal touch
After Roxy, a rescued Rhodesian Ridgeback, joined their household, Alicia and Ed started thinking differently about home. Manhattan had worked for them, but a little more space in a laid-back neighborhood felt like a better fit for their family of three. Soon, they set their sights on a 1,400-square-foot garden duplex in a Park Slope brownstone.
The couple loved the building, which had been converted into condos by a developer about a decade earlier. It still had high-end finishes from that renovation, but over time, some things had started to feel worn or less practical. Alicia and Ed also wanted the home to better reflect their style and feel more connected to the character of a turn-of-the-century building.
As Alicia put it, “We really just wanted to make the place something we loved coming home to at the end of each day. What we had wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t terribly practical either. We had mismatched countertops, cracked tiles in the bathroom, a lack of counter space in the master bath, and most importantly, no space in the fridge to store our wine.”
For them, the apartment had the bones of a beautiful home. It just needed more personality, more function, and the kind of “wow” moment they felt the brownstone deserved.
They reached out to Sweeten, a free service that matches renovating homeowners with vetted general contractors, to find the right contractor for the project. For the couple’s custom kitchen renovation, their Sweeten Planner, Christina, attended regular site visits and contractor meetings, then shared detailed progress reports along the way.
At first, Alicia and Ed planned to put most of their time and budget toward the kitchen. Once the work began, they also decided to update the guest and master bathrooms, bringing all three spaces together with what they described as “a muted, classic design with a modern twist.”
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A kitchen remodel that added a hidden wine fridge
In the kitchen, the couple focused on replacing the mismatched countertops and updating the cabinet fronts, while also finding a smart spot for a built-in wine fridge to serve as their main beverage station. Alicia and Ed knew the kitchen had been renovated about a decade earlier with high-end materials, so the space didn’t need a gut renovation. It just needed a thoughtful refresh.
The custom Italian kitchen came with one challenge: none of the cabinetry was standard-sized. Refacing the cabinets had to be custom, which stretched the timeline, but it also let them keep the built-in shelving and customized storage that would have been costly to replace.
Countertops resembling marble helped pull the kitchen together and were chosen for their durability. Ed had always wanted waterfall-edge countertops, and the new surface gave the room the polished finish he had in mind.
They had also hoped to replace the smaller-than-usual refrigerator and add a wine fridge. Since the floor plan didn’t allow room for a larger fridge, they focused on the wine fridge instead. Working with their Sweeten contractor, Alicia and Ed explored the drywall under the stairs to see what might be possible.
Luckily, they found enough room for a 36-bottle dual-zone wine fridge without making structural changes.
“It’s a luxury you would never think you could have in New York. We painted the surrounding wall with chalkboard paint. It’s a great way to leave notes for each other, plan out our grocery list, and try out some amateur artwork,” they said.
“As a bonus, we found the current kitchen fridge is more than large enough for our needs.”
A classic black-and-white bath with a trough sink
The downstairs bathroom came next. It already had a great soaking tub, but the vanity and medicine cabinet felt outdated, and the tiles were starting to show their age. Alicia’s bathroom ideas leaned classic New York, with penny tile floors, subway tile, and a black-and-white palette.
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They replaced the sink with a trough style, though it took some planning to make sure the size felt right.
“There was a debate whether the new trough sink would be too large, but after lots of measuring and imagining how close it would be to someone using the shower or toilet, we decided to do it. We are so glad we did. It is a perfect fit.”
They also chose matching faucets and a soap dish. Since the new sink did not include storage underneath, they added a small shelf and a 1940s American Red Cross medicine cabinet that they found online in Bulgaria. A large closet just outside the bathroom helped make up for the limited storage inside the room.
Lastly, the wall-hung toilet took extra effort to install, but it was worth it for the couple. It’s easy to clean and helps the bathroom feel more open.
Uncovering original brick in the living area
During the downstairs bathroom renovation, the contractor found preserved exposed brick along one wall. Alicia and Ed wondered if the same brick might continue into the living area, so they asked the contractor to remove the sheetrock where their dining table would sit.
“It turns out we were in luck. The brick looked wonderful, and though we had to unexpectedly reroute some electrical cables and find matching oak to patch up the flooring, it was worth all of the expense and impact on the timeline.”
A brighter master bath and smart home upgrades
Finally, Alicia and Ed decided to update the master bathroom upstairs, too. Because they moved in while the renovation was still underway, they had time to live with the space and see what needed attention.
“The overhead lighting was terrible, and the illuminated bathroom mirror died the day after we closed on the apartment,” they said. There was also no real shelf space for getting ready, and leaking pipework made the vanity unusable for storage. The room felt neglected, so they looked for ways to refresh it without breaking the budget.
To keep costs in check, they kept the large soaking tub, flooring, and toilet. A new white shaker vanity with a marble countertop added much-needed storage, while an illuminated medicine cabinet and built-in LED lights made the room brighter and easier to use.
They also replaced the old shower curtain with a glass panel, which helped open up the space. A herringbone wallpaper from Ferm Living added the final layer of style.
Beyond the bathrooms and kitchen, the couple also created a smarter home. They added outlets in better locations for their Sonos system, converted regular outlets to USB outlets where it made sense, added a video intercom, and installed a Nest thermostat and smoke detector system.
Now, they can control the temperature with Amazon Echo and keep the apartment comfortable for Roxy while they’re away.
Four weeks of renovation lessons
Although Alicia and Ed had hoped the work would be finished before they moved in, they ended up living through the entire renovation, which lasted four weeks from start to finish. The hardest part, they said, was keeping Roxy out of trouble while the work was underway.
Their advice to future renovators? “Find a contractor you trust, and take their advice on what things would work well and what to avoid. We used tools like Pinterest, the Sweeten blog, and other online tools to get ideas.”
They also recommended keeping extra materials when possible. “We spent a long time trying to find a flooring that matched our current style to patch in around the exposed brick wall. We decided to buy an extra pack this time and store it in our basement in case of an emergency.” The homeowner noted.
“The same thing with all the tiles. You never know what could happen in the future. For a few hundred dollars, it is worth the investment and peace of mind!”
Thanks, Alicia and Ed, for sharing your gorgeous garden duplex apartment. We hope you and Roxy enjoy living there for many years to come.
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Find endless home renovation inspiration, detailed guides, and practical cost breakdowns from our blogs. You can also post your project on Sweeten today and get matched with our vetted general contractors and get estimates for free!
Renovation materials
KITCHEN RESOURCES:
- Flooring: original.
- Cabinet fronts: custom.
- Statuario Nuvo Countertops: Caesarstone.
- Marble herringbone backsplash tile: Home Depot.
- Art: Ryan Duggan.
GUEST BATH RESOURCES:
- Glossy white penny tile flooring: Home Depot.
- White subway wall tile: Home Depot.
- Shower fixtures: Kohler.
- Brockway sink/vanity: Kohler.
- Cannock faucet: Kohler.
- Wall-hung toilet: Toto.
- WWII Red Cross cabinet: Etsy.
- Mirror: Houzz.
- Art: Ryan Duggan.
- Shower curtain: Pottery Barn.
MASTER BATH RESOURCES:
- Vanity: Home Depot.
- Verdana lighted medicine cabinet: Kohler.
- Glass panel: Houzz.
- Herringbone wallpaper: Ferm Living.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it can be safe when a contractor confirms the space can fit the appliance without structural changes and plans for the right electrical setup. In Alicia and Ed’s renovation, their contractor checked under the stairs first, and the wine fridge fit successfully without changing the home’s structure.
An exposed brick wall is a wall where the brick is left visible instead of being covered with drywall, plaster, or another finish. It can add texture, warmth, and a sense of history, especially in older homes like Alicia and Ed’s Park Slope brownstone duplex.
One way you can make an exposed brick wall look good is by using it as a feature in a spot where it naturally draws attention, such as a dining or living area. In this renovation, Alicia and Ed uncovered the brick near their dining table, then handled the needed electrical and flooring updates so the wall felt intentional and finished.
