Claudia and Alejandro’s Boerum Hill Condo Renovation – Sweetened!

In most renovations, a lengthy list of materials, fixtures, finishes, and features separates the before from the after. This is not one of those renovations. With little more than fresh paint, new floors, and just a few weeks to go before a move-in deadline, Claudia and Alejandro came to Sweeten to create a modern and bright three-bedroom condo in Boerum Hill – a clean slate for this Brooklyn family and their toddler, Luciano. Their secret sauce? Claudia brought her filmmaker‘s eye to every detail, looking for ways to capture natural light and find just the right shades of white for each room. Luciano’s room is first up, but we’ll get back to this stately neighborhood when Luciano’s parents are ready to reveal their living room after move-in!

Sweeten did a really great job of helping us take this on when we needed a little hand-holding. Gennadiy and his team were really efficient and got the work done in less than a month.

– Claudia, Boerum Hill homeowner

This family of three found their new home after living in a smaller place in the same neighborhood. They loved the location and the oversized windows, but knew the place needed some work before move-in. The apartment had not been updated since the 1980s and had an odd mix of original woodwork (big plus) and yellow walls (big minus). Fresh paint was an obvious and easy move, but Claudia also saw the opportunity to unify and lighten the rooms with new flooring and posted a project on Sweeten looking for a contractor who could handle relatively cosmetic changes on an aggressive, one month timeline. We matched the family with Sweeten Expert Gennadiy as Claudia put together her astonishingly short and sweet list of material picks.

Claudia’s work in the film industry led her to focus on ways to play up the natural light in each room, but natural light works in mysterious ways: north and south-facing windows let in different tones of white and yellow light. Tuned into the exposures in each room and the subtle undertones in various shades of paint, Claudia sampled dozens of different whites on each wall, looking for just the right tone in each space. She found that some whites had blueish undertones while others had more yellow bases, and wanted to avoid going too far in either direction.

In their son’s south-facing room, the couple chose Benjamin Moore White Dove – a soft, warm white. In the north-facing living room, Benjamin Moore Simply White felt right — Claudia saw a modern, true white that still felt soft in a room that doesn’t get direct light. Ceilings, molding details, and doors throughout the apartment all got a smooth coat of Simply White for a crisp, clean, and neutral finish.

Claudia continued her expert focus on natural light with new hardwood floors in a light finish. The family’s move-in timeline necessitated finding flooring with a short lead time, ruling out a number of Canadian and European vendors. Claudia found low gloss, wide-plank oak flooring from Armstrong in Mystic Taupe and Gennadiy’s team handled the installation throughout the 1,000 square foot condo. In the nursery, Gennadiy installed a drum pendant light with a fabric shade. Claudia reports that Luciano loves his new digs!

We caught Claudia and her family just weeks after move-in, so we’ll have to do a second visit after everything is unpacked to see how the new living room is coming together. In the meantime, one last look at Claudia’s simple magic – plants and vibrant color surround the living room’s original mantle and keep the focus on oversize windows and the season’s light. So many thanks to this stylish family for our first peek at a simple and smart renovation! We can’t wait to see what you all do next in your beautiful home.

Sweeten handpicks contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, post your project on Sweeten!