Site Visit: Billy & Sally’s Finished Renovation, A Stylishly Curated Home

A stylishly curated Fort Greene home

Last week we introduced you to a Brooklyn-based couple who have just completed the renovation of their 775 sqft Fort Greene flat: Billy, a freelance web developer (currently at Paddle8), and Sally, a painter and museum educator at MoMA, ICP and the American Museum of Folk Art. Billy & Sally’s project got started on Sweeten with preliminary construction work by Sweeten member ecostruct llc, and subsequently finished up with a full kitchen update and flooring replacement carried out by Billy & Sally themselves (–some of which is also documented here on Billy’s renovation blog). The couple, along with their kitty, Lil’ Miss, recently invited us back to show off the gorgeous results. Their new space is cozy & bright, and, after being put to the test over the holidays, is also a perfect venue for cooking & entertaining!

Here is what the apartment looked like just before Billy & Sally moved in. Throughout the apartment the parquet floors were badly worn and the ceilings showed significant water damage. The kitchen, which was tucked away in a maze of walls, was a tight & dreadfully generic space.

Walking in for the first time since ecostruct completed the reconfiguration work, we were so pleased to see how Billy & Sally finished the job! Here in the entry we have our first glimpse of the new flooring and the open kitchen. Billy & Sally selected a light and modern-looking floor surface of engineered hickory that could actually be installed on top of the existing parquet floors (more on the install here). So, leaving the old parquet surface intact, they removed only the small area of kitchen tiles and replaced them with a layer of sub-flooring before finally working their way through the entire apartment with the new hickory boards. In the kitchen, ikea cabinets with Berenson pulls look clean & modern, and since they’re more budget-friendly than custom cabinets, the duo was able to splurge on well-designed appliances. We especially love their new Bertazzoni range (available online here). Other new additions include a refrigerator by Fisher & Paykel and a sleek dishwasher by Blomberg. Similar to the cabinets, the new kitchen sink & faucet are also from ikea. Above the new kitchen island, the couple chose a pair of all-white pendants which were purchased on ebay.  The open shelving in the far corner is made from ikea NUMERAR countertops that were cut to fit and mounted on elfa brackets (available at The Container Store). These shelves remind us a lot of the unit ecostruct built for Amanda last summer. One of Billy & Sally’s favorite new features –and another worthwhile splurge– are their lovingly-polished soapstone countertops. Looking back into the living area, it’s clear that cooking is now a social activity rather than a private one. More open shelving in the living space makes for lovely & efficient storage, as well as a nice display alongside the couple’s unique art collection. Best of all, the repeated shelving details weave this space together with the kitchen.

BIG thanks to Billy & Sally for sharing their beautiful renovation!

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