Why We Love Wide-Plank Hardwood… and Brooklyn

From Lynn on April 15th, 2010 in CalFinder News

Look at what Cobble Hill couple Robert Highsmith and Stefanie Brechbuehler did with second-hand items and artwork! Who says decorating on a small budget can’t create a look worth bragging (and blogging) about?

Granted, they have the design skills necessary to pull off such a feat, having met while studying architecture at Rhode Island School of Design. Their learned skills and eye for recognizing beauty in myriad forms obviously paid off for their 850-square-foot apartment.

In this room, $10 worth of burlap is used for curtains, which is surprisingly lovely in the way it filters the light. The pair obtained lots of the apartment’s items from friends and relatives, who luckily have great taste. This sofa was Robert’s grandmother’s, as well as the Eames chair. For $70, they scored the little wood folding seats. The industrious Robert crafted the standing lamp from cast-off old ones, while the other is a Jean Prouve piece nabbed from Design Within Reach.

Another $70 bucks for darker burlap curtains, and $120 to have them hand-sewn, hides clothes in the small space. eBay was the go-to source for these $25 chairs.

The dining room/office is cobbled together with more great hand-me-downs, plus an IKEA credenza for about $100.

The bed was made by a design-school classmate, and the painting by his grandmother. Topped off with ‘50s-era industrial lamps, the room has oodles of charm.

Some interesting relics, photos, papers, and books are all that’s needed to create a sentimental tableau.

What a great apartment! It has way more character than a lot of the ones we see where everything is brand-new and over-the-top. Simple and understated, yet evocative and alluring, this Brooklyn abode is a winner.