The devil was in the details for designer Kelly Cleveland when she stepped into a gut renovation of an old apartment house that was being converted into a single-family dwelling. Cleveland instinctively knew paint and furnishings that accented the architecture was key to retaining some of its original character. “You can tell it’s been renovated,” says Cleveland, “but we painstakingly tried to offer some sense of its past.”
Cleveland started with the crown molding, painted a crisp white against warmer white walls. Textured fabrics in muted tones from Holly Hunt, Cowtan & Tout, and Samuel & Sons are sophisticated yet very livable.
The subdued palette carried to the kitchen, with black cabinets and an island in Owl Gray by Benjamin Moore. Brass stools from Century Furniture upholstered in a muscular emerald green add a boost of color.
A mix of prized and sourced pieces create a deep sense of comfort and harmony. But odd surprises delight the eye, like an Ocher light fixture hanging fluidly in the dining room or the whimsical animal-print Pierre Frey wallpaper. Two salvaged two gothic spires from a New Orleans church inject instant visual interest.
All in all, Cleveland ushered the scrubby apartment building through the chaos of a total renovation to an oasis of calm and tranquility, all the while retaining a respect for its old-world past.
Photography by Bob Coscarelli.
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