My Houzz: Rugs Define Living Spaces in a 750-Square-Foot Apartment
See how a designer adds character to her family’s Brooklyn home with color and texture
Vanessa Brennan loves the hunt for something great. “I will pull over for any yard sale or antiques store, and I spend many late-night hours combing the Web for any potential great find,” she says. The antiques dealer and interior designer put her scouting skills to use in finding a new apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to call home. While the interior lacked the visual character or sense of history she desired, Brennan more than made up for it by creating an inspiring gallery wall, adding dashes of color and bringing in pieces from her shop, Dorian Ward Trading Co. Her home may be small on space, but it is big on personality and functionality.
“I love an open floor plan, but different parts of a room often have different functions,” Brennan says. “Since this space is so small, the best way to define these different areas was with the use of rugs. I have a Moroccan rug in the living room to create a cozy nestled-in space, but next to that is a zebra hide that can withstand a lot of traffic and defines the eat-in kitchen area.”
Zebra hide: Dorian Ward Trading Co.
Zebra hide: Dorian Ward Trading Co.
The living room couch was a sample that Brennan got at a great price from Rico in Brooklyn.
Pillows: Scalamandré and West Elm; nested coffee tables: Dorian Ward Trading Co.
Pillows: Scalamandré and West Elm; nested coffee tables: Dorian Ward Trading Co.
In this corner vignette, Brennan matched the large print on the right (from Ash NYC) with the charcoal drawing on the left, a gift from a South African architect she used to work with, and a small print by Evan Hecox.
The sculptures are from a store that Ash NYC used to have in Williamsburg.
The sculptures are from a store that Ash NYC used to have in Williamsburg.
The vintage Moroccan rug is from Nazmiyal Collection. “The different prints and patterns of the rug, hide and couch all work in this space because they are mostly monochromatic,” Brennan says. “There is a small pop of color from the sofa pillows, but the impact is on the walls and your eye is naturally drawn upward to take in the gallery wall.”
Brennan is a self-professed magazine and interior-design-book junkie. “One can never have enough of them,” she says. “My biggest weakness, though, is art; you can completely transform a room with one stunning piece. For years, I didn’t have two pennies to rub together, but I always made it a goal to buy either a painting, a collage or a print. Those pieces have slowly turned into a collection, and I build on it each year. The best part is, they all have a story.”
Brennan has art she’s bought on the streets of New York City directly from the artists, prints from art shows in London and paintings from artists in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “My favorite score is a 1930s nude I bought off the streets in Paris — a dream come true,” she says.
Brennan is a self-professed magazine and interior-design-book junkie. “One can never have enough of them,” she says. “My biggest weakness, though, is art; you can completely transform a room with one stunning piece. For years, I didn’t have two pennies to rub together, but I always made it a goal to buy either a painting, a collage or a print. Those pieces have slowly turned into a collection, and I build on it each year. The best part is, they all have a story.”
Brennan has art she’s bought on the streets of New York City directly from the artists, prints from art shows in London and paintings from artists in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “My favorite score is a 1930s nude I bought off the streets in Paris — a dream come true,” she says.
“As a general rule, I buy what I love with the idea that beautiful things always go together, and this wall is a great example of that,” Brennan says. A papier-mâché bird and John Derian decoupage are mixed with abstract paintings, Russian cubist art and a Hugo Guinness print. “If you’re going to put together a wall of different art with all different frames, make it look intentional. Incidentally, I drew one of these nudes when I was 19 and just finally got around to framing it,” she says.
The small cases and boxes in this little nook look good stacked together. The oversized ram bookends break up the repetition of the stacks of books, and the small trunks do double duty as side tables and extra storage.
Brennan didn’t change anything in the kitchen except for continuing the fresh coat of aubergine paint that was used on the living area walls. “Although new and very functional, this kitchen is a little modern for my taste. Nothing softens a kitchen like a nice rug, though,” she says. “A rug and a large piece of art helped personalize the space.
Rug: ABC Carpet & Home; print: Ron Agam
Rug: ABC Carpet & Home; print: Ron Agam
Brennan got a great deal on the bar stools: less than $25 for the set of three on Amazon.
Antique mirror: Ash NYC; lighting: Visual Comfort
Antique mirror: Ash NYC; lighting: Visual Comfort
Brennan wanted her bedroom to feel light and airy to contrast the deep purple paint in the living room and kitchen area. The paint she chose is Benjamin Moore’s Halo, which is a warm off-white.
The French antique mirror is from an antiques store that used to be in Williamsburg, the bed frame is from Williams-Sonoma Home, the bedspread is a vintage Moroccan wedding blanket, and the bowed-front antique English dresser is from an antiques sale in Connecticut.
The French antique mirror is from an antiques store that used to be in Williamsburg, the bed frame is from Williams-Sonoma Home, the bedspread is a vintage Moroccan wedding blanket, and the bowed-front antique English dresser is from an antiques sale in Connecticut.
Brennan’s dog, Grady, makes himself at home amid throw pillows on the sofa.
“Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is full of great restaurants and music venues,” Brennan says. “It’s also a young, creative neighborhood that is constantly changing. It’s inspiring to experience the creative influence a younger generation has on this neighborhood, and I feel lucky to live here.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
“Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is full of great restaurants and music venues,” Brennan says. “It’s also a young, creative neighborhood that is constantly changing. It’s inspiring to experience the creative influence a younger generation has on this neighborhood, and I feel lucky to live here.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Vanessa Brennan, her two children and their dog, Grady
Location: Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 750 square feet (69.6 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
When Brennan moved into her apartment, it was new and lacked the visual character and sense of history typical of older homes. “I wanted to create a space that felt sophisticated and layered,” she says. “It’s a small space and I have two kids, so it also had to be practical.”
Brennan says, “My home is full of treasures that tell a story about who I am. I love to cook, travel and entertain, and you see evidence of that from stacks of antique cutting boards, little trinkets nestled in unexpected places and lots of antique barware. Believe it or not, this is the hangout spot for all the 4-year-olds in my daughter’s class. This space needed to be not only beautiful, but functional as well.”