Welcome to the 2024 REAL SIMPLE Home

For the seventh year in a row, we asked some of our favorite designers to bring their skills to a major reno—this one an 1890s Brooklyn, New York, brownstone. Have a look around!

Take a Tour

You don’t need to book a plane ticket to explore the 2024 REAL SIMPLE Home—just play the 360 video above to take a room-by-room tour guided by our editor-in-chief, Lauren Iannotti. See something you like? Shop the entire home here.

Live in the New York area or planning a trip to the Big Apple? Sign up to tour this Brooklyn brownstone IRL! Tours are available September 12-15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25, with a portion of the proceeds going to Win NYC.

Living Room and Lounge

Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, aka the Brownstone Boys

Meet the hometown heroes who got this whole thing rolling! Barry and Jordan, Brooklyn-based renovators and designers (and bloggers and authors), helped us find this gem of a place by connecting us with developer Adam Dahill and architect Alexandra Burr. Barry and Jordan have restored more than 20 houses like it, so they were just the guys to decorate the whole first floor, taking on the living room, lounge, kitchen, pantry, vestibule, and powder bath. (Phew. They sure did a lot!) Their major task was balancing out the serious dose of antique woodwork—absolutely gorgeous but potentially overpowering. “To contrast the heavy wood tones, we chose furniture in soft, romantic shades, creating a more inviting environment,” Jordan says. For the living room, they brought in subtle pops of color, with a pink couch, burgundy chairs, and floral pillows they got on a recent trip to Paris. In the lounge, they covered the walls with grass cloth paper. “We were inspired by murals and found this wallpaper that felt like an abstract version,” Barry says. “I could see myself lounging on the fainting couch with a martini in hand.” 

Kitchen and Pantry

The Brownstone Boys and Alexandra Burr

The kitchen had some beautiful original details (more woodwork!) but definitely needed updating, so the Brownstone Boys worked with Alexandra to hit that current-but-timeless sweet spot. “We introduced sleek design elements that complement the rich history of the space,” Jordan says, referring to the appliances from Fisher and Paykel and sculptural chandelier over the kitchen island. The team also brought the drama with two kinds of boldly veined marble, a major trend. In the pantry, it skews red to match the painted cabinets; on the island, it has a bit of green to match the nearby marble fireplace. “We aimed to honor the historical evolution of the kitchen island from a workstation to gathering area,” Alexandra says. “Two-thirds is dedicated to storage and appliances, and one-third has ample seating.”

Guest Suite and Patio

Jasmine Roth

An old home was a unique challenge for designer and HGTV star Jasmine, who typically works in California and Utah. “Everything in the West is so new compared with New York City, so I wanted to lean into the opportunity to be a bit more traditional with my design,” she says. “I chose patterns and colors that felt old-world but paired them with modern furniture.” For the guest room, she combined a classic trellis wallpaper and a Turkish rug with bright blue walls and a chunky, modern nightstand, creating a space with luxe vacation vibes. On the adjacent patio, she slid in a simple sofa (the green cushions play off the surrounding natural landscape) and cute bistro table, adding a couple of bottles of bubbly. “In my opinion, every patio should have a little nod to café style,” she says. 

Kids Room

Jessica Davis

A good night’s sleep is a sure thing in this bedroom dreamed up by the Atlanta-based designer. “My concept was a whimsical kids space that feels like something out of a modern fairy tale,” Jessica says. She transformed the tiny room (it’s just 14 by 6 feet!) by dividing it into two zones. One is the sleeping area, designated by a painted wood platform and featuring an on-the-floor bed, kid-approved gallery wall (peep that UFO print!), and nightstand that doubles as book storage. A theater-style curtain closes it off from the rest of the room, offering lots of performance potential and major coziness. On the other side, the world’s coolest dresser provides storage and a home for a table lamp with a floral design hand-drawn by Jessica. The space is big on the charm and, most importantly, ready for play. 

Primary Bedroom

Mikel Welch

Behold! A truly spacious city bedroom with loads of natural light. Ever the overachiever, Mikel gave himself two ambitious goals for his space. First, he wanted to marry the home’s vintage charm with his more modern aesthetic. Second, “I wanted to create a relaxing haven that felt like a hotel suite and an escape from hectic city life,” he says. To make it all happen, he started with a neutral palette that blended with the woodwork. He incorporated contemporary vibes with curved-edge furniture and layers of lighting, including bronze sconces, wicker floor and table lamps, and an art-deco-style chandelier. He then painted the ceiling (the fifth wall!) in a red-brown Valspar color called Potter’s Rock to add an element of surprise and extra warmth. For even more of that boutique-lodging touch, he staged zones throughout the room to fill awkward spaces—the window nook is now a sophisticated sitting area, and an empty spot along a wall became an “office,” featuring a narrow console table as a desk and a rolling chair that looks like a lounger.

Laundry Room

Amber Guyton

More like a laundry lounge, this utilitarian spot features pattern, color, and yes, a washer and dryer. We challenged Amber to fit in as much storage as possible without making the space feel like a locker room. The challenge she gave herself: Make it fun! “I wanted there to be inspiration at every turn: the grape and chartreuse giraffe wallpaper on the ceiling, the tortoiseshell hardware, the artwork, the purple cabinetry, the geometric tile,” she says. A stone countertop over the appliances provides room for folding, and floating oak shelves hold supplies, books, and even cocktail glasses. “I wanted to encourage people to stay for a while,” she says, because laundry takes a while—and you might as well take a load off and enjoy the spin.

Den

Jessica Davis

Does this space look familiar? It’s the room on our cover of our October 2024 issue. Jessica calls it a “snug,” which is a British and Irish term for a small, cozy room meant for relaxing. She created a Victorian-meets-modern situation by giving the room two focal points: the traditional fireplace and the eclectic gallery wall over the console. And she clearly went big on color, with a marigold yellow to play off the earthy tones of the woodwork and a barely-there blue ceiling to emphasize the room’s height. “The space is warm, layered, and rooted in tradition—but still fun and funky,” she says. 

Organization

Neat Method

This home isn’t just pretty; it’s also incredibly organized, thanks to our friends at Neat Method. Throughout the brownstone, they corralled essentials into baskets, grouped like with like, lined up supplies on trays, and more. Their best tip: Give every item a designated home on a shelf or in a drawer, bin, or basket. No excuses! 

Bedroom and Bathroom

Hema Persad

Funnily enough, Hema channeled Barbra Streisand for this chic bedroom and bathroom. “Much like the movie sets and costumes in Funny Girl, I wanted my spaces to feel opulent, a little art deco, and eclectic,” she says. In the bedroom, Hema opted for a tone-on-tone look, with the mauve bedding, curtains, and paint setting a soothing and polished backdrop for pops of flora (the lotus light and dried floral arrangement) and fauna (the tiger pillow and snake table). She brought similar pink, purple, red, and tan hues to the adjoining bathroom to make the two spaces feel cohesive. She also DIYed a clever pattern, laying four-inch tiles in four colors on the floor and walls. “Creating your own mosaic design is a great way to give simple tile a unique look,” she says. The sculptural arch in front of the tub, with its hand-painted cranberry trim, adds a little drama to the space. We think Babs would approve!

Basement

Kate Pearce

What was dark, dank, and totally skippable before Kate got her hands on it? The basement! This space has zero natural light, but instead of trying to fight that, the Chicago-based designer leaned into it. “The concept was a moody speakeasy,” she says. She installed drywall on the ceiling so it looked more polished, then painted the walls and exposed stone a warm brown to give the room all the feels of a swanky Prohibition-era watering hole. She softened things up with lots of textured seating—bouclé benches, hide chairs, and cane stools. For the bar (arguably the most important part!), she went custom, with a ceramic tile facade. Behind it, she wallpapered the shelves and stocked them with vintage barware she scored around New York City.

Backyard

Brooklyn Grange

It would be far too kind to say this yard started as an urban jungle. Luckily, the pros at Brooklyn Grange were able to weed through the overgrowth to cultivate a space that’s beautiful and useful. They created four gathering zones, using curved lines to keep visitors’ eyes moving around the landscape. And they added lots of hardscaping—in the form of TimberTech decking and pea gravel pathways—to help define each space. “The boldness of the decking, fencing, and steel edging accentuate the delicate leaves of the native species, including sweetbay magnolia and alumroot,” says lead landscape designer Travers Martin. Who needs a cool house when you’ve got a yard like this? That’s a trick question. Both, please!

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