{"id":3106,"date":"2024-06-27T00:49:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T16:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/06\/27\/before-after-a-french-inflected-townhouse-renovation-in-williamsburg-brooklyn\/"},"modified":"2024-06-27T00:49:19","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T16:49:19","slug":"before-after-a-french-inflected-townhouse-renovation-in-williamsburg-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/fr\/before-after-a-french-inflected-townhouse-renovation-in-williamsburg-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"Avant et apr\u00e8s : R\u00e9novation d'une maison de ville de style fran\u00e7ais \u00e0 Williamsburg, Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Parisians Celia and Rodolphe bought a 1910 townhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the plan was to do a light remodel: new flooring in the basement and parlor, a kitchen on the main floor, and a refurbished upstairs bath. It\u2019d be four to five months, tops. They got the permit and started work right away. Then their contractor called them with the news: The supporting beams had been eaten by termites and about 80 percent of the foundation needed replacing. \u201cThe small renovation we had planned turned into a gut renovation, and we had to rethink the scope of our project,\u201d Celia says. They hired a structural engineer to shore up the foundation and an architect to draw up the plans. The \u201clight remodel\u201d turned into a 16-month-long project, during which time Celia and Rodolphe lived out of Airbnbs or on the unfinished third floor.<\/p>\n

Celia, who is originally from Toulouse, was first drawn to the townhouse for its historic quality. \u201cWe\u2019re used to old buildings, and we found the house to have the charm of a French country house,\u201d she says. An ultramodern renovation was never the plan, so instead, they designed an interior to \u201ccreate an alliance between modern and industrial Brooklyn and the style of old French houses,\u201d as she says. In the end, we think, the termites were a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n

Photography by Brian Ferry for Remodelista; styling by Alexa Hotz.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n


Above: When black mold was discovered in the street-facing facade, setting in motion a rebuild,  Celia and Rodolphe went for a large and wide bay window where there had been two small windows before. Privacy is provided via floor-length Ivory Linen Sheers from the Shade Store. The sofa is a Remodelista favorite, the MC & Co. Daybed by Brooklyn-based French designer Corinne Gilbert. The speakers are Rega RX3 Speakers and to the right is a West Elm floor lamp (no longer available) and a wall hanging by friend Julie Thevenot in Roussillon.
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Above: On the MC & Co. daybed is a collection of Corinne Gilbert\u2019s Patchwork Pillows and oatmeal-colored Quilted Shams from Parachute; the  Coffee Table is by Gesa Hansen; and the Berber rug was sourced on a trip to Morocco. The armchair is a vintage piece Celia and Rodolphe found in Paris for \u20ac50. It\u2019s one of the first pieces of furniture they bought\u2014something they always thought would be temporary, but it\u2019s been with them for 10 years. \u201cEvery time I move to a new place I\u2019m thinking I should upgrade, but it\u2019s the one piece everyone comments on, so we\u2019re keeping it.\u201d (Ed. Note: The chair was the first thing I commented on.)
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Above: The floors are European oak from LV Wood in a chevron pattern typical of Parisian apartments. The lamp is the Gubi Grasshopper Floor Lamp and the brass knobs on the built-in cabinets are Natural Brass Hex Knobs from Schoolhouse. <\/p>\n

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Above: \u201cRodolphe is a huge music lover\u2014he has an extensive vinyl collection and a vintage McIntosh sound system,\u201d Celia says. The couple worked with Simone Polga to design custom shelving, which was produced by Diego Paccagnella of Design-Apart. The console top is Calacatta marble and the custom cubbies are designed to hold Rodolph\u2019s LP collection.,<\/p>\n


Above: The couple designed the kitchen themselves, spec\u2019ing custom white cabinets, Corian countertops, and a Calacatta marble backsplash. The refrigerator is a Liebherr and the range is a Bertazzoni (the microwave is also Bertazzoni). The Bosch dishwasher is concealed behind cabinets, and a Summit wine refrigerator is integrated into the island.
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Above: Rodolphe and Celia in the kitchen. The pendant lights are Aura Lights by Ladies & Gentleman Studio, and the stools are ebonized Sawkille Counter Stools.
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Above: The unlacquered brass faucet is the Easton Vintage Bridge Faucet from Waterworks. Celia studies ceramics at Japanese studio Togei Kyoshitsu in midtown and has taken classes with ceramicist Romy Northover (where she made the slab plates, above left). The other ceramics are Northover\u2019s designs.
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Above: A view of the open kitchen\/dining area with a Constance Guisset Vertigo Pendant Lamp.
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Above: The walls throughout are painted Benjamin Moore Decorator\u2019s White and the framed prints are by Corinne Gilbert.
Above: The downstairs powder room is papered in Cole & Son Palm Jungle Wallpaper. Fixtures and fittings include a hanging Brass Frame Mirror, Perrin & Rowe Faucet, and Futagami Brass Towel Bars. <\/p>\n

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Above: Switches and outlets throughout the house are Forbes & Lomax, with the exception of this one, which is from Meljac.,<\/p>\n


Above: The former staircase connected all three floors, but Celia and Rodolphe opted to close off access to the garden floor and create two separate units. The steel staircase between the parlor and second floor references industrial Brooklyn. Beneath the stairs is a washer\/dryer, powder room, and a slice of wall papered in Calico Inverted Spaces Wallpaper.
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Above: The floors upstairs are original to the house\u2014one of the few elements the couple were able to keep intact\u2014painted Benjamin Moore Paper White The heavy linen curtains hang on Brass Estate Extension Rods from Restoration Hardware. The two stools at the foot of the bed are from Morocco.
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Above: A Nils Strinning String Shelf holds a collection of French paperbacks; the radiator is original to the house.
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Above: On the bed is the Hay Plus 9 Throw. On the wall is artwork from Corinne Gilbert\u2019s former store MC & Co. and the Menu Tribeca Staple Wall Lamp. The pendant light is the Ay Illuminate Z2 Ona White Lamp. <\/p>\n

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Above: The two chairs in the bedroom are vintage rattan chairs that the couple brought back from the South of France. The dark porcelain doorknob is original to the house and the switch is a Forbes & Lomax Rotary Dimmer in unlacquered brass.,<\/p>\n


Above: The cement tile (Harlequin I from the Cement Tile Shop) in the upstairs bath is \u201cvery typical of France,\u201d Celia says. The freestanding bath is original and painted black, the loo is the Toto Aquia, and the cabinet is Restoration Hardware Pharmacy Medicine Cabinet.
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Above: The bathroom has a Kraus Ceramic Sink, a California Faucets chrome Tiburon Lavatory Faucet, a Rejuvenation oil-rubbed bronze Round Mirror, and a Onefortythree Double Sconce.
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Above: A small guest bedroom is outfitted with the Pari Rattan Daybed from Anthropologie, an old Ikea dresser, an Ikea Tilst Rug, and a Bamboo Pendant from Couleur Locale in France. Celia and Rodolphe bought the Calder poster at the Maeght Foundation in Saint Paul de Vence.
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Above: An upstairs guest room\/office has an old Muji table that functions as a desk and a large FiddlPAPe-Leaf Fig Tree in a pot from Sprout in Brooklyn. On the desk is a Pablo Designs Tube Top Table Lamp and an Ikea mirror. <\/p>\n

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Above: The fa\u00e7ade is clad in modern black aluminum siding, configured vertically. \u201cMost houses have horizontal paneling, and this way the house really stands out from the street,\u201d Celia says. The entry door has a frosted glass panel that brings in more light to the interior but allows for privacy, and the concrete steps are original to the house. <\/p>\n

Avant<\/h2>\n


Above: An archival photograph of the townhouse in its original state. <\/p>\n

During<\/h2>\n


Above: The basement level, mid-renovation, before a three-foot-deep concrete wall was poured to support the house. Photograph courtesy of the owners. <\/p>\n

For more French-inflected style, see our posts:<\/p>\n