Inside a Turn-of-the-Century Brooklyn Brownstone

Rip & Tan: Tell us a bit about your ethos as a design studio. What do you feel most influenced or inspired by?

Sheena Murphy: Our intentionally small studio focuses on creating beautiful, comfortable spaces that are exactly tailored to the needs of their inhabitants. We are very driven by our clients’ lifestyles and love the programmatic challenges they provide us with. The local vernacular, the history of the building, the surrounding natural landscape, and the experiences and values our clients bring to the overall story are all meaningful influences on each project. The amalgamation of these elements always provides a necessary tension which results in hardworking spaces that not only serve the client’s needs but also makes them feel good. We believe that good design, which is mindful of its impact on the planet and human health, can have a significantly positive impact on people’s wellbeing. 

Rip & Tan: Can you walk us through the client’s wishes for this space? What was your process in achieving them?

Sheena Murphy: This project was a collaboration between the owners of Branca & Co, a boutique residential development company, and architectural designers, Frances Mildred. The brief here was broader than it would have been for a private residential project. During this process, we looked at the demographic of the neighborhood as our initial north star and worked from there. The property was a turn-of-the-century Brownstone and we took cues from its architecture and interior details. It was a truly collaborative experience and the results are a product of a healthy tension and lots of brilliant minds. 

Rip & Tan: Your portfolio boasts a signature neutral palette—what are some of the ways you bring in contrast and layering for visual intrigue?

Sheena Murphy: Our approach to ensuring spaces don’t feel one dimensional varies from project to project—sometimes it’s a case of maxing out on the tonal/color contrast, but when we’re working within a super restrained, quiet palette, it’s usually a case of ensuring we have layers of textures and mixed materials throughout the home. Having both visual and physical textural shifts is crucial to keeping the eye moving around the room; we do this by layering elements like pile rugs, linen drapes, stone tables, wool upholstery + metal accents, etc. 

Rip & Tan: Outdoors and in, how did you make the most of limited space so typical of a Brooklyn home or apartment?

Sheena Murphy: We were lucky in the case of this project. The clients, Branca & Co, purchased the whole townhouse and it was divided into two units, both of which were pretty spacious. The proportions of these turn-of-the-century homes with their tall ceilings and gracious light flow create the illusion of grandeur.

This particular unit occupied the ground and lower ground floors of the house and therefore had access to the garden in the back. Despite only being one half of the townhouse, the layout allowed for three spacious bedrooms and would comfortably house a family with room to spread out. 

Rip & Tan: Let’s talk finishes—what was your strategy from room to room?

Sheena Murphy: As with most of our projects, we want there to be a feeling of cohesion and gentle transitions between spaces. That is partly achieved through repetition in form, tone/materials and so, building a vision for all finishes from the beginning of the project was crucial. We leaned into the history and period of the house and paid homage to that in some of our finish choices, so age and character appear throughout the home. In a scenario where we’re blending old and new, there’s always a balance to be had though, so you’ll also see warmer silver tones living in harmony with raw brass that oxidizes and has incredible character over time.

Ensuring we’re working with as many natural materials and elements is always a focus for us and in the context of a family home like this where we want our materials not only to lay gently on the planet and not be harmful to human health, they also have to work hard and last. Fibers and finishes such as wool, sisal, linen and hemp are all great materials that are both incredibly durable and if sourced correctly, pretty sustainable and contribute toward healthy interior air.

Rip & Tan: In what ways do your approaches to private residences versus commercial spaces differ?

Sheena Murphy: This is a great question and they differ greatly in many respects. We have to be a little more creative in our thinking around natural and sustainable materials in commercial spaces because of the volume of traffic and wear pieces are exposed to, which is extremely relative to a residential interior. So, to some degree, there is more flexibility in a home. Having said that, there are often specific conditions either architecturally or driven by client allergies or preferences that impact how we source.

The client relationship also differs a lot here—designing your home can be a very emotional process, usually with lots of excitement during the journey. Commercial spaces tend to have a more functional lens and so, the operational aspect of those projects is often a little more hurried and direct!

Rip & Tan: What makes a space approachable? How are some of the ways you bring warmth into an interior?

Sheena Murphy: We tend to think about this as the difference between a space feeling curated versus collected. A home, once lived in, shouldn’t feel like a showroom or precious in any way. It’s built and designed to be used and used it should be. That’s not to say clients shouldn’t invest in high-quality pieces where possible—on the contrary, we encourage investment wherever budgets allow, but it does mean making smart choices about both the visual and practical aspects of what you’re buying. As an example, I probably wouldn’t suggest a highly structured formal sofa wrapped in black linen if you plan to watch TV and lounge on it every night and snuggle with your long-haired white non-hypoallergenic dog!

In terms of warmth, that can be brought in many ways. Layering and not being afraid to mix and match materials can create a sense of comfort and invitation into a space. But also actually painting your walls or selecting furniture or accessories with warmer tones and upping the amount of wood in a space literally makes an environment feel warmer. If you’re opting for lots of grey, make sure you’re choosing greys with some warmer tones to them, and mix with taupes or pale butterscotch and oak flooring or furniture so your room doesn’t read too blue or feel too cold and unwelcoming.

Rip & Tan: How does one design for “planet and for human health?”

Sheena Murphy: We are still learning so much about the best ways to do this, but I think it is such an important topic to spend some time on. There are so many processes, chemicals, fire retardants, and toxic foams/fillers in what we fill our homes with, and we not only have a responsibility to do a little due diligence for our planet but also for the health of those living in our homes because these materials omit gas and can do tangible harm to human health over time. Here are a few top tips:

-Source as naturally as possible by knowing where materials are sourced and where/how things are made. Greenwashing is rife in our industry so do a little digging before you buy that “sustainable” oak flooring or that “linen” fabric.

-It’s a little complicated because not all “natural” materials are equal. As an example, inorganic cotton actually uses a ton of water to produce and is also much harder to clean than linen or wool, so could feasibly have a much shorter lifespan.

-Small, local brands tend to have a greater focus on their processes and are more in touch with the artisans/craftspeople/makers creating their products. The larger the brand, the more distant they are likely to be from how their products are made.