An Artist Adds Warmth to a Newly Built Brooklyn Apartment

As interior designer and artist Carly Berlin searched for a Brooklyn home, she was forced to make a tough choice. Did she want abundant natural light or historical character? Finding a place with both was simply not an option at her price point. So she opted for ample sunshine in a newly built apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and unobstructed Manhattan views, determined to add the warmth of old architecture with decor instead.

Undeterred by builder-grade finishes, Carly layered the 1,450-square-foot abode with neutral tones inspired by the surrounding Carroll Gardens brownstones that date back to the 1800s. She embraced the light wood floors, minimalist kitchen, and cookie-cutter bathroom as blank slates for her cozy furnishings. She also upgraded basic materials where she could, replacing plastic electrical plates and shiny silver hinges with oil-rubbed bronze versions.

“You could just see the cheapness of them and they didn’t feel special at all,” opines Carly. “It makes such a big difference having nicer hardware throughout the apartment. It just makes everything feel a bit more elevated in a space that otherwise is quite stark and cold.”

Carly also installed flowy pleated drapes and painted the walls, trading the sterile white shade the developer picked for creamier versions. The living-dining-cooking area is covered in White Dove by Benjamin Moore, which serves as a clean backdrop for the moody Joe Henry Baker artwork that informed the dark brown, burnt orange, and deep green palette in the open-concept area.