BROWNSTONE VOYEUR: In Prospect-Lefferts, the Unexpected

Brownstone Voyeur is a joint project of casaCARA and Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. This is the third in a regular Thursday series walking you through brownstones, brick row houses, pre-war apartments, Victorians, carriage houses, lofts, and other Brooklyn abodes to see the colorful, creative, clever, cost-conscious ways people really live in New York City’s hippest borough.

TODAY we’re peeking into the c.1904 bowfront brownstone French-born interior designer Caroline Beaupere shares with her husband, photographer Matt Arnold, in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.

They bought the house in 2005, added a new kitchen and two new bathrooms, and brought all the original woodwork (of which there is plenty) back to life by stripping off dozens of coats of old stain.

Caroline worked with designer Philippe Starck on the avant garde Hudson Hotel in Manhattan’s West 50s, and has just finished decorating the Presidential suite at the New York Grand Hyatt, but the bulk of her studio’s work is residential.

Her style is eclectic, a bit exotic, and often unexpected, but grounded in the classics. There’s a free flow between modern and traditional. Colors are rich and deep. Accessories tend toward the ethnic. Bold ceiling fixtures dominate each room.

First, the front parlor…

Then the ‘middle parlor,’ below, with its Arts and Crafts-era mantel and built-in bookcases…

And the dining room, with its fearless red walls and extraordinary coffered ceiling….

Photo: Matt Arnold

Photo: Matt Arnold

Opening the wall between the dining room and new kitchen was one of few ‘modernizing’ alterations to the original architecture.

The serene master bedroom, above…

Photo: Matt Arnold

The fabulous master bath with a Philippe Starck soaking tub and farmhouse sink set into an old Chinese cabinet…

And Caroline’s office, below…

Photo: Matt Arnold

The basement den has exposed ceiling beams and a ’70s vibe (dig that shag rug!)

The adjoining bar and rec room are not for the faint-hearted: a Pop art portrait and over-the-top chandelier hang above the pool table; the walls are deep purple.

At the very bottom, see what the garden will look like just one short month from now.

Photo: Matt Arnold