My Houzz: Walls of Art and Glass in a Brooklyn Loft
Eclectic collections, vintage furniture and favorite artworks personalize this 1,000-square-foot open-plan loft
A wall of east-facing windows is what immediately drew Andrew Holden and Perry Lowe to their downtown Brooklyn, New York, loft. The home’s large, open layout had tons of potential, despite needing some cosmetic improvements. For Holden, a freelance stylist and creative director, and Lowe, a project manager for Herman Miller, the needed improvements were a selling point. They were able to customize and personalize the loft from the onset to truly make it their own.
Underneath the impressive gallery section are bookcase components from B&Z Steel Equipment topped with a work surface made from old steel factory doors a friend came across on a work renovation project. “He was using them on sawhorses as a dining table, and we bought them from him for $50 and turned them into desktops,” Holden says. “It’s great to have a dedicated work-office space in an open-plan apartment so that paperwork and other mundane things don’t start piling up in other parts of the space that are meant for relaxing or entertaining.”
This part of the space essentially functions as a work studio and a library where reference books are on hand to provide inspiration when Holden and Lowe are focusing on assignments and projects.
Metal Industrial Chic bar stools: Overstock
This part of the space essentially functions as a work studio and a library where reference books are on hand to provide inspiration when Holden and Lowe are focusing on assignments and projects.
Metal Industrial Chic bar stools: Overstock
“The chest was found abandoned on a sidewalk in the East Village about 15 years ago and has become a member of the family,” Holden says. “It’s great for storing bulky items like winter sweaters and bedding and pillows for guests.”
The chair seat is Eames and was salvaged from a dumpster. The rocker base came from eBay, and they made the seat cushion.
The chair seat is Eames and was salvaged from a dumpster. The rocker base came from eBay, and they made the seat cushion.
Shelves by the front door act as a landing spot for the couple’s scarf collection. The ladder is an old work ladder covered in burnished gold paint and leads up to their attic.
“The two Egyptian prints were found in one of the many amazing thrift stores in Austin, Texas, and the portrait of Lord Kitchener leaning against the wall is a purchase from an online auction that is intended for our walk-in closet for our house in London,” Holden says.
“The Elmo head came from an exhibition by Kelly Heaton at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts,” Lowe says.
“The two Egyptian prints were found in one of the many amazing thrift stores in Austin, Texas, and the portrait of Lord Kitchener leaning against the wall is a purchase from an online auction that is intended for our walk-in closet for our house in London,” Holden says.
“The Elmo head came from an exhibition by Kelly Heaton at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts,” Lowe says.
This landing spot by the front door also has a mix of hanging space, shelf space and compartmentalized spaces for gloves, hats and folded scarves.
“We have an enormous collection of bags, hats and scarves, and they are always the last thing we put on before leaving home, so it made sense to store them all here rather than in our main closet,” Holden says.
“We have an enormous collection of bags, hats and scarves, and they are always the last thing we put on before leaving home, so it made sense to store them all here rather than in our main closet,” Holden says.
To make the large, open living space feel like separate rooms, Holden and Lowe used key pieces of furniture to help demarcate space. “For example, a low bookcase is used to separate the entryway and the living space, whilst the sofa in the center of the room creates a natural division from the dining area, all without breaking the eyeline, therefore maintaining the sense of space and light,” Holden says.
“The floor-to-ceiling sheer drapes lead into the bedroom space, and whilst creating the illusion of a ‘wall,’ allow light to penetrate from the south-facing windows of the apartment, and can also be fully opened to unify the space, or fully drawn to create privacy in the bedroom when desired,” he adds.
“The floor-to-ceiling sheer drapes lead into the bedroom space, and whilst creating the illusion of a ‘wall,’ allow light to penetrate from the south-facing windows of the apartment, and can also be fully opened to unify the space, or fully drawn to create privacy in the bedroom when desired,” he adds.
In the living room area, a vintage midcentury sofa and credenza surround vintage suitcases with wheels that function as a flexible and movable coffee table with the bonus of storage.
The pendant drum light here and a matching one in the kitchen were gifts from friends. “The lights are from Italy. By the time they’d been made and shipped across the ocean, our friends had sold their house with high ceilings for which the lights were originally intended, so they generously gave them to us as a housewarming gift,” Lowe says.
Nelson pedestal table, Eames walnut stool and Eames Aluminum Group lounge chair: Herman Miller; pouf: Vane, CB2 (no longer available)
The pendant drum light here and a matching one in the kitchen were gifts from friends. “The lights are from Italy. By the time they’d been made and shipped across the ocean, our friends had sold their house with high ceilings for which the lights were originally intended, so they generously gave them to us as a housewarming gift,” Lowe says.
Nelson pedestal table, Eames walnut stool and Eames Aluminum Group lounge chair: Herman Miller; pouf: Vane, CB2 (no longer available)
On the coffee table is a collection of wooden boxes. The top one is a Milagro box they bought in Mexico decades ago, and the rest are vintage store finds. The largest is an old case for carrying photographic slides.
One important and big change the couple made was painting the entire space white — including the floor, which had previously been an industrial gray. They also painted the dark metal window frames white, which made the space feel more luminous.
In the dining area, the Eames Shell chairs are a mix of vintage and new from Herman Miller.
The art hanging in the dining space is a mix of pieces from 20x200 and charity auctions. The artworks from the top down are by Blinkk, Kevin Cooley, Kent Rogowski, Lauren DiCioccio and William Powhida. The lamp is Noguchi, and the rug was picked up on a trip to Argentina.
Nelson Swag Leg dining table and Girard Hexagonal table: Herman Miller
The art hanging in the dining space is a mix of pieces from 20x200 and charity auctions. The artworks from the top down are by Blinkk, Kevin Cooley, Kent Rogowski, Lauren DiCioccio and William Powhida. The lamp is Noguchi, and the rug was picked up on a trip to Argentina.
Nelson Swag Leg dining table and Girard Hexagonal table: Herman Miller
When Holden and Lowe moved into their apartment, the first thing they did was remove a partition wall installed by the previous tenant to create a separate bedroom space. “We wanted a completely open-plan space that felt luminous and spacious, so we replaced the partition wall with floor-to-ceiling sheer drapes that could be drawn to help create the sense of a separation between the bedroom area and the living area, but without blocking any light,” Holden says.
“The glass case full of skulls is one of two ‘museum’ cases we have,” Holden adds. “I have a morbid fascination with the macabre beauty of skulls and love the color of bone. There is something very pure about it. Along with the skull of a horse, we have a goat, a raccoon and a wolverine, plus there are also various other crustaceans and shells from the ocean. There is something very elemental about them. Once everything dies, all that’s left is a skeletal structure made of calcium, no matter what type of creature you are.”
“The glass case full of skulls is one of two ‘museum’ cases we have,” Holden adds. “I have a morbid fascination with the macabre beauty of skulls and love the color of bone. There is something very pure about it. Along with the skull of a horse, we have a goat, a raccoon and a wolverine, plus there are also various other crustaceans and shells from the ocean. There is something very elemental about them. Once everything dies, all that’s left is a skeletal structure made of calcium, no matter what type of creature you are.”
Holden and Lowe love how their bedroom is surrounded by windows on two full walls, making it seem like they are sleeping in a conservatory. The semisheer drapes covering the windows allow light to flow in while maintaining privacy. “We love waking up in a room bathed in light every morning, and we can see the sun break the horizon on mornings where we are up early enough,” Holden says. “For sleeping in on weekends, we use eye masks!”
The tie-dyed leather throw at the end of the bed is from a trip to Buenos Aires.
Bedding: West Elm; Navajo blanket: Ralph Lauren
The tie-dyed leather throw at the end of the bed is from a trip to Buenos Aires.
Bedding: West Elm; Navajo blanket: Ralph Lauren
The birdcage in the bedroom was bought at a thrift store in Palm Springs, California. “I hate the idea of birds in cages, but I love the poetry of the items themselves,” Holden says. “I literally just attached the antlers in a whimsical moment, and they just started gathering a collection of rosaries, beads and other necklaces. So it’s a very organic piece that just happened.”
The matryoshka dolls are from Maison Margiela, and the animal ceramics are by Jonathan Adler. The leather cases are vintage camera bags that Holden bought at one of the huge annual antiques fairs held at the piers on Manhattan’s West Side, and the chair is a vintage factory chair.
The matryoshka dolls are from Maison Margiela, and the animal ceramics are by Jonathan Adler. The leather cases are vintage camera bags that Holden bought at one of the huge annual antiques fairs held at the piers on Manhattan’s West Side, and the chair is a vintage factory chair.
"We are lucky enough to be the same shoe size, so we have an extensive collection of shoes and boots, all of which get worn on a rotating basis,” Holden says. “We keep them on display here because we ran out of space in our walk-in closet, plus we loved the way they looked as a visual statement, all organized and sitting proudly on shelves, waiting to be worn.”
All of the boxes are full of eclectic things they need to store for work or personal projects, and each is labeled accordingly. “It’s a great way to have open shelving but still keep it organized and aesthetically harmonious,” Holden says. “The uniformity of the boxes hides the eclectic and diverse nature of all the contents.”
All of the boxes are full of eclectic things they need to store for work or personal projects, and each is labeled accordingly. “It’s a great way to have open shelving but still keep it organized and aesthetically harmonious,” Holden says. “The uniformity of the boxes hides the eclectic and diverse nature of all the contents.”
The Ikea kitchen island is one of Holden and Lowe’s favorite features. They love to use it as a workspace, and they often catch up about the day’s events here. It’s also where they sit and read the newspaper over morning coffee. “It’s really the heart of the entire apartment,” Holden says.
The “Sweet Corn” poster is by Steve Frykholm, the first in his series of picnic posters for Herman Miller.
High stools: Thos. Moser
High stools: Thos. Moser
The open shelving in the kitchen is both functional and visually appealing. "I love how with open shelving, everything is at hand when cooking or getting ready to eat,” Holden says. “I also love how you can make a harmonious kitchen out of so many eclectic pieces just by choosing a limited color scheme. Here, for example, we use white, black, glass, copper and wood. But you could achieve the same effect even if you added one single pop of color or even if you choose four strong colors. The important rule is to be strict about sticking to the color palette you choose so the eclecticism feels curated and intentional.”
The art in the living room area includes a thrift store Madonna, a geometric color study, two abstract paintings by George Habergritz, a Cory Arcangel silk-screen of clouds and a painting by their godson.
“The fireplace is a vintage Preway we drove up to Rhode Island to buy off Craigslist,” Holden says. “We had it piped for natural gas and put in a clean-burning ventless gas log to enjoy in the winter.”
Striped pillows: Room & Board; blue and red Letters pillows: Alexander Girard for Maharam
“The fireplace is a vintage Preway we drove up to Rhode Island to buy off Craigslist,” Holden says. “We had it piped for natural gas and put in a clean-burning ventless gas log to enjoy in the winter.”
Striped pillows: Room & Board; blue and red Letters pillows: Alexander Girard for Maharam
"The light we get throughout the day from the wall of windows is incredible, especially being on the top floor of the building. We have nothing obscuring our view from the distant horizon, so we have the luxury of enjoying the sunrise every morning,” Holden says. “Something very special and rare in a city like New York.”
The sofa on the right is the Jasper from Room & Board; the one on the left is a vintage midcentury modern chaise that they had re-covered in Maharam fabric. The cowhide butterfly chair was purchased in Argentina. The carpet tiles are a mix of 12 test samples from a work project.
The sofa on the right is the Jasper from Room & Board; the one on the left is a vintage midcentury modern chaise that they had re-covered in Maharam fabric. The cowhide butterfly chair was purchased in Argentina. The carpet tiles are a mix of 12 test samples from a work project.
The sofa pillows are from Maharam and some are made from vintage Turkish rugs that the couple bought in London.
Holden and Lowe use old suitcases as a TV stand. “We both had a couple of old suitcases when we met, and when we put them all together they made a natural pyramid, so we just kept them together and they serve as a perfect side table [and] cable and Blu-ray stand,” Holden says. “I also like the way the suitcases echo the coffee table we also made out of vintage suitcases.”
Holden is pictured here relaxing with a magazine in the living room. He and Lowe love their neighborhood for its great location. It’s close to Manhattan (only 15 minutes to SoHo) and within easy walking distance to Ft. Greene, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Andrew Holden and Perry Lowe
Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1,000 square feet (92.9 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
An impressive collection of art wraps around the walls of the entryway. “I like clean horizontal surfaces, like on a table, desk or counter, but walls were meant to be covered,” Lowe says. “I love seeing a mix of things that each appealed for a different reason. Things come from galleries, antique shops, flea markets, online auctions, benefits, friends, yard sales, and we even made a few ourselves. It’s a total jumble.”
For example, there’s a photo by Marilyn Minter next to a flea market embroidery, a drawing by Fred Wilson next to doodles that Lowe’s coworker made in a meeting and a finger painting by the couple’s godson, Lorenzo Tinetti Aubele, next to a portrait of Holden by Jason Polan. “I’ve been hanging work salon-style and we’ve both been collecting things for decades since undergrad,” Lowe says. “When we moved into this apartment six and a half years ago, these walls were about three-quarters full. The easiest system is to hang a few large pieces as anchors and fill out from there. We shuffle things a bit every six to 12 months to squeeze in new finds and rotate some out.”