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Strip Show: Peeling Back the Layers in a Park Slope Brownstone

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Strip Show: Peeling Back the Layers in a Park Slope Brownstone

May 24, 2024

If you want to stir the pot at a dinner party, bring up the topic of original wood moulding: to paint or not to paint? We’ve found, over the years, that this is a surprisingly divisive question, so take heed.

Today’s house tour is for all those fervently in the No Paint camp, the champions of untouched wood detailing. In fact, the renovation of this 1899 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, was less about adding on and much more about removing all the layers that had been added over the years.

“The space was stuck in the eighties and needed some serious love,” says designer Mariah Rich, who redid the brownstone and now shares the house with her husband, Ray Kelly, and Lola, their 16-year-old teacup Chihuahua. “The kitchen floors were old beat-up linoleum, there were horrid ceiling fans in every room, and all the light fixtures had to be updated.” But: “Underneath it all was the original features of parquet floors, decorative plaster molding, and period built-ins. I knew it was going to be a very good before and after project.”

Fortunately one arduous task had been done before they began work: stripping the original dark woodwork of its white paint. “The story goes that it took over 100 gallons of stripper and six months of work by one craftsman to get everything back to its original state,” Mariah says. “Every time I look at the beautiful molding around the doors in the living room or the wainscoting in the dining room, I am in awe of not only the craftsmanship of the wood but also the patience and dedication it must have taken to bring it back to its original beauty.”

Ready for a look around? Let’s take a tour:

Photography by Erin Little, courtesy of Mariah Rich Studio.

&#8\2\20;we are in the historic district of park slope, only a few steps fr 17
Above: “We are in the historic district of Park Slope, only a few steps from Prospect Park,” says Mariah. “The brownstone is technically two bedroom and two baths, but we have made the one of the bedrooms into our living room.”
two towering fiddle leaf figs in the windows of the bedroom turned living room  18
Above: Two towering fiddle leaf figs in the windows of the bedroom-turned-living-room emphasize the hight of the ceilings. “As an interior stylist, I’m always sourcing and hunting for pieces for both my home and my clients,” Mariah says. “My design style is definitely mixing vintage with new. My pair of vintage Michel Arnoult Roxinho leather slingback chairs that only seem to get better with age and have been with me for over 20 years.” Note also the Togo lounge chair at center.
part of the secret to the room&#8\2\17;s success? layers of texture. 19
Above: Part of the secret to the room’s success? Layers of texture.
into the kitchen. &#8\2\20;one of my first projects was to cover the eighti 20
Above: Into the kitchen. “One of my first projects was to cover the eighties linoleum and put in the checked black and white floors,” says Mariah. “I knew I wanted a fun contrast throughout the original butler’s pantry and kitchen. The tin ceilings in the kitchen are original and in great shape.”
&#8\2\20;the ikea cabinets were in good shape when we moved in, although th 21
Above: “The Ikea cabinets were in good shape when we moved in, although they were a dark faux walnut color that just felt too modern for the age of the home. I covered every door and cabinet base with industrial-grade contact paper in this matte green color. The perfect way to upgrade without having to replace all of your cabinets. It has held up so  nicely and I just added simple brass hardware as a finishing touch.” As for the existing range? “I fell in love with the alcove that was a former fireplace and where our range now lives,” says Mariah. “It was something I hadn’t seen in other brownstones, and the mantle is so fun for displaying all my favorite cooking accouterments and vintage decor.”
the sink and dishwasher might look small scale, but they&#8\2\17;re actuall 22
Above: The sink and dishwasher might look small-scale, but they’re actually standard size, Mariah says. Instead of scaling down, she went for a trick of the eye: “What helped to make our kitchen feel even bigger was removing the overhead cabinets above,” Mariah adds. “By adding large open shelves that span the length of the wall, it gave the kitchen more breathing room and me more space to display my favorite ceramics from Gjusta goods, cookbooks, and vintage treasures.”
rather than trying to lighten up the darkness, mariah doubled down, adding mood 23
Above: Rather than trying to lighten up the darkness, Mariah doubled down, adding moody paint colors alongside the wood in the dining room. “My inspiration was an old English pub, with dark wood tones and greens and browns,” she says. “This room is on the ground floor, so less natural light comes in, which lends itself to moodiness,” she says.
&#8\2\20;i love a beautiful textured wall, so i painted it with lime wash t 24
Above: “I love a beautiful textured wall, so I painted it with lime wash to give it that chalky, plaster feel. My favorite lime wash paint company is Portola Piant, and the color on the walls is Darkside.”
a glass fronted cabinet keeps curios. 25
Above: A glass-fronted cabinet keeps curios.
the entry, with original wainscoting, painstakingly stripped. 26
Above: The entry, with original wainscoting, painstakingly stripped.
&#8\2\20;the landing at the top of the stairs felt like a pass through and  27
Above: “The landing at the top of the stairs felt like a pass-through and needed to have more of a purpose,” says Mariah. “The walls are 10 feet tall, so to create more height in that small space, I decided to cover all of the walls from floor to ceiling in black and white photography of our family, travels, and memories. These days we often forget to print photos, but this hallway has now become one of our favorite spots.”
mariah and ray&#8\2\17;s bedroom is framed by soaring wood framed windows.  28
Above: Mariah and Ray’s bedroom is framed by soaring wood-framed windows. “I had to get creative in designing the bedroom,” Mariah explains. “It had many doors and angles that made it a challenging layout. The main issue was that there is door going out to the hallway behind where the head of the bed would go, so in order to hide that door I needed a creative solution to cover the whole wall. The floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains were an elegant way to hide that door and create drama and texture as a luxurious headboard.”
hats as decor. 29
Above: Hats as decor.
the nearly ceiling height curtain behind the bed softens things. 30
Above: The nearly ceiling-height curtain behind the bed softens things.
the couple&#8\2\17;s bath. &#8\2\20;to complement the vintage feel of t 31
Above: The couple’s bath. “To complement the vintage feel of the original black and white details, I brought in large plants to create height and drama and a vintage cabinet for storage,” says Mariah. “The star of that room is the almost floor to ceiling window that floods the space with natural southern light.”
mariah&#8\2\17;s prized vintage piece? &#8\2\20;my grandfather’s 32
Above: Mariah’s prized vintage piece? “My grandfather’s writing desk, which lives in the office space of the living room and sits under my large mood board of creative thoughts and ideas,” she says. “I love the carved legs and how they juxtapose next to the modern clean shelves.”

For more of Mariah’s work, head to Mariah Rich Studio.

And for more brownstone tours, might we suggest:

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