The best homes are the ones that evolve slowly over time, the kind of spaces where one can point to any object and the owner will have an interesting story about where it was sourced or how it was made. Take Clément and Sara Pascal’s Bushwick apartment. The couple (he’s a photographer; she’s a psychologist) bought the 1,000-square-foot flat in Brooklyn ten years ago—and it took them about that long to get it to where it is now.
Much of the vintage midcentury furniture was found by patiently stalking eBay and Craigslist (including nearly all the iconic Nelson Bubble Lamps), and what they couldn’t track down, Clément made himself (such as the DIY lookalike BDDW Captain’s Mirror hanging in their living room). As for the plentiful storage built-ins, they’re also Clément’s handiwork: “Once I started, I couldn’t stop finding places where I could add storage,” he shares.
Their most recent upgrade: swapping out sliding closet doors in the bedroom for wood-paneled ones. Clément counts it as one his DIY highlights: “It was a very long time coming,” he notes (ten years, to be exact). Ironically, a month later, the couple sold the apartment, now finally in its finished state.
They’ll soon be moving into a new space in Fort Greene and applying the same slow-wins-the-race design philosophy. We asked them to stay in touch and let us know when it will be photo-ready. Clément’s response? “Might take another 10 years.”
Below, he walks us through their Bushwick apartment, the pair’s first labor of love.
Photography by Clément Pascal.
![clément and sara\2\17;s apartment is in a four story building that 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment-733x550.jpg)
![the dining chairs are by peter danko (\$\25 each on ebay!): \2\20;i love 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment1-733x977.jpg)
![\2\20;i like any kind of light that will have a soft glow, so i love nel 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment2-733x550.jpg)
![clément\2\17;s proudest diy achievement are the storage built ins i 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment10-733x977.jpg)
![clément\2\17;s father flew in from france to help him build the fir 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment3-733x977.jpg)
![to the right are glass doors that lead to the terrace, where clément cut t 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment4-733x977.jpg)
![\2\20;the little red table lamp is a vintage jucker table lamp by tobia 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment5-733x977.jpg)
![propped against the wall on the left side of the cabinets is an eames designed 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment6-733x977.jpg)
![the view into the main bedroom, where a cy twombly printed on a silk scarf hang 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment7-733x977.jpg)
![here, in lieu of plywood, the couple chose ikea components for the built ins. t 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment8-733x977.jpg)
![clément\2\17;s last project in the apartment: new plywood paneled d 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/clement-pascal-bushwick-apartment9-733x977.jpg)
For more Brooklyn apartments we love, see:
- Modern Meets Organic in the Brooklyn Apartment of Delia Kenza’s ‘Bad Ass’ Client
- The Anti-White-Box Development: A World’s Apart Brooklyn Townhouse Reinvention
- A Rising-Star Architect Casts Her Own Brooklyn Townhouse in Pinks, Greens, and Grays
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