Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Embrace the Bright: A Textile Shop Owner at Home in Brooklyn

Search

Embrace the Bright: A Textile Shop Owner at Home in Brooklyn

April 14, 2016

Here at Remodelista, when we come across a design store we admire, we often ask if we can follow the owner home. That’s because unlike the proverbial shoeless shoemaker, shopkeepers often live with their own inventory better than anyone else.

Case in point: John Derian, the couple behind Mjölk, and Isabelle Dubois-Dumee and Hubert Bettan of Les Petites Emplettes. This week’s discovery? Jenni Li of online Peruvian textiles emporium Intiearth. Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in Atlanta, Jenni is a mother of three; she was a fashion stylist for years before opening Intiearth just months ago, urged by friends and colleagues who kept wanting the things she returned with from visits to family in Peru. We knocked on Jenni’s door in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill and were not disappointed.

Photography by Dana Gallagher, styling by Helen Crowther.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 3 17

Above: “We bought our place in 2010 and did a small renovation mostly comprised of taking out walls and removing dropped ceilings,” says Jenni of the 1901 townhouse. “We refreshed existing details, painted everything white, and called it a day.”

The living area is now open to the dining room and kitchen. The giant dreamcatcher over the mantel is a souvenir from a beach vacation in Tumbes, Peru. The white linen sofa came from ABC Home and is draped with an Intiearth frazada and pillows, including some made of Andes white alpaca.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 8a 18

Above: Intiearth Woven Pillows, $60 each, on a Barcelona chair. The company got its name from Inti, the Incan Sun God. Note that in addition to the white walls and floors, the furniture is cloaked in pale shades to create a neutral backdrop for Jenni’s bright textiles.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 4 19

Above: “The kitchen is the one room that got overhauled completely,” says Jenni. The cabinets are from Ikea finished with honed Carrara marble counters. “We also installed a big sliding glass door to connect the living spaces with the garden and bring in much-needed light.” The island was built from “an antique marble plate that had been in the family for years—it was used as a background for photo shoots; we turned it into an outdoor table and later added castors and made it an island.”

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 5 20

Above: Jenni folds frazadas in the laundry area on the other side of the kitchen. (In the market for a stackable washer/dryer? Take a look at our recent 10 Easy Pieces roundup.) The washer and dryer are surrounded by Ikea cabinets wallpapered with the kids’ artwork hung with washi tape in colors borrowed from the weavings.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 5b 21

Above: Intiearth’s frazadas are all vintage, one-of-a-kind pieces woven on back strap looms and colored with dyes made from plants and insects; most are priced at $320.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 7 22

Above: African wooden mortars and Intiearth frazadas stand out against the white-painted stair and floor.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 8 23

Above: The master bedroom’s vintage settee is an eBay purchase that Jenni reupholstered in natural linen to show off her pillows and rug.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 10a 24

Above: Jenni’s sons, ages 6 and 10, share a room patterned with John Robshaw Indian block-printed duvet covers and square pillows, and Intiearth’s Indigo Ikat Throws.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 10 25

Above: In the bathroom, an Indigo Ikat Throw is used as a curtain, a vintage runner serves as a bathmat, and a Peruvian Striped Basket holds towels.

intiearth jenni li brooklyn house dana gallagher photo remodelista 11 26

Above: A painting on canvas by Jenni’s college-age daughter hangs in the combination guest room/work space, where the bed is piled with Alpaca pillows. The standing lamp is Artemide’s classic Mega Tolomeo.

Join us for more visits with shopkeepers at home:

(Visited 3,315 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Product summary  

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0