This 750-Square-Foot Brooklyn Duplex Boasts Exposed Beams and a Bed Nook

Sarah Lyon
·5 min read

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During her 2023 apartment search, New York City native and interior designer Kate McElhiney craved a character-filled unit that she and her husband could call their own—and she wasn’t willing to settle for a so-so space in the process. “It started to seem like all rental landlords were in cahoots to make each apartment more boring than the next,” McElhiney reflects. However, when touring her current place—a 750-square-foot unit located on one of Brooklyn Heights’ famed “fruit streets”—she immediately saw potential in the exposed wood beams and lofted duplex layout.

Interior designer Kate McElhiney in her Brooklyn Heights home.
Interior designer Kate McElhiney in her Brooklyn Heights home.

“The floor plan is a little bit squirrely, so it was trickier than normal to figure out furniture for the downstairs space,” shares McElhiney, who has spent the last year making the fourth-floor walk-up feel like home. Though the designer was hesitant to spend too much money transforming a rental, she was eager to customize her unit using her many existing decorative items, without picking up so much as a paintbrush in the process. “I had amassed a good collection of lamps, textiles, and artwork in the years before we moved in, so it was a joy to finally be able to use all my pieces and see them come together so easily,” explains McElhiney, who worked for Kari McCabe, the founder of Kari McCabe Inc., for four years after college. “She taught me everything and imparted her love of Scandinavian design on me too,” McElhiney says. “She also introduced me to my now husband, who was working for her husband at the time.”

McElhiney’s next role was working for AD100 talent Peter Pennoyer. “His in-house interior design team was led by Alice Engel, who is still a great friend,” she shares. “At PPA, I learned how to stretch my imagination as Peter and Alice knew artisans and craftspeople who could make anything we could dream up—a creative’s dream.”

McElhiney’s husband has played the piano since he was five years old. “He had an old keyboard, and I finally convinced him to upgrade to this white-oak veneered stunner when we moved to this apartment,” the designer says. Above the piano hang two of McElhiney’s own abstract works. The designer received her MFA in painting from Pratt Institute.
McElhiney shares that this Swedish cabinet is from an auction house in Stockholm. “I’ve always been obsessed with the original Josef Frank botanical cabinets and discovered that vintage reproductions often come up for auction in Sweden,” she says. “I started following a few and finally pounced on this more diminutive one, perfect under the eaves.”

Living in a small space, the designer prefers more streamlined pieces and found herself drawn to colorful accents when furnishing this unit. “It’s important to remember what truly speaks to you when designing your own space,” McElhiney says, “as opposed to trying to copy a certain style that you think looks good online.” She adds that her husband, who is also a color lover, offered many thoughtful design suggestions too. “He actually had one of the best money-saving ideas, which was to order two smaller sisal rugs and push them together instead of ordering a custom shaped sisal rug to fit the L-shaped downstairs space,” the designer shares.

McElhiney considers this dining nook one of her best small-space hacks. “The banquette in the dining area allows us to push the dining table closer to the wall,” she says, noting that she sourced the fabric for the Billy Baldwin piece in New York City’s Garment District. The print hanging above the banquette is the only piece of art in the apartment that wasn’t one of McElhiney’s or another family member’s own creations.
The small, utilitarian kitchen is far from boring thanks to some thoughtful pattern play.
The small, utilitarian kitchen is far from boring thanks to some thoughtful pattern play.

McElhiney finds inspiration all over, often through art. “The Siena show at The Met has given me an intense craving to use vermillion red in a project soon,” she shares. “I’m also frankly obsessed with Saint Ursula’s bedroom in Carpaccio’s The Dream of St Ursula.” Though she’s only 31 years old, McElhiney acknowledges that living in a high-story walk-up apartment may not be ideal for the long haul. However, she says, “We love lying in bed at night and being able to see the moon and a couple of stars from the skylight in our room. I think we will live here as long as we can.”

Vintage Svenskt Tenn curtains, also from a Swedish auction house, hang in the joint office/guest room space. “Adding the curtains around the twin bed in my office made the space feel so much more intentional than it would have otherwise,” says McElhiney, who explains that, ever since she was a little girl, she’s “always wanted a nook bed.” She adds, “We haven’t had a guest stay here yet, but I sometimes read my book in there or take a nap.”
The bedroom boasts skylights, not commonly found in New York City rentals. McElhiney stuck with soothing blues and whites for her sleep space, allowing the exposed beams and wood trim to pop.
The bedroom boasts skylights, not commonly found in New York City rentals. McElhiney stuck with soothing blues and whites for her sleep space, allowing the exposed beams and wood trim to pop.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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