A Clinton Hill Brownstone with Chinese Inflections by Bespoke Only

"The architecture of 19th-century Shanghai was a study in eclecticism, a blend of traditional Chinese design and Western classical styles that was a direct reflection of the city's foreign concessions at the time. This is the period from which designer Melissa Lee, principal and founder of Brooklyn-based Bespoke Only, drew inspiration when she was tapped to overhaul a Clinton Hill duplex a couple of years ago."

"Referencing a design period that happened halfway around the world more than a century ago may seem unusual, but Melissa saw a connection between Shanghai then and Brooklyn now: "We found a compelling resonance between Clinton Hill's layered, eclectic architecture [where Victorian, Beaux-Arts, Queen Anne, and Neo-Greek styles coexist] and the decorative traditions of 19th-century Shanghai-both born of cultural intersection." Not to mention, her clients, a young couple with three dogs, wanted to incorporate their Chinese heritage in the redesign of their home."

Designer Melissa Lee drew inspiration from 19th-century Shanghai's eclectic mix of Chinese and Western classical styles to redesign a two-floor Clinton Hill duplex. The apartment occupied a stately 1878 brownstone but had lost much of its historic detailing through successive renovations. The project reestablished architectural hierarchy by repositioning the downstairs kitchen as the central social space and reconfiguring the upstairs into two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Those spatial changes reintroduced rhythm and functionality aligned with the couple's daily needs. Decorative choices referenced the layered, eclectic traditions shared between Clinton Hill and 19th-century Shanghai while honoring the clients' Chinese heritage.

Read at Remodelista