Top right: On Grenier: Jacket, Madewell Men’s; Jeans Outerknown. On Bailey-Babenzien: Jacket, Burberry; Shirt, Jil Sander; Pants, Noah. Above: Dome Pendant Lamps, Allied Maker; Alden Counter Stools, West Elm; Backsplash, Complete Tile; Faucet, Delta; Cabinetry by Tamas Matyek; Range by Ryan Grambart, Coppersmith; Vintage Vases, The Modern Republic; Large Deep Serving Bowl by KH Würtz, Roman and Williams Guild; Cutting Board, ABC Carpet & Home.
To sum it up, Karesse is “a strong, badass woman,” says Adrian, and therefore so is the project’s designer, Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, whom Adrian met through a mutual friend (not to mention her go-to stylist, Dyphor’s Francesca DeShae, and florists Rugiatu Jalloh and Effie Cudjoe of Reflorish). Architecture firm Archetype had split the brownstone into three units—two duplexes, a garden apartment, and a shared screening room—and extended the whole structure into the backyard. Bailey-Babenzien, with multiple immersive storefronts (she is also the cofounder of cult streetwear brand Noah) and restaurants on her résumé, was charged with crafting the new interiors from top to bottom—but not without some refereeing.
Below, from top: Sculptural Glass 3-Light Multi Chandelier, Metalwork Console with Marble Top, West Elm; Floor Tile, Complete Tile; Cabinetry by Tamas Matyek.
Above: Oval Marble Dining Table and Cane Dining Chairs, Dyphor; Perforated Single LED Chandelier, West Elm; Framed Art, Claudia Pearson; Vintage Taper Holders.
“If I’m going to make a home for
Designing the central stairway was another balancing act. The white oak banister, which dips and curves like an absurdly elegant roller coaster, jibes seamlessly with the brownstone’s old bones. But coated in midnight blue paint and paired with slim brass spindles—bought online for a great deal and cut to fit—the piece is decidedly contemporary. For all its beauty, though, Bailey-Babenzien refused to sacrifice function or comfort. The delicate bars also happen to let sunlight stream through the windowless middle of the house, a priority for both the designer and Adrian. (“My mom is a light in my life. I wanted to give that back to her,” he says.) A closet is surreptitiously tucked under the first flight, while the generous pyramid base is a place to sit and hang out by the fireplace in the sitting room. Bailey-Babenzien calls it a “stoop moment”—the Greniers are New Yorkers, after all.
In the kitchen, mother and son were on opposite sides of the age-old open shelving debate: He was for it; Karesse declared it a clutter magnet. “She would say, ‘I want that because that’s what you want.’ And I would say, ‘Okay, but I want you to have what you want,’” remembers Adrian. Bailey-Babenzien, for her part, didn’t see it as an either-or situation. With the help of contractor extraordinaire Liam Murray, she gave Adrian triple-stacked ledges on either side of the brass-edged hood, but extended the cabinets to the ceiling both in the kitchen and the pantry across the way, where not-so-attractive tools and clunky cookware could hide behind closed doors. (The tippy-top cupboards are reachable via a rolling ladder, which clicks on and off a track that goes across both spaces.)
“Ultimately they needed a designer to help figure out a happy medium,” says Bailey-Babenzien, laughing. Adrian fell firmly into the clean, modern design camp, while Karesse was more comfortable with classic materials and silhouettes. But their differences led to the creative solutions found in every room of the parlor-level duplex, designated Karesse’s apartment.
my mom, it’s got to have all the
values that she instilled in me.”
“
Above: Oval Marble Dining Table and Cane Dining Chairs, Dyphor; Perforated Single LED Chandelier, West Elm; Framed Art, Claudia Pearson; Vintage Taper Holders.