Before & After: Swedish Barns Inspired a Film Editor’s Dramatic Brooklyn Brownstone Revamp
After a Scandinavian-style update by architect Sarah Jacoby, the 1890 Bed-Stuy home pairs several shades of red with restored architectural details.
After a Scandinavian-style update by architect Sarah Jacoby, the 1890 Bed-Stuy home pairs several shades of red with restored architectural details.
A film editor by trade, Julia Bloch went to school in Denmark, lived in Copenhagen for a few years after that, and traveled extensively before moving to New York City. After 15 years of renting in the city, she was ready for a larger, permanent home—one that could evolve with her needs, and that reflected her experience abroad and innate creativity. She also dreamed of a welcoming space where friends and family could stay, relish long dinners, and linger.
When she first toured this brownstone in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, the paint was chipping and peeling off the woodwork, the bathrooms were dark and decrepit, and the floors were worn from decades of use. But she loved the generous proportions, the original doors, and the crystal doorknobs—so she put in an offer. After losing out to a higher bidder, she was surprised to get a call: Their offer fell through, and—just three weeks after the disappointment of losing out—the house became hers.
Elated and eager to get started, Julia enlisted Brooklyn-based architect Sarah Jacoby to bring her vision to life. Known for balancing historic preservation with a willingness to take risks, Jacoby helped honor the brownstone’s past while updating the space for Julia’s lifestyle—and her penchant for bold hues.
Before: Entry
Before: When film editor Julia Bloch purchased this Brooklyn brownstone, brown trim carried through the entryway and up the stairs to the top level.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Jacoby Architect
After: Entry
Architect Sarah Jacoby removed the ceiling tiles, brightened up the space with paint, and refinished the flooring.
Photo: Ty Cole
Color makes its first impression at the entry, where the interior doors and trim are coated in Deep Rose by Benjamin Moore, a rich red in a shiny semigloss finish. The saturated shade energizes the space and draws the eye into the home and up the staircase.
The color pays homage to Julia’s travels: "I’ve always loved the color of barns, which I saw a lot in Sweden when I lived in Scandinavia. I’d go into the Swedish countryside, and there is a specific color, a deep, earthy red that is a national color that they use to paint barns in Sweden– It’s the perfect red," she explains. "There is something very satisfying about it, so I was trying to match that."
The home has a bold red entry, muted pinks on the upper level, and rusty tones elsewhere. "It’s a combination I haven’t seen before, and it really works," Jacoby says.
Photo: Ty Cole
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: Swedish Barns Inspired a Film Editor’s Dramatic Brooklyn Brownstone Revamp
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