A Brooklyn Brownstone Reimagined, with Interiors by a Rising Design Star

If you’re familiar with the much-loved, much-lauded boutique empire Bird in Brooklyn, you know that the shops defined indie style in the borough for more than a decade (see the NY Times piece Saying Goodbye to Bird, “the shop that created the ‘Brooklyn Look’ of the aughts).

Plot twist: In 2022, owner Jen Mankins closed her stores, moved to Sweden, and shifted her focus to interior design.

Here’s the backstory:

“I lived and worked in Brooklyn for more than two decades before my college boyfriend-turned-husband and I decided to move to Sweden with our twin toddler sons in 2022,” Jen says. “Our timing coincided with me landing my first professional interior design with Brooklyn-based clients I knew through Bird. Luckily, even though I was moving 4,000 miles away and embarking on a new profession, they didn’t blink an eye.”

In concert with Ingui Architecture, a NY firm known for its approach to sustainable living, Jen designed the interiors of a six-story landmarked brownstone from 1895. Her inspiration? “Sweden has been hugely influential for me personally and continues to be a never-ending source of design inspiration. On my earliest visits to Stockholm with my husband, I was immediately drawn to the colors and patterns of Josef Frank designs championed by visionary retailer Estrid Erickson at Svenskt Tenn. I was charmed by the whimsical ceramics of Stig Lindberg and Lisa Larson. (Although I can’t deny that my first experience with Swedish design was via Ikea, the design emporium that has for over 80 years brought Swedish style to the masses.)”

Join us for a tour of Jen’s recently completed project:

Photography by Jessica Antola.

Above:  A brass Dodo Egg Light with a painted finish from London-based Swedish designer Beata Heuman illuminates the entryway. “The stairs are painted in Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace,” Jen says. “It ‘s a great classic soft white that has no dominant strong undertones, so it is neutral, looks great in light or shadows, and it’s bright and fresh without feeling too cold or stark. The entrance floor is tiled in classic 2-by-2-inch square black and white marble to evoke what might have been there originally. The vestibule is papered in Josef Frank’s classic Citrus Garden from Schumacher.” Above: “On the parlor floor, we created a neutral envelope using Color Atelier lime paint in Old White and sheer linen floor-to-ceiling curtains. We punched the interiors with color on almost every upholstered piece of furniture, printed pillows, and dining chairs, colorful lighting and lamps, and a custom checkerboard rug from Armadillo. Above: The Curved Sofa from Nickey Kehoe is upholstered in Rose Uniake Hemp in Ivy. The Filigrana S3/S4 Ellipse Pendant is by Established & Sons for Flos (for more ideas, see our post Remodelista Reconnaissance: Festive, Lollipop-Like Pendant Lights). The chairs are upholstered in color-coordinated velvet from Manuel Canovas in Brique and Sienna Above: The Harper dining table from UK-based Pinch is surrounded by vintage chairs upholstered in Josef Frank’s Baranquilla Wine. “We used white oak chevron flooring throughout the interiors; it creates a warm, welcoming environment,” Jen says. The brass Walska Pendant Light is from Urban Electric. Above:  “We kept the kitchen quite classic, with a combination of white painted and natural oak millwork and two coordinating countertops: Blue de Savoie marble from ABC and for the island Super White Quartzite. The millwork is painted in Farrow & Ball Schoolhouse White, another great soft, neutral white with muted warmth and good depth.” Above: The wall sconces are painted metal, and the island pendants are cream ceramic, both giving subtle material textures without any bold color statements. Above: “We wanted the primary bedroom to have a warm glow, so we used Farrow & Ball Dimity, a soft, pale taupe that almost reads as pink. The  Pinch bed is upholstered in Rose Uniake Heavy Linen in Storm.” Above: In the primary bath, checkerboard towels from Baina add a note of whimsy. Above: The primary bedroom features an adjoining study area. Above: “My favorite space is the communal area on the children’s floor, where we created the coziest, but still massive, 11-foot reading nook upholstered in Sister Parish Mahalo performance fabric in Summer Blue. The walls are papered in Christopher Farr Cloth Cactus Flower wallpaper in Grass designed by LA architects Commune. Above: “The girls wanted bold, floral wallpapers in their rooms,” like the Josef Frank Söndagsmorgon shown here. Above: One of the children’s baths is clad in 8-by-8-inch Clé cement tile in Paste and Mallard. Above: A girl’s bedroom is wallpapered in Josef Frank Klöverblad. Above: A girl’s bath  is lined in 8-by-8-inch Clé cement tile in Paste and Rose.

For more Nordic design, see our Scandinavian archive.