Marlowe House — Brooklyn
A 1908 brownstone, two parents, two teenagers, and a refusal to gut what was working.
The Parks bought Marlowe House in 2019 having lived through one prior renovation that they felt had sanded the original out of their previous home. The brief was deceptively simple: keep every original moulding, mantle, and wide-plank floor — but make the house feel as though their family had grown up inside it. Add warmth, layer light, and remove the previous owner's relentless white.
We worked closely with structural and millwork trades on three small interventions — a kitchen back-wall opening, a primary-suite floor-plan flip, and a basement library cut. The remaining 90% of the work was finishes, lighting, furniture, and the slow building of a wardrobe of art and objects.
Photography by Adrian Gaut. Furniture sourced through trade partners and four custom pieces commissioned with our preferred shop in Beacon, NY.
| Year completed | March 2026 · 14-month engagement, opened 18 months prior with a discovery walk-through |
| Architect of record | None — interior-only commission. Light structural work via R. Aledo Building, Brooklyn. |
| Contractor | Calderon & Sons, Brooklyn — long-time studio partner, 11th project together. |
| Custom millwork | Beacon Joinery Co. — kitchen, primary closet, library shelving, breakfast banquette. |
| Lighting design | In-house, three-plane plan: ambient, task, accent. 117 fixtures, 9 of them custom. |
| Paint & plaster | Limewashed plaster (Bauwerk in Bone Black), Farrow & Ball Railings & Pigeon, Portola Roman Clay (Stable). |
| Stone & tile | Calacatta Viola (kitchen island), unfilled travertine (primary bath), Zellige (kids' bath), reclaimed terracotta (entry). |
| Furniture origins | Approximately 40% vintage (1stDibs, local estate sales, Copenhagen sourcing trip), 30% custom, 30% trade. |
| Total budget | Mid-six figures, all-in incl. construction, FFE, art, lighting. |
The house — twelve rooms, photographed.
How Marlowe got built — phase by phase.
Discovery & brief
Two in-home sessions over four weeks — three hours of listening per session. Family routines, light maps, every closet inventoried.
Design development
Floor-plan options, three palette directions, custom millwork sketches. Twelve-week development before a single sample arrived.
Procurement & build
Construction phase, eight-month build with bi-weekly site walks. All 117 fixtures and 200+ items procured against a master schedule.
Install & styling
Four-day install, three days of art and object styling. Family moved in on day eight. Three-year touch-up clause kicks off here.
We have lived in three houses. This is the first one we'll grow old in. The kids' rooms — that nobody told us were the priority — are what we sit in most.
Could your home be No. 015?
We take six commissions a year. Two slots remain for autumn 2026. A 30-minute discovery call is the only first step.