Proof You Can Preserve a Home's Historic Details and Still Go Bold

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Living in a historic house? Cool. Very cool. Renovating and decorating one? Nerve-racking. Especially if you want to make some bold moves. Enter Danielle Fennoy of NYC-based Revamp Interior Design, who is a bit of an expert in preserving a home's history while also embracing the unexpected. Her design for a four-story brownstone, located on Lincoln Place in picturesque Park Slope, Brooklyn, is proof.

Like many of the buildings in Park Slope, the brownstone was built more than a century ago. Nestled among other architectural treasures, Revamp worked to cultivate a new persona for the home without losing any of its historical significance. It was also important to the firm to pull inspiration from the clients' home countries. "The husband grew up in Ghana and the U.K. and the wife is Indian, so beautiful textiles were a big component to the project," Fennoy said. The result is a design that allows bright colors and eccentric elements to coexist alongside history.

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Dining Room

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In the dining room, Jayson Home's Dakota table is crowned with a custom-designed marble top and surrounded by vintage chairs. Modern meets historic with Remi bookcases from Crate & Barrel, which serve as bookends to an original wood mantel.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Dining Room

An antique mirror, original to the home, functions as an extension of the design and as a mark of the home's history. The mirror overlooks a rich indigo Patterson Flynn Martin broadloom carpet. Jill Malek designed the sandstone wallcovering.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Sitting Room

This original mantel, paired with funky wallpaper, is a perfect example of how to balance key historical components with more contemporary ones. A white chair from Room & Board offers a calm and neutral option to go with the room's spirited design.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Den

The vintage lamp found on 1stdibs is lead designer Danielle Fennoy's favorite piece sourced for the project. "It pulled everything together," Fennoy said.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Den

High design can also be comfortable. In the den, Knoll's Womb chair offers cozy seating for guests, while a cushion-topped ottoman invites you to kick back and relax.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Living Room

A curved, '70s-style sofa from MGBW Home picks up the tones in the ikat rug, but not much else goes for a match in the living room, with its midcentury chairs reupholstered with fabric from Ghana and natural wood coffee table.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Living Room

Here's proof that you shouldn't be afraid to mix patterns, and you can do so even beyond textiles — patterned ceramics can add depth to a design.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Alcove

In an unusual recessed area, Revamp worked in a decidedly modern piece (the 379 Credenza from Regeneration Furniture), which sits right next to the door for the home's dumbwaiter — an artful past/present mashup.

Image Credit: Travis Mark

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Kitchen

The one place that goes full-on modern? The kitchen, which uses wood as a backdrop to a gorgeous marble-topped island.

Image Credit: Travis Mark