Two Small Space Approaches by Studio Fauve
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This week we wanted to look at two Brooklyn spaces: one apartment in Bed-Stuy and one apartment in Greenpoint, designed by interior design studio, Studio Fauve, a master of making small spaces seem open and bright. We featured another NY project by the studio last year that serves as a great introduction to designer Charlotte Sylvain's style and approach. In the projects we're talking about today, Studio Fauve uses multi-purpose custom wood pieces to anchor the spaces and help make the most of a smaller footprint while not sacrificing beauty.
Right now, it's easy to feel stuck in the sameness of life or feel too big for our spaces, so we all could use a reminder about the power of intentional design in improving our moods. If you want to explore this concept further, we're currently reading The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. If you need a meditation on the purpose of design during difficult times, check it out.
Space One: Greenpoint Apartment
When your living room and office are in the same area, utilizing space and making sure purpose is split between function, comfort, and inspiring aesthetics can be quite the challenge. For this Greenpoint project, the focal point is a large custom desk/shelving unit. The fine detailing of the millwork in the oak, as well as the styling on the shelf, helps the room feel design-forward and studious, with nods to nordic design like the L-Oiseau Wooden Bird by Vitra and plenty of art-focused literature.
Sylvain pulls in more oak with the furniture including Menu's Turning Coffee Table and a hint of steel for contrast with the Peek Table Lamp on the desk and another Lekker favorite, the Androgyne Side Table.
The kid's rooms are as equally as fresh and delightful, using whimsical designs from the kids' line by Ferm Living. The pattern work here stays fun, with the colors of the Shay Patchwork Quilt in Mustard balancing the room. The master bedroom emits peaceful energy with Scandinavian simplicity, effortless linen bedding, modern art on the walls, and of course the TR Bulb Table Lamp.
Space Two: Bed-Stuy Minimal
The centerpiece for this Bed Stuy setup is a custom banquette that functions as a kitchen bench, tv concealment, and shelving. The tv is located in an internal compartment, and the banquette contains mitered corner doors around the unit for more hidden storage. Do you spy the Blacksaw Midnight Throw hanging on the wall?
Studio Fauve is faithful to Menu (as are we) using more TR bulbs in her interiors, here with the TR Bulb Suspension Frame. In this space, Sylvain mixes wood finishes, like traditional oak and the black stained wood of the Coco Side Table. It's a reminder that a properly executed floorplan has room for incorporating all different finishes, textures, and shapes.
And the detailing on the banquette, like the hand-carved grooves and beautiful wood grain, help prevent a piece as functional as this one from coming across as clinical or cold. The same palette follows into the bedroom, even using TR Bulbs again in their wall lamp form and the same coffee table from the living room returning as a bed bench. We love Sylvain's pattern of bringing in different variations of the same furniture and decor in multiple rooms, it helps the space tell a cohesive story as the best design does.
The focus on round forms here is subtle but distinct, from the print on the accent pillow to the Roundhouse Side Table by Blu Dot. Even small spaces can do heavy design lifts, and sometimes, they do it even better.
