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The Clinton Hill Brownstone by Michael K. Chen Architecture (MKCA) uses color to organize rooms, connect interior spaces, and give new life to a deteriorated 1895 Brooklyn house. Rather than treating color as a layer of decoration added after the plan was set, the architects made it part of how the home is experienced: distinct palettes mark different areas, while a custom graduated tile floor links the garden level to the terrace. The renovation also restores historic features and brings daylight into the townhouse’s deep interior.
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What is the Clinton Hill Brownstone project?
It is the renovation of a four-story, landmarked brownstone in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood, designed by Michael K. Chen Architecture. Architectural Record reports that the house was built in 1895, had been abandoned for more than 20 years, and was completed in Fall 2019. The work addressed serious deterioration while adapting the house for contemporary living.
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For a painter, the renovation is especially notable for its approach to color. MKCA did not rely on a few bright accents against an otherwise neutral background. Instead, color helps distinguish and connect spaces, working alongside restored architectural details, tile, and daylight. The result makes color a part of the home’s spatial character, not simply a finishing choice.
How did MKCA use color to organize the house?
MKCA developed a distinct but cohesive palette for different areas of the brownstone. Its designers drew on vivid colors uncovered in the old finishes, including raspberry, turquoise, celadon, green, and blue, then used color across spaces and surfaces to help shape how the house reads.
That strategy matters in a narrow, multi-level townhouse, where one room may lead directly into another and circulation is part of the experience. Color can help signal a change in use or atmosphere without needing every space to be visually isolated. On the garden level, for example, blocks of color help differentiate the kitchen, pantry, stair, and other areas. The palette gives those rooms identity while keeping them part of a larger sequence.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteMichael K. Chen summarized the project’s intention in a statement published by MKCA: “You don’t look at the color, you inhabit it.” In practical terms, that means color is not limited to a small object or a single focal wall. It becomes something encountered across a room or while moving between rooms. The architect’s release describes a spatial approach to color; it does not provide paint names, color codes, or a room-by-room schedule of painted finishes.
The recovered historic colors are a starting point, not a claim that every original surface was preserved or repainted in its former shade. The house had suffered water and grime damage, crumbling plaster, and peeling lead paint. MKCA says the renovation balanced stabilization with recovering the house’s historic character. Some removed elements—including doors, baseboards, wainscoting, and plaster ornament—were recreated, while other features were protected and restored. The difference between restoration, recreation, and new design is important: the palette refers to colors found in old finishes, but the available project descriptions do not identify which individual colors belonged to which original rooms.
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What does the garden-level tile floor contribute?
The garden level uses a graduated tile floor to carry a color sequence through the interior and toward the terrace. This is a material extension of the project’s broader design idea: instead of assigning color only to vertical surfaces, the architects also use the floor to shape movement and connect spaces.
According to the architect’s project account republished by Archipro America in 2026, the custom floor comprises 2,800 tiles arranged in 17 color schemes. These are figures attributed to MKCA’s account, not independently measured counts. The information explains the scale of the composition, but it does not establish the exact layout, dimensions of individual tiles, grout color, or a currently available product that reproduces the custom design.
The floor’s transition toward the terrace is especially effective as a design idea because it links a sequence of interior rooms with an outdoor destination. It also shows how a color palette can be distributed across more than one material. In this project, the architects combine painted surfaces and tile rather than asking paint alone to perform every visual task.
For anyone looking to understand or adapt the approach, the useful lesson is not to copy a particular color sequence without context. It is to consider how color changes as people move through the plan and how floor, wall, and architectural details can support the same spatial idea. The project account credits The Cement Tile Shop with custom colorway encaustic concrete tile; that credit does not mean an exact current retail product or matching custom palette has been verified.
How does the renovation bring daylight into the brownstone?
Two major daylight interventions address the challenge of lighting the interior of a deep townhouse: a double-height light well above the primary bathroom tub and a separate sculptural skylight at the upper stair landing. The light well brings daylight to a part of the house that had only one small existing window, while the stair skylight adds light at the top of the circulation route.
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Chen described the problem plainly in Architectural Record: “The middle of a townhouse is always dark.” He also described the appeal of bathing in warm natural light from above. In this project, daylight is not only a functional consideration; it affects how the colored rooms and surfaces are perceived. Natural light changes over the day, so a color experienced under a skylight may read differently from one in a more enclosed part of the plan. The sources describe the daylight strategy but do not publish measured lighting levels or performance data.
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How does the project balance historic fabric and new design?
The renovation works with both original character and contemporary additions rather than treating them as opposites. MKCA reports that the house’s long abandonment left it with water and grime damage, crumbling plaster, and peeling lead paint. The project therefore required attention to the building’s condition as well as to its appearance.
Some architectural elements that had been removed were recreated, including doors, baseboards, wainscoting, and plaster ornament. Other features, such as a built-in mirror, were protected and restored. Those choices create a mix of retained, repaired, and newly made elements. They also help explain why the palette is not simply a historic-color reconstruction: the renovation had to recover character while accommodating new work and present-day use.
Chen described the relationship as “an appealing aesthetic tension” between historic elements and sleeker additions, reflecting what it means to occupy and care for historic houses in a modern way. The project’s color strategy fits that balance: it draws on colors uncovered in old finishes, but deploys them as part of a newly composed spatial scheme.
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Because the house had peeling lead paint, this project should not be read as a do-it-yourself paint-removal model. The source descriptions establish that lead paint was present and that the work involved stabilization and restoration; they do not spell out the abatement methods, containment procedures, or regulatory steps used. Anyone working on an older property should obtain qualified, location-appropriate guidance before disturbing suspect coatings.
Which materials and project credits are documented?
Architectural Record credits The Cement Tile Shop, Mutina, and ABC Stone among the floor sources. Its lighting credits include ANDlight, Flos, Cedar & Moss, and Michael Anastassiades; fixture and fitting credits include Toto, Jaclo, Duravit, Perlato, Aquabrass, Kohler, Watermark, and MGS. These are project credits, not confirmation that a particular item in a current catalog is the exact item installed.
MKCA’s release additionally identifies bathroom tile by Heath Ceramics, Mutina, and Ann Sacks, as well as custom colorway encaustic concrete tile from The Cement Tile Shop. It names furnishings including a Flos 265 wall lamp and an ANDlight Pipeline CM3 pendant. The project descriptions document these credits but do not provide a complete specification schedule, paint-product list, or exact paint colors.
Architectural Record identifies MKCA as architect, Morozov and LIA Engineering as engineers, THINK Construction as general contractor, and Brook Landscape as consultant. Archinect describes MKCA as architect and interior designer and also lists Think Construction, Morozov, LIA, and Brook Landscape among the project team. Those roles help clarify that the renovation involved a broader team, rather than being a palette exercise alone.
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What can painters take from this brownstone renovation?
The project offers several useful design principles, while leaving many product-level details unspecified:
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- Start with the building’s character. MKCA drew on colors uncovered in old finishes, connecting the new scheme to the house’s history without claiming that every historic finish could simply be preserved.
- Think of color as part of the plan. Distinct palettes and color blocks help identify spaces and shape the sequence through the garden level.
- Consider more than wall color. The graduated tile floor carries the visual sequence toward the terrace, showing how color can coordinate multiple surfaces and materials.
- Account for daylight. A light well and stair skylight bring natural light into the interior. A room’s light conditions influence how a color is experienced, although the project sources do not provide color samples or measured light data.
- Respect the difference between historic restoration and new work. The project includes restored features, recreated elements, and sleeker additions. A coherent palette can help them relate without disguising that they belong to different moments.
These are observations about the documented design approach, not a specification for reproducing the house. The published sources do not identify the exact paint products, sheen levels, application methods, or color formulas used. They also do not establish that the custom tile palette is available as a standard product.
What is known—and not known—about the project?
The sources establish the building’s age, condition, design team, core color strategy, major daylight interventions, and several material credits. They also report the project’s completion in Fall 2019 and give two slightly different floor-area figures. The custom tile count and palette count come from MKCA’s project account republished by Archipro America.
They do not establish a construction cost, exact paint specifications, the precise location of every recovered historic color, or comparative performance data. Architectural Record says cost was withheld. Nor do the sources offer a measured comparison with other brownstone renovations. The project is best understood on its own documented terms: a restoration and redesign that uses color, tile, and daylight to organize a historic townhouse.
Sources: Architectural Record’s project profile; MKCA’s project release; Archipro America’s republication of the architect’s account; and Archinect’s project listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Clinton Hill Brownstone located?
It is in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The supplied project sources identify the neighborhood but do not provide a street address.
Does the project name an exact paint color or paint brand?
No exact paint colors, color codes, or paint brands are identified in the project descriptions. They document colors uncovered in old finishes and a broader palette that includes raspberry, turquoise, celadon, green, and blue.
Can I buy the exact tile used in the garden-level floor?
The architect’s account describes a custom colorway encaustic concrete tile and credits The Cement Tile Shop, but the available information does not verify a matching current product or confirm present-day availability.
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Who was the general contractor for the renovation?
Architectural Record credits THINK Construction as general contractor. Archinect also lists Think Construction among the project team.
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