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Jen Mankins’s project is a lesson in making a historic house feel calm without making it bland. Working with New York practice Ingui Architecture, the former Bird boutique owner designed the interiors of a six-story, landmarked Brooklyn brownstone built in 1895. White oak, pale paint and restrained millwork form the architectural background; patterned wallpaper, saturated upholstery, marble, lighting and family-sized spaces supply the character.
The result is useful to anyone planning a period-home renovation: preserve the building’s quiet envelope, then place color and pattern where daily life can support them. Remodelista’s Julie Carlson reported the project on September 25, 2026 (an updated version of a June 20, 2025 feature). Read the complete house tour at Remodelista.
A landmarked house, not a blank canvas
This is a six-story Brooklyn brownstone dating to 1895, so every decorating decision sits inside an existing architectural history. The landmark designation makes the distinction important: Mankins was not styling a new-build shell but editing rooms whose proportions, circulation and period details already carry meaning. Ingui Architecture, the New York firm that collaborated on the work, is described in the feature as a practice focused on sustainable living.
Mankins brought an unusual career transition to the commission. She had lived and worked in Brooklyn for more than two decades, first as the owner of the Bird boutique. She and her husband moved to Sweden with their twin toddler sons in 2022, and the Brooklyn house became her first professional interior-design project after the move. The clients were people she knew through Bird and, according to Mankins, trusted her new direction.
“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.
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That biography explains why the rooms feel neither conventionally Scandinavian nor conventionally Brooklyn. The architecture stays restrained, while the decorative language draws on Mankins’s continuing interest in Sweden.
How Swedish references became a color strategy
Mankins cites Josef Frank’s colors and patterns as a major influence. Frank’s work was championed by Estrid Erickson at Svenskt Tenn, and Mankins also points to the ceramics of Stig Lindberg and Lisa Larson. Her early exposure to Swedish design came through Ikea, but the finished house is more layered than a catalog interpretation of Scandinavian style.
The practical translation is a controlled contrast. Large surfaces are pale, warm and visually quiet. Smaller or more tactile elements carry the pattern: a vestibule textile, floral wallpapers, printed cloth, colorful tile, lamps and upholstered furniture. This lets a century-old interior remain legible while giving each room a distinct mood.
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| Design decision | Quiet component | Expressive component | Why it works in a family brownstone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall treatment | Pale lime or chalky paint | Printed wallpaper in selected bedrooms | Common areas stay flexible while private rooms can take more visual risk. |
| Woodwork | White-painted and natural oak cabinetry | Colored upholstery and lighting | The millwork remains useful and timeless; movable pieces can change later. |
| Flooring | Continuous white oak chevron | Black-and-white marble in the entry | A consistent floor links six levels while the vestibule announces arrival. |
| Textiles | Sheer linen curtains and restrained bedroom fabric | Printed cottons, floral papers and performance upholstery | Durability and personality are assigned according to how each room is used. |
| Lighting | Soft ambient fixtures | A sculptural brass pendant at the entry | One memorable object can establish the tone without filling every ceiling. |
The entry establishes the palette immediately
At the entrance, a brass Dodo Egg Light by Beata Heuman provides a focal point. The stairs are painted Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, a clean white that keeps the vertical circulation bright. Two-by-two-inch black-and-white marble squares cover the floor, adding a graphic note underfoot without competing with the stair color. In the vestibule, Josef Frank’s Citrus Garden pattern from Schumacher introduces the Swedish influence before visitors reach the main rooms.
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The parlor floor uses paint as a background, not a spectacle
On the parlor level, Color Atelier lime paint in Old White and sheer linen curtains create a deliberately quiet envelope. Lime paint has a soft, mineral appearance that changes subtly with daylight; here it gives the walls depth without introducing a strong hue. The restraint leaves room for the elements Mankins wanted to notice: upholstered seating, pillows, dining chairs, lamps and a custom checkerboard rug.
This is a useful approach when a room must handle several activities. Instead of assigning a different wall color to every furnishing, keep the walls visually steady and let furniture carry seasonal or personal changes. A painter adapting the idea should test the chosen pale color at morning, afternoon and evening, because a warm white can shift considerably beside natural oak and colored fabric.
One continuous floor ties the six stories together
White oak chevron flooring runs throughout the interiors. The repeated geometry supplies movement, but the light wood keeps the effect warm rather than formal. Mankins describes the choice this way:
“We used white oak chevron flooring throughout the interiors; it creates a warm, welcoming environment,” Jen says.
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Using one floor across connected levels is a strong organizing move in a tall townhouse. It prevents each story from becoming an unrelated vignette and allows paint, wallpaper and upholstery to change while the underfoot experience remains consistent. In a landmarked renovation, that visual continuity can also help new work feel respectful of the original structure rather than pasted onto it.
The kitchen balances painted and natural oak cabinetry
The kitchen is intentionally classic. White-painted and natural-oak millwork are paired with two stones: Blue de Savoie marble on the main counters and Super White Quartzite on the island. The cabinetry is painted Farrow & Ball Schoolhouse White.
“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.”
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The split between painted and natural wood prevents a long run of cabinets from becoming visually heavy. It also gives a painter two different tasks: achieving an even, durable finish on the painted doors and protecting the natural-oak areas without trying to make them look identical. The stone choices provide variation in use and scale—the perimeter and island read as related surfaces, not one uninterrupted slab.
The primary suite is quieter and more tactile
The primary bedroom uses Farrow & Ball Dimity, a softer neutral than the entry stair white. A Pinch bed is upholstered in Rose Uniacke Heavy Linen in Storm, bringing a deep, textural counterpoint to the pale walls. The bedroom connects to a study area, so the color has to support both rest and focused work rather than function only as a dramatic backdrop.
In the primary bath, checkerboard towels from Baina add pattern in a replaceable layer. That distinction matters: a towel can be changed more easily than tile or millwork. It is a sensible way to introduce a graphic motif while keeping the fixed surfaces calm.
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The children’s floor is planned around shared use
The most memorable family feature is a communal reading nook measuring 11 feet. It is upholstered in Sister Parish Mahalo performance fabric in Summer Blue. Mankins calls it her favorite space:
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“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 dimension is project-specific, not a general standard for children’s rooms. Its importance is the planning principle: a shared landing can become a destination when seating is large enough for several children and an adult to use together. Performance upholstery addresses the wear that a purely decorative textile might not tolerate.
The walls use Christopher Farr Cloth Cactus Flower in Grass, designed by Commune. In the girls’ rooms, bolder floral wallpapers include Amy Wilder’s Flora Sprout and Josef Frank’s Klöverblad. The children’s bathrooms use eight-by-eight-inch Clé cement tile in either Paste and Mallard or Paste and Rose. These are high-color choices, but they are concentrated on the children’s level, where a stronger identity is appropriate and easier to revise later than a whole-house treatment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the project teaches about choosing paint and pattern
The house offers a repeatable decision framework rather than a shopping list. Start by deciding which rooms need visual rest. Circulation areas, shared living rooms and work zones usually benefit from a stable wall color. Then identify rooms where pattern will improve use or mood—children’s bedrooms, a vestibule, a reading area or a small bathroom.
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- Map the fixed architecture. Record the existing stair geometry, ceiling heights, trim and sightlines before selecting colors. In a landmarked house, these elements are part of the design brief.
- Choose a unifying base. A warm white or pale mineral finish can connect floors and rooms while allowing furniture and textiles to change.
- Assign pattern by room function. Use durable or washable materials where children gather, and reserve delicate decorative textiles for lower-contact areas.
- Coordinate undertones. Compare paint samples beside the actual oak, marble, curtains and upholstery. Whites that look neutral alone can turn pink, yellow or gray next to stone and wood.
- Control the transition points. A patterned vestibule, stair landing or bathroom can act as a hinge between quieter rooms. Stop the pattern at a clear architectural boundary rather than scattering it randomly.
- Test sheen and texture in real light. Lime paint, linen and natural wood each absorb and reflect light differently. Sample large areas, not only small cards, before committing.
How to adapt the palette without copying the house
A smaller townhouse or apartment does not need the same products to achieve the same balance. Keep one or two calm, light surfaces as the visual infrastructure, then select a limited number of expressive elements. For example, a quiet wall color can coexist with a patterned runner and one upholstered chair; a natural-wood island can anchor a kitchen whose perimeter cabinets are painted; a children’s room can take a full floral wall while the hall outside remains plain.
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Scale is particularly important. The brownstone can absorb a large reading nook and multiple wallpapered bedrooms because it has six levels and distinct zones. In a compact home, a single patterned wall or a fabric headboard may deliver enough impact. The principle is not maximal decoration; it is matching intensity to the room’s size and use.
Materials named in the tour: what is and is not established
The feature identifies the paints, stones, fabrics, lighting, furniture, tile and wallpapers used in this specific project. It does not establish current stock, present-day prices, seller identity, regional shipping or marketplace availability for those items. Treat the names as references for researching color, texture and performance—not as a guarantee that an identical product can be ordered today.
Nor is this a head-to-head product test. Remodelista documents one completed house and the designer’s reasons for its selections; it does not publish comparative performance measurements for the paints, stones or textiles. If you are specifying substitutes, compare samples for undertone, cleanability, slip resistance, lightfastness and maintenance requirements under your own conditions.
Why the restrained envelope matters
The project’s success comes from the relationship between restraint and exuberance. Pale walls, white oak and simple cabinetry prevent the historic shell from being overwhelmed. Patterned textiles, floral papers, colorful cement tile and a sculptural entry light then feel intentional rather than chaotic. The approach also leaves room for the family to grow: towels, pillows, lamps and upholstery can change without repainting every room.
For a painter, that means the most important work may be the least conspicuous. Consistent preparation, clean transitions, an even finish and carefully chosen undertones create the background that allows the memorable pieces to work. The Brooklyn brownstone is persuasive not because every room is loud, but because every burst of color has a quiet surface around it.
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