ST201901

ESCAPE (^) | HOME STYLE
O
nce one of New York City’s scruffier
boroughs, Brooklyn was reborn at
the start of the 21st century, when
its dilapidated warehouses and
un-down brownstones were colonised by
artists, musicians and anyone with a renegade
pirit. Drawn by more space, low rents, waterside
property and proximity to Manhattan, the new
nhabitants quickly made the borough their own.
Homes were furnished inventively with items
ound in skips, junk shops and derelict
factories. Furniture was made from reclaimed
wood, and walls were stripped back to bare brick.
During the course of its reinvention, the word
‘Brooklyn’ became synonymous with all things
hipster, and its warehouse aesthetic rippled out
across the globe. As Brooklyn smartened up,
rental prices soared, driving many artists out.
The style they engendered lives on, however. To
introduce a little New York loft style into your
home, keep things a little bit shabby – metallic
trolleys, a battered leather armchair, recycled
furniture – and add a few surprising elements to
honour the creatives that kickstarted this style.
(^1) Wickham armchair with faux-leather seat, £239, cultfurniture.com (^2) Handmade tropical ficus glass bell jar, £75,
ellajames.co.uk^3 1950s Eastern Bloc Machinist light, £600, skinflintdesign.com^4 Piet Boon Shabby Grey Concrete
wallpaper, £175, thelongeststay.com^5 Pewter and brass Brooklyn dome pendant light, £129, limelace.co.uk^6 Industrial
round metal plant pots on stands, £60 for two, thefarthing.co.uk^7 Dance Party cushion, £25, House by johnlewis.com
(^8) Bell floor light by Tom Dixon, £845, rume.co.uk (^9) Brunel sideboard, £499, outandout.com (^10) Matrix three-tier vase,
£45, habitat.co.uk^11 Four column radiator, £265, theoldcinema.co.uk^12 Brooklyn map by Jazzberry Blue, £29, made.com
(^13) Industrial trolley shelving unit, £235, thefarthing.co.uk (^14) Potted artificial yucca, £35, sweetpeaandwillow.com
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ILLUSTRATION: JOE MCINTYRE
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