New York interior designer Delia Kenza didn’t go through any bidding wars, or an arduous search for the perfect family home to acquire her 1880s Brooklyn brownstone; the Clinton Hill property has been in her family for generations. Delia and her family moved into the home after her aunt, who had lived in the brownstone for decades, no longer wanted to live in the city full time. “Since I was a little girl I’ve known the house; I’ve grown up seeing the original details, high ceilings, shutters and plasterwork,” Delia says. She had a clear idea of how she wanted to modernise her new home, which she shares with her husband Júlio Leitão and their two daughters, but the very details that lend the property its character and charm would prove problematic when making the home comfortable. It was up to Delia to find solutions that wouldn’t interfere too much with the fabric of the building.
A trip to France had made a lasting impression on the interior designer and would have a marked influence on the aesthetics of the family home. “I had visited the Louvre while in Paris and was inspired by the timber floors, white walls and brass handrails,” she says. “The rooms were full of very old paintings, yet the space was modern and I appreciated the way they managed to bridge the old and the new together.” Delia borrowed the black-and-white palette with brass accents for her interior scheme. “With this arrangement, whatever artwork we’d hang would pop on the walls.” Alongside the art, other stylish additions include an Afteroom bench by Menu and the IC pendant light by Flos.
Preservation – an important element of the renovation project – would, however, test Delia’s creativity. “I had to figure out how to add air conditioning without tearing out all the original plasterwork,” she explains. “We installed a split system as it was the least intrusive; it ended up being more cost-effective, too, as the AC doesn’t need to be on throughout the property, but can be zoned.”
While updating all the heating and plumbing, Delia and her team needed to conceal the new pipework and wiring. “We worked to find ways to hide the new,” says Delia. “For instance, we had to create some corners in the walls that effectively hide the piping.” Original fireplaces are still present in most of the rooms as Delia was reluctant to remove or change them due to their historical value. “They’re all functioning, but in some spaces we’ve installed woodburning stoves to contain the soot,” she says. “They’re effective in heating the house and we’re fortunate that we can have wood delivered here in New York.”
The main entrance doors have remained, but they’re more detailed and bolder than before. “I was sitting on the staircase and looking at the doors. I was like, ‘Wow, they’re so beautiful and they need their own moment.’” It wasn’t until she visited a friend’s office and saw a mural she admired that she thought of adding colour to the units. “We contacted the Ugandan artist Moosh and asked him to do his thing on the two doors, so that when they’re open they make a big impact,” she says. “The door handles were falling apart so I found these simple cylinder handles which are a great contrast.”
In the kitchen a central island makes a statement. “I knew I wanted an all-black kitchen and I found that black honed granite is robust, natural and affordable – plus honed is not the expected finish.” Delia wanted a functional kitchen where they could have parties or guests for dinner. “It needed to be a place where people could gather and it wouldn’t feel like a museum, yet be robust.” Delia chose hard-wearing matt-finish white cabinet fascias while large slabs of veined white marble make up the splashback, which runs all the way up to the ceiling. “I chose it for the drama,” she says. However, she confirms that she was keen to employ quality materials that lean into her aesthetic. “We all have our different spots in the house that we gravitate to, but I love the little nook in the kitchen with the Fritz Hansen Drop chairs. I’m always sitting on the bench doing work, drinking coffee.”
Extending to the rear has brought natural light into the kitchen with tall, black-framed sliding doors opening out to a decked area with a barbecue. “We didn’t go crazy with the glazing because all you can see is the back of people’s houses. But it was important for me to have easy access to the deck and grill.”
Creating a new bathroom at entrance level required careful planning and Delia exploited the quirks of the property to carve out a new space. “Brownstones traditionally have two entrances; one to the living room and the other to the kitchen, both from the main hallway,” she explains. “We closed the one off to the kitchen and were able to create a new bathroom.” By re-using salvaged moulding from demolition at the rear of the property, her team was able to create architraves that frame the doorway and make it seem like it’s always been there.
Another addition that fits in perfectly is a white sculpture by her husband. “When he created his first sculpture I loved it so much that I immediately claimed it for the house. It was made for that space even if he didn’t know it,” says Delia. The prized piece has been mounted on to the living room wall, and although contemporary in style, it contrasts effectively with the property’s period features. “When people walk into our home they always say, ‘This is so you’, and it is a reflection of our family,” says Delia. “I’m African-American, my husband is Angolan-Congolese and our children are a blending of these cultures, so throughout the home you have this natural fusion.”
