Houses & Parties' Rebecca Gardner Creates a Whimsical ‘Twisted Victorian’ Brownstone in Park Slope

Interior designer, high-society events planner, and shop owner Rebecca Gardner knows how to tell a story that is full of elegance and whimsy, whether she’s throwing an event for names like Lauren Santo Domingo, dreaming up a one-of-a-kind tablescape for the holidays, or, in this case, breathing new life into a dark, historic brownstone in buzzy Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The clients had purchased the home while expecting their first child, and the wife had admired Gardner's work from afar for years. Ben Bischoff, principal at the renowned MADE architectural firm, took on the first leg of the work, helping the clients to find the property and bring it into the 21st century while preserving its heritage. Bischoff says he likes to think that the firm is known for a sensitive, thoughtful approach to projects—particularly historic buildings—as he and his team are entrusted to "carefully balance the spirit and detail of the original building with an honest attitude towards updating their features for contemporary lifestyles." It was this love of detail and reverence for the city's historic architecture that drew the couple to MADE in the first place.

“Ben is the type of partner that will go with clients to look at real estate, crawl into the attic spaces, and look into chimneys to make sure it’s just right,” says Gardner.

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Bischoff says the clients were looking for a classic Brooklyn brownstone with elegant proportions and details that wouldn't have to be minimized or eliminated with a modern update. After looking at several options, he found this stunning 1889 home on St. John's Place that had been owned by the same family for decades and had a real sense of place and connection to the neighborhood.

Bischoff says, "The building was rather untouched," and though many of the original details and materials were preserved, "it had also experienced the familiar narrative of these buildings and had been configured with multiple apartments." He adds, "Our directive from the new owners was to strip away these layers of modification and return the building to its original configuration as a home for a single family."

Gardner credits Bischoff with creating the ultimate blank canvas, which helped her transform this Victorian brownstone into the perfect home where a modern family could live and entertain with ease. Bischoff’s architectural transformation preserved much of the original details while flooding the home with natural light—a rare amenity for a home of this type—and opened up the garden level to make it more cohesive for both hosting and everyday living, indoors and out. He was also able to preserve the home's grand double parlor, with its stunning original moldings and grand proportions that would make an ideal site for parties. And considering the husband is a born-and-bred New Yorker while the wife hails from the south, the Savannah- and Manhattan-based designer was the perfect person to take over and turn this now-enviable piece of real estate into a warm and whimsical home.

The spacious, light-drenched kitchen that opens up to a dining area, reading nook, and garden is a far cry from its original state, thanks to MADE’s Ben Bischoff.

Gardner’s first design brief involved painting all of the “dark and foreboding” original Eastlake mahogany moldings to brighten up the place. Though the clients sought out the designer for her ability to infuse a space with playfulness and a chic dose of the unusual, they were adamant about keeping all of the original moldings, from the banisters and overmantels to the door frames. However, she says it was still important to ensure the home was comfortable, festive, and "conducive to light-hearted celebration."

“I had to take a deep breath and bow slowly to these dark Victorian details and vow my allegiance to lightening up the place while still making it joyful and quirky, and the way we really did that was with color,” Gardner says.

Soon enough, Gardner was dreaming up a new design story that she now calls “Twisted Victorian,” which unites historic antiques and architectural details with nontraditional pattern plays and color stories. She says since the house had a great personality to begin with, she really leaned into the architecture and its Eastlake influences, but she also wanted to bring in whispers of Japanese influences through wallpaper, vases, and even antique bamboo furniture.

“Victorians had a wild fascination with Japanese art and culture, as the ports had just been reopened to the world after 200 years in 1854,” says Gardner. “There’s a slew of famous rooms from art and design history of this period that have these incredible Japanese influences, so it was really fun to come up with this ‘Twisted Victorian’ story. Clients like that I’m able to add a second layer driving how they will share and entertain in this house, along with how functional it can be.”

One of the most impressive feats Gardner undertook was her approach to lighting the home. She envisioned a house void of all ceiling fans, LED lights, and any light fixtures from the last century. All of the light fixtures are antique, from the circa-1930 Liege Belgium wall sconces from W. Gardner Antiques in the parlor to the opalescent Victorian-era pendant from 1stDibs in the entryway. She even relied on colored glass bell jars that were popular during this era to help infuse more vibrancy and personality into the home in an authentic way.

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“We also put a lot of effort into finding silk lampshades that would cast a beautiful, soft glow in every room,” says Gardner. “The natural light in the daytime is vibrant, but once the sun sets, the fixtures cast soft pools of light at different heights, which is flattering and mood-enhancing.”

Of course, Gardner excels in her execution of color and pattern play. The primary bedroom is one of the most exemplary showcases of her skill in the home, as she masterfully pairs a green and peach Morris & Co. wallpaper with a powder blue ceiling and mustard trim. However, the wild and whimsical design isn’t just for the private spaces—the imaginative vibrancy envelopes the owners and their guests from the moment they enter the home. The color play begins as soon as the front door opens, thanks to a Japanese-inspired wallpaper by Farrow & Ball, an antique colored glass light fixture, and a swoon-worthy silk stair runner in a claret red.

The primary bedroom features a leafy, pomegranate wallpaper by Morris & Co., a powder blue ceiling, and millwork painted Farrow & Ball’s India Yellow.

While Gardner says a 100% silk stair runner may be an unusual choice for a young, growing family, her clients quickly understood her vision of this piece only adding more patina, story, and interest over time as it wore. She says the husband especially loved this idea as it reminded him of the old library at Harvard University, so he could understand the benefit of an investment piece like this.

“I was very lucky to have clients who were both interested and interesting,” says Gardner. “I do really believe that a house is a party is a house is a party, and there’s no point in making such effort to have a really beautiful house that you’ve put your heart and soul into if you don’t share it with the people you love or want to love.”