Tired of her shadowy, closed-in flat, a New York mom wanted a new appearance to give her and her twin toddler girls a new start. Once a Brooklyn warehouse, this space had amazing brick walls and beamed ceilings that had been covered by Sheetrock. Interior designer Reiko Gomez stripped down the space to make it feel as a attic again and implemented feng shui principles to give both the customer and her home a new life.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Amom with twin toddlers
Location: Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1,800 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 baths
Reiko Feng Shui Design
“A lot of the remodel was really about eliminating,” says Gomez. “We removed walls, ceilings — all that had been needlessly added on, we took away.”
Dining table: client’s own; seat: Crate & Barrel; seats: Anthropologie; purple rug: One Kings Lane
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The apartment faces north and has windows on just 1 side, so Gomez opened this up as far as possible.
A preceding wall between the living area and master bedroom had established a long, dark and stifling space. So right off the bat, she tore it down to make a single well-proportioned room. “It isn’t very good feng shui to chop a space and limit its natural chi flow,” she says.
Reiko Feng Shui Design
Gomez tore down the older Sheetrock walls to expose the majority of the home’s original brick. However, of course, not all of the brick looked better in the beginning. She painted to give the brick a classic appearance and hide odd discolorations.
Gray rugs: vintage
Reiko Feng Shui Design
Taking away the Sheetrock presented an unanticipated problem: lots of plumbing. Exposing the ceiling and walls additionally showed a tangle of pipes and gas lines. Gomez had many rerouted, painted others whitened and utilized a few as a creative element — such as the aluminum piping close to the TV.
Coffee table: timber, client’s own; sofa: Restoration Hardware
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The kitchen and appliances design already worked well for the customer, so minimal changes have been needed. Gomez simply added a custom concrete island — an affordable choice to help stay within the budget — and also industrial pendant light for a bold appearance.
Island shirt: custom by Concrete Atelier; pendants: Barn Light Electric; bar stools: client’s own; array, hood: Wolf
Reiko Feng Shui Design
Once revealed, the wooden beams on the ceiling hung almost 16 inches down. Too many overhead beams make for bad feng shui, so Gomez adjusted them so that just 4 inches of every beam now hangs down. This also created room for added recessed lighting between the beams.
Couch: leather, Anthropologie; desk: Restoration Hardware
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The open space originally made it difficult to find a spot for the master bedroom. But the customer didn’t desire her massive walk-in closet, so Gomez turned it into a sleeping alcove. Velvet drapes and an arched opening allow it to be extra intimate and cozy.
Wallpaper: Timorous Beasties; chandelier: Anthropologie; bed frame: client’s own
Reiko Feng Shui Design
Now the client’s closet is located behind classic French doors in built-ins around the corner from her bedroom. Gomez had these beautiful worn-down doors shifted to function as closet doors.
Doors: Eron Johnson Antiques
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The customer wanted an office place within this bright corner, however it’s bad feng shui to have your back to a corner that juts out. To make it work, Gomez round the corner, and also the customer found a round desk that imitates the corner’s shape.
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The dining room area now sits directly down the hallway from the loft’s front door. “I believed that by putting the dining area within the line of front door, you would have the wow instant of seeing the chandelier once you enter,” Gomez says.
Chandelier: French classic, 1stdibs
Reiko Feng Shui Design
The twin girls’ room originally had no windows, natural light or air flow. Custom made transom windows that open solved all of those issues, and Gomez had a new ceiling fan set up to help new air filter through the space.
Wallpaper: Ferm Living; ottoman: vintage
Reiko Feng Shui Design
A wall of cabinets in the girls’ room provides storage without consuming much space. Gomez even integrated the radiator within this custom piece.
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