Prospect Park House by Workstead.

Standing three stories tall, this stunning Colonial Revival home in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park South has been transformed by the New York locals at Workstead. The studio paid particular attention to retaining the home’s timeless and historic beauty throughout the serious renovation.

With a country style, the house deceptively feels like a getaway from the city. Surrounding trees provide the home with privacy while from inside looking out, nature appears open and inviting. With ridged columns, multiple fireplaces and porches on every side, this is certainly a far cry from your typical inner-city shoebox apartment.

Workstead principal Ryan Mahoney led the design for a fresh and spacious home curated with the homeowner and his two sons in mind. In the kitchen, light wood cabinets by Markus Bartenschlager, terracotta tiling and an eye-catching blue island with contrasting white marble countertop are framed by a pastoral wallpapered hallway. A breakfast nook sidles up to a bay window flooding the room with natural light.

Near the large stained glass windows, Workstead sourced a wooden ping pong dining table by BDDW in lieu of a formal dining table. This keeps the home casual day-to-day and the net can be removed as needed to accommodate group meals on special occasions. A Philip Guston lithograph is hung in the living room to complement the copper fire mantel and the Black Locust millwork foreshadows the rest of the estate, which includes a wood-panelled bathroom.

Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green was used in the library with a vintage chandelier taking the form of three stag heads. A collection of carved birds line the shelves alongside the books and a Neri&Hu sofa has been chosen in a bold botanical fabric that somehow complements the room perfectly. In showcasing the creative owner’s love of vintage, Mahoney prioritized details that would blend old and new. Workstead preserved the original clapboard from 1905 along with the fireplace mantels. Further enriching the home are the Victorian chandeliers by Stephen Antonson with lighting fixture bulbs done by Allied Maker.

Each room within the house is diverse, with colours varying throughout. Although muted green is a staple—fulfilling the homeowner’s vision of a being surrounded by the feeling of nature without ever leaving Brooklyn. The back end of the home is rich in deep mahogany tones, dark wood and a powder room with gold finishing. Upstairs, the en-suite is painted in Farrow & Ball Ammonite and features a Hiroshi Sugimoto framed photograph. Stepping into the backyard, there is a newly built pool and a garage that now doubles as a pool house, rare luxuries to find within New York.

[Images courtesy of Workstead. Photography by Matthew Williams.]