A Brooklyn rental warmed with art, books and coffee
Designer Kim and creative director Ryan turned a white Brooklyn rental into a multigenerational home full of art by Black and brown artists.
Kim is an interior designer and the principal of YHG Studio. Ryan is a creative director, writer and DJ. They moved back to New York after two years in Los Angeles and share this Brooklyn rental with Kim's mother. Kim zoned the open plan so all three can be together or apart.
Art comes first for them, with a focus on work by Black and brown artists. A painting by Henry Taylor hangs over the circuit breaker in the dining room. Their super knows to lift it when he needs to. Their Frame TV most often shows a painting by the late Noah Davis. Ryan's photo of a pink building in Mexico City, since demolished, hangs over the sofa. They married there.
Kim designed a coffee bar for Ryan, built by friends at a local woodworking shop. Its drawers are lined in baby blue, and it has cutouts for his speakers. Kim bought the Eames dining table on Facebook Marketplace while she was in Paris, without seeing it in person.
Their changes are renter-friendly. They limewashed both bathrooms and wrapped a dark vanity in wood-look vinyl. Kim's mother, a seamstress, sewed the curtains that hide a beam in the bedroom. A tiny office doubles as a movie room.
