Carol Bove and Gordon Terry's nineteenth-century Red Hook row house takes its cues from its location near the waterfront. The modest wooden structure was re-invigorated with a unique visual language and invented historical narrative that gives it character and nuance, while retaining its humility. The garden-level bedroom was prone to floods, so we used rugged materials, like cinder block, brick, concrete, and stucco. In the kitchen, we paired Georgian-style cabinetry with eighteenth-century Dutch tiles that, in our imagined narrative, could be prize souvenirs brought back by a sailor. The unfussy furnishings include vintage pieces by Arne Norell, Paul McCobb, and Thonet, along with an array of colors, patterns, and idiosyncratic items — like an antique wicker sofa repurposed as a child’s bed— bolster the impression of a home that has evolved over time.
