A Bed-Stuy Brownstone Handmade With Love

Brandi Harper, owner of the natural knitwear brand purlBknit, lives and works on the top floor of a charming but sinking Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn brownstone. “It’s nothing serious,” she insists, “But geologically speaking — very interesting, indeed!” When water spills, it pools in one area of a room, evidence of the unlevel floors in a home dating back to 1899. Her partner, Adrienne Colbert, is an IT project manager working in corporate America — and the techie to Brandi’s artist. They are continually baffled by how a one-bedroom apartment fit for two people can contain two televisions, four working laptops, two DVD players, a Wii box, and countless other gadgets. Brandi’s toys take up residence in the dedicated knitting studio, where she creates garments from natural materials and runs her business full-time. Taking cues from many different influences, her aesthetic comes together by pairing rich, neutral color palettes with everlasting materials. Both women love to write and preserve the handwritten notes left for one another as love letters, original songs, and poetry scattered throughout. “Together,” Brandi shares, “our home is a representation of what makes us so obviously different and completely the same.”

Though Adrienne sometimes has bouts of “renovation fatigue,” Brandi is always moving the furniture around and adding new touches. Design is in her blood, and homemaking is a driving passion. When she feels challenged by the relatively close quarters, she recalls the constant wash of natural light in her “bird-chirping heaven.” Living in New York is synonymous with having little space, but those small spaces can sometimes include elegant features, like converted fireplaces with stone mantels, tall ceilings, and hand-carved wooden details. Close proximity to a bustling creative community also allows for the active support of small businesses and frequent trips to local craft markets. Brandi and Adrienne wanted their home to be full of natural elements, and a striking reflection of what it means to be handmade with love. —Annie

Photography by Brandi Harper

from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2015/11/a-bed-stuy-brownstone-handmade-with-love.html
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