Clinton Hill

Clean and Eclectic Clinton Hill Row House Comes Alive With Textured Travel Finds

In this classic Italianate row house, original woodwork mixes with with vintage furniture and vibrant textiles to create a character-filled contemporary home.

All photos by Genevieve Garuppo via Lonny

by Barbara Eldredge

05/11/2016 0

In the Clinton Hill apartment of jewelry designer Lizzie Fortunato, original details meet vintage furniture and vibrant textiles to make a home that feels both classic and contemporary.

Occupying the top two floors of a mid-19th-century brick row house, Fortunato and her boyfriend are thankful that the building’s owner — who lives on the first floor — has lovingly restored many of the structure’s original details. The apartment has wide plank floors, marble fireplaces, original wood trim and, in the upstairs bedroom, dark beams and exposed brick.

But that sense of history and character is by no means at odds with the apartment’s more modern furnishings and global flair.

The apartment is filled with a collection of artwork and objects picked up by Fortunato on her trips abroad, many of which have ended up in the designer’s line of lifestyle and home goods recently curated with her twin sister and business partner Kathryn.

Though filled with character, the home is by no means overstuffed with furniture or decor. The selection of objects — from a pricey tasseled tapestry to the Turkish rug found in Istanbul — proves just enough and not too much. The success is due in part to an emphasis on smaller items rather than larger furniture pieces, creating more floor space and expansiveness in the home.