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Before & After: Swedish Barns Inspired a Film Editor’s Dramatic Brooklyn Brownstone Revamp

After a Scandinavian-style update by architect Sarah Jacoby, the 1890 Bed-Stuy home pairs several shades of red with restored architectural details.

Streamlined cabinetry, saturated color, and natural materials come together in a space that balances nordic simplicity with Bloch’s own personal touch. It’s transformed, from formerly dated, into a light-and-color-filled gathering place for Bloch and guests.

A film editor by trade, Julia Bloch went to school in Denmark, lived in Copenhagen for a few years after that, and traveled extensively before moving to New York City. After 15 years of renting in the city, she was ready for a larger, permanent home—one that could evolve with her needs, and that reflected her experience abroad and innate creativity. She also dreamed of a welcoming space where friends and family could stay, relish long dinners, and linger.

When she first toured this brownstone in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, the paint was chipping and peeling off the woodwork, the bathrooms were dark and decrepit, and the floors were worn from decades of use. But she loved the generous proportions, the original doors, and the crystal doorknobs—so she put in an offer. After losing out to a higher bidder, she was surprised to get a call: Their offer fell through, and—just three weeks after the disappointment of losing out—the house became hers.

Elated and eager to get started, Julia enlisted Brooklyn-based architect Sarah Jacoby to bring her vision to life. Known for balancing historic preservation with a willingness to take risks, Jacoby helped honor the brownstone’s past while updating the space for Julia’s lifestyle—and her penchant for bold hues.

Before: Entry

Before: When film editor Julia Bloch purchased this Brooklyn brownstone, brown trim carried through the entryway and up the stairs to the top level. Ceiling tiles were removed and the space brightened with the help of paint and floor refinishing. After, the bold red of the entry takes on new warmth against the muted pink upstairs and the rusty tones elsewhere. — Before: When film editor Julia Bloch purchased this Brooklyn brownstone, brown trim carried through the entryway and up the stairs to the top level.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Jacoby Architect

After: Entry

Architect Sarah Jacoby removed the ceiling tiles, brightened up the space with paint, and refinished the flooring.
Photo: Ty Cole

Color makes its first impression at the entry, where the interior doors and trim are coated in Deep Rose by Benjamin Moore, a rich red in a shiny semigloss finish. The saturated shade energizes the space and draws the eye into the home and up the staircase.

The color pays homage to Julia’s travels: "I’ve always loved the color of barns, which I saw a lot in Sweden when I lived in Scandinavia. I’d go into the Swedish countryside, and there is a specific color, a deep, earthy red that is a national color that they use to paint barns in Sweden– It’s the perfect red," she explains. "There is something very satisfying about it, so I was trying to match that."

The home has a bold red entry, muted pinks on the upper level, and rusty tones elsewhere. "It’s a combination I haven’t seen before, and it really works," Jacoby says.
Photo: Ty Cole

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: Swedish Barns Inspired a Film Editor’s Dramatic Brooklyn Brownstone Revamp
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This $2.1M Utah Home Has Been Ahead of the Curve Since 1938

With nautical-inspired details, flowing lines, and a history of subtle renovations, the rare Streamline Moderne residence has held on to its looks for nearly a century.

With nautical-inspired details, flowing lines, and a history of subtle renovations, this rare Streamline Moderne residence has held on to its looks for nearly a century.

Location: 1865 Herbert Avenue South, Salt Lake City, Utah

Price: $2,100,000

Year Built: 1938

Original Builder: Rich Jensen

Addition Date: 1998

Addition Architect: Jerrold Green

Renovation Date: 2017

Renovation Designer: Enzy Design, Nicole Zeigler, SLC

Footprint: 3,363 square feet (4 beds, 2.5 baths)

Lot Size: 0.189 acres

From the Agent: "Built in 1938, the Henderson House is a rare surviving example of Streamline Moderne architecture in Salt Lake City’s Yalecrest neighborhood. A response to the machine age, the style is characterized by horizontal lines, streamlined forms, aerodynamic curves, rounded corners, industrial components like metal accents, and nautical elements like railings and porthole windows—all reflected in the home’s design.

In 1998, architect and then-owner Jerrold Green expanded the house with an addition that remained faithful to its original style. The current owners purchased the property in 2017 and undertook an eight-month renovation, updating its systems and interiors while preserving its historic character. Today, the 3,363-square-foot home has four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a primary suite with a private deck, and multiple outdoor living spaces.

Listed as the Henderson House with the Utah State Historical Preservation Society, it is widely recognized for its architectural significance. The Henderson House has been periodically studied by University of Utah architecture students and featured in tours by the Utah Heritage Foundation."

Built in 1938, <a href="https://www.slcdocs.com/Planning/HLC/2010/October20/C.pdf">the Kenneth Henderson House</a> is a rare Art Moderne residence in Salt Lake City's Yalecrest neighborhood. — Built in 1938, the Kenneth Henderson House is a rare Streamline Moderne residence in Salt Lake City’s Yalecrest neighborhood.
Photo by Jared Medley, Medley Creative

The home's rounded corners, metal railings, and porthole windows reflect the nautical influences of Streamline Moderne design. Architect Jerrold Green added the stainless-steel front door during a 1998 expansion.
Photo by Jared Medley, Medley Creative

The home's rounded corners, metal railings, and porthole windows reflect the nautical influences of Streamline Moderne design. — The home’s rounded corners, metal railings, and porthole windows reflect the style’s nautical influences.
Photo by Jared Medley, Medley Creative

See the full story on Dwell.com: This $2.1M Utah Home Has Been Ahead of the Curve Since 1938
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Asking £3.5M, This Legendary Arts and Crafts Estate Started as a Simple Cottage

Designed by famed architect Alfred Powell, Long Copse grew from a four-room summer home into a sprawling retreat with stables, a guest house, and a barn with a theatrical past.

Location: Pitch Hill, Ewhurst, Cranleigh, Surrey, England

Price: £3,500,000 (approximately $4,669,000 USD)

Year Built: 1899

Architect: Alfred Powell

Footprint: 3,301 square feet (6 beds, 3 baths)

Lot Size: 8.63 acres

From the Agent: "Launching for £3.5 million, Long Copse in Ewhurst, Surrey, is one of the finest and rarest surviving houses associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, designed by architect, designer, and ceramicist Alfred Powell. Available for only the third time since it was built in 1899, the Grade II–listed home remains an extraordinarily intact example of one of Britain’s most influential design movements.

Originally commissioned as a four-room summer cottage for Mrs. Mudie-Cooke, Long Copse was conceived by Powell as an elegant country retreat, deliberately disguised as a modest Surrey cottage. As his client fell in love with the house, it was gradually extended into a larger family home, with each addition designed to appear as though it had evolved organically over centuries.

Powell was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, which emerged in response to the industrial revolution and championed traditional craftsmanship and natural materials over mass production. Although perhaps best known for his work with Wedgwood, where he helped revive hand-painted ceramics, Powell’s architectural projects are exceptionally rare, making Long Copse one of the most important surviving examples of his work.

The house also features the work of Ernest Gimson, another influential Arts and Crafts architect and furniture maker. Described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as "the greatest of the English architect-designers," Gimson designed much of the home’s existing oak joinery, original doors, fireplaces, fitted furniture, flooring, and timber detailing.

The craftsmanship extends throughout the house, from its Bargate stone exterior and leaded windows to exposed roof trusses, handcrafted oak staircases, original fireplaces, and bespoke cabinetry. Decorative sgraffito by Italian artist Cavaliere Formilli appears in the garden room, while a detached thatched guest cottage and timber-framed barn complete the property.

Long Copse has attracted architects and historians from around the world and was featured in Lawrence Weaver’s seminal Small Country Houses of Today. Set high on the slopes of Pitch Hill within the Surrey Hills National Landscape, the property enjoys breathtaking views across the Sussex Weald alongside beautifully established gardens, woodland, paddocks, and direct access to miles of surrounding countryside.

Lindsay Cuthill, co-founder of Blue Book Agency, comments: ‘The Arts and Crafts Movement was founded on the belief that good design enriches everyday life. More than 125 years later, Long Copse still embodies that philosophy. It isn't simply an important historic house; it’s a wonderfully comfortable family home where every beam, fireplace and handcrafted detail continues to serve exactly the purpose it was designed for.’"

Designed by leading Arts and Crafts architect Alfred Powell in 1899 for Mrs. Mudie-Cooke, Long Copse began as a four-room summer retreat made to resemble a modest Surrey cottage. As its owner's ambitions grew, so did the house, gradually evolving into the larger country home it is today. — Designed by leading Arts and Crafts architect Alfred Powell in 1899 for Mrs. Mudie-Cooke, Long Copse began as a four-room summer retreat that resembled a modest Surrey cottage. As its owner’s ambitions grew, so did the house, gradually evolving into the larger country estate it is today.
Photo by Freddie Ardley

The Arts and Crafts movement emerged in Britain in the late 19th century as a response to the Industrial Revolution and the perceived decline in craftsmanship and quality brought on by mass production. Championing traditional techniques, natural materials, and thoughtful design, the movement sought to improve everyday life for both makers and consumers. Alfred Powell and Ernest Gimson were among its leading figures, and their work at Long Copse reflects those ideals.
Photo by Freddie Ardley

See the full story on Dwell.com: Asking £3.5M, This Legendary Arts and Crafts Estate Started as a Simple Cottage
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Georgia O’Keeffe Lived Next Door to This $14M Santa Fe home

With room for horses and a serious car collection, Los Piñones once belonged to the famed artist’s neighbor and confidant, Juan Hamilton.

With room for horses and a serious car collection, Los Piñones once belonged to Georgia O’Keeffe’s neighbor and confidant, Juan Hamilton.

Location: 4010 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Price: $13,750,000

Year Built: 1920

Footprint: 9,326 square feet (8 beds, 8 full baths, 2 half baths)

Lot Size: 7.69 acres

From the Agent: "A rare legacy property of remarkable provenance, this 7.7-acre estate in Santa Fe’s historic Eastside neighbors Georgia O’Keeffe’s storied Sol y Sombra property and was once owned by artist Juan Hamilton, O’Keeffe’s closest companion and confidant.

Hamilton’s former art studio has been reimagined as one of the property’s two casitas, preserving the creative spirit and cultural history that define this place. The compound is anchored by a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath main residence and includes six heated buildings, four additional support structures, a private home office, a pool and pool house, and a tennis court. Set against sweeping views of the Jemez Mountains and Sun and Moon Mountains, the property also has an archaeological easement tied to the historic Old Santa Fe Trail.

The property also includes three wells, adding rare utility and long-term value to the estate. With four kitchens, including an outdoor kitchen, the property is designed for effortless gathering across multiple indoor and outdoor living spaces. Ten enclosed garage spaces provide exceptional capacity, ideal for collectors, car enthusiasts, or those seeking significant storage and functionality within a private estate setting."

The 7.7-acre property sits in Santa Fe’s historic Eastside, next to Georgia O’Keeffe’s former Sol y Sombra estate, which Dwell featured in 2024. — The 7.7-acre property sits in Santa Fe’s historic Eastside, next to Georgia O’Keeffe’s Sol y Sombra estate, which Dwell featured in 2024.
Photo by Jenna Peffley

It was once owned by artist Juan Hamilton, O’Keeffe’s longtime companion and confidant. — The home was once owned by artist Juan Hamilton, O’Keeffe’s longtime companion.
Photo by Jenna Peffley

See the full story on Dwell.com: Georgia O’Keeffe Lived Next Door to This $14M Santa Fe Home
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Jeweler Karl Stittgen’s $1.2M Island Home Is an Ode to Frank Lloyd Wright

Decades after joining the fellowship at Taliesin West, the late designer and ceramicist built Halcyon Days with his wife, Nora, in British Columbia.

Decades after joining the fellowship at Taliesin West, late jewelry designer and ceramicist Karl Stittgen built Halcyon Days with his wife, Nora, in British Columbia.

Location: 3326 Port Washington Road, Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada

Price: $1,689,000 CAD (approximately $1,184,598 USD)

Year Built: 1994

Designer: Karl Stittgen

Footprint: Main house: 2,800 square feet (2 beds, 2 baths); Guest house: 650 square feet (1 bed, 1 bath)

Lot Size: 6 acres

From the Agent: "Presenting Halcyon Days — an enduring work of art born from fortitude and love. The late British Columbia–based artist Karl Stittgen designed and built this North Pender Island residence with his beloved wife, Nora, as a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Set high on a private six-acre property overlooking the ocean, the estate includes a 2,800-square-foot main residence, a tea house, a separate 650-square-foot guest cottage, an elevator, and two kilns. True to Wright’s principles, the house emphasizes horizontal lines, natural materials, an open floor plan, carefully placed windows, and an integration of architecture, furnishings, and landscape. Custom built-in furniture appears throughout the home.

The single-level main house is reached via natural rock steps from the driveway, with an elevator providing additional access. Inside, large windows—including a distinctive triangular one that projects outwards—open the living spaces into the view of the forest below and the ocean beyond. Extensive custom woodwork is paired with aggregate stone flooring, gray counters and tile, and a restrained palette of brown, gray, and white.

At the heart of the living area is the library, where custom shelves, a built-in study, and seating are lit by a geometric skylight. A central stone fireplace separates the sanctuary from the living area. Above it, the white wall is engraved with the Latin phrase Voluisse mihi, satis est: ‘To have wanted, for me, is enough.’

Born in Bad Dürkheim, Germany, in 1930, Stittgen arrived in Vancouver in 1952 and established himself as a watchmaker and jeweler in West Vancouver. He became a key player in Vancouver’s active midcentury art and design scene as his bold, architecturally inspired jewelry gained international recognition. In 1962, he stepped away from jewelry design for a time to join the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship at Taliesen West. He later opened stores in Calgary, San Francisco, and New York, and in 2009 received a British Columbia Creative Achievement Award of Distinction for his ‘profound and lasting impact on applied art and design in British Columbia.’

After retiring from the jewelry business in 1995, Karl and Nora turned their attention toward what would become their ultimate collaborative work: their own home. Karl meticulously developed Halcyon Days around Wright’s ideas about architecture and daily life while continuing his own creative practice in ceramics.

Following Nora’s death, Karl spent his remaining years in the property’s compact one-bedroom guest cottage, using it as both his residence and studio. Although small, it makes effective use of space and contains a more recently upgraded kitchen, a bathroom, and a living area with a woodburning fireplace. Near-finished pieces, unfinished ceramics, and raw materials from Karl’s practice remain untouched in the guest house today.

An extraordinary sanctuary for an artist or collector, Karl and Nora’s legacy awaits its next steward."

Karl Stittgen and his wife, Nora, built Halcyon Days on six wooded acres on North Pender Island after Stittgen retired from his jewelry business in the 1990s. — After an internationally recognized career in jewelry, Karl Stittgen turned increasingly to ceramics, receiving a British Columbia Creative Achievement Award of Distinction in 2009. He and his wife, Nora, built Halcyon Days on six wooded acres on North Pender Island, decades after Stittgen joined the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship at Taliesin West in 1962.
Photo by Nicole Eastman, Sotheby's International Realty

Photo by Nicole Eastman, Sotheby's International Realty

The home was conceived as an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, drawing on ideas including an open plan, natural materials, strong horizontal forms, and a close relationship between the architecture and its site. — Stittgen conceived the home as an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian principles. It features an open plan, natural materials, strong horizontal forms, and a close relationship to its site.
Photo by Nicole Eastman, Sotheby's International Realty

See the full story on Dwell.com: Jeweler Karl Stittgen’s $1.2M Island Home Is an Ode to Frank Lloyd Wright
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What’s More Impressive—This Belgian Home’s Slatting, Floating Stair, or Construction Style?

The panelized CLT build also means the first level doesn’t have any interior walls.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Duinenkranslaan, Belgium

Architect: Vantieghem Talebi / @vantieghem_talebi

Footprint: 2,852 square feet

Structural Engineer: Util Structural Engineering

From the Architect: "Here skin, structure, and space are formed simultaneously. Built from structural and zoning constraints, a new construction is placed on top of existing foundations and is limited to the maximum allowable height. As such, the design grew out of the original coastal dune house foundation—an asymmetrical cruciform geometry where each structural bay of the cruciform created a ‘house of cards.’

"Each triangular bay was unique in geometry and prefabricated from CLT panels. Over the course of three days, the CLT panels were brought on-site, delivered onto the sand itself, hoisted up as four chapels, and bridged together via an off-center geometry. The result is a primary level free of structure, with each chapel as an expressed room.

"The project envelope considers the larger impression of the house as an abstract volume and is built as a timber rain screen of chemically seasoned Douglas fir battens. The roof, considered a facade element due to the steep pitch, uses the same timber batten construction technique as vertical surfaces. Assemblies and details carry forth the abstraction holistically: timber battens were prefabricated to avoid visible screws or nails and streamline construction on-site, while gutters and drainage elements are concealed behind the rain screen with minimal impact on the exterior surface.

"The project’s fusing of structure and volume is expressed explicitly; the CLT serves directly as interior finish. In the primary level living area, four CLT floor panels express the structural bays in the ceiling. On the upper level, the CLT panels remain exposed in the pitched chapels of bedrooms and the central hall, demonstrating the full extent of the triangular structural bays. Interior elements continue to highlight the opportunity that the column-free prefabricated CLT structure allows; a central staircase floats in the space, suspended within a wood floor grid spanning between the CLT bays. Within the house is a Type D central ventilation system with heat recovery and rainwater collection and re-use.

"The geometry of the house is reminiscent of historical beach house architecture in the area characterized by steep roof angles. The dune landscape was restored, with concrete retaining walls carving obliquely for pedestrian and car access to the house’s subterranean level. This site context, and the restrictions of the existing foundation, steered both the structural and architectural logic of the project."

See the full story on Dwell.com: What’s More Impressive—This Belgian Home’s Slatting, Floating Stair, or Construction Style?
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The Nobel Prize–Winning Physicist Who Named the Quark Lived in This $4.6M Pasadena Home

The midcentury home of Murray Gell-Mann features a copper-clad fireplace, colored-glass panels, and big exposed beams—and it’s one of architect William E. Blurock’s few residential designs.

The home is located on the edge of the Arroyo Seco, a piece of protected parkland in Pasadena.

Location: 1024 Armada Drive, Pasadena, California

Price: $4,599,000

Footprint: 5,307 square feet (5 beds, 5 baths)

Lot Size: 0.32 acres

Year Built: 1956

Architect: William E. Blurock

From the Listing: "Believed to be one of only a few private homes ever designed by William E. Blurock, this striking residence is quietly tucked behind mature landscaping within Pasadena’s storied, National Register–listed Prospect Historic District. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home is anchored by an aspirational reverse floor plan that lifts the main gathering spaces to the upper level, which has soaring living-room ceilings, a copper-clad fireplace, and a bespoke midcentury light fixture stretching the entire length of the living room that washes the interiors in a welcoming, warm light. A dramatic open-plan stairway becomes a sculptural centerpiece for the home, animated by inset colored-glass panels and highlighted by cork flooring and an architectural railing wrapped in wood. Below, the floor plan opens around a zen-style garden and an expansive pool, with a private pool house/guest studio completing a resort-like retreat built for modern California living. Flagstone, stucco, and a subdued facade let the house blend in effortlessly among the district’s Craftsman and period-revival landmarks. The home carries a remarkable provenance as the longtime residence of Nobel Prize–winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann, who lived here during his most creative years at Caltech. The scientist who named the "quark" and reorganized our understanding of the building blocks of matter found his home in a house designed, quite literally, to lift its inhabitants toward the light and the view."