{"id":263128,"date":"2025-08-28T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=263128"},"modified":"2025-10-01T14:12:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T18:12:53","slug":"brooklyn-heights-coop-renovation-stewart-schafer","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/brooklyn-heights-coop-renovation-stewart-schafer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brooklyn Heights Co-Op Renovation Driven by Scandinavian Simplicity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"living
Devoted to the art of quality and craftsmanship, Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer crafts every piece of millwork by hand, which is on display in this Brooklyn Heights apartment living room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

August 28, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Edie\u00a0Cohen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Sarah Eliot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A Brooklyn Heights Co-Op Renovation Driven by Scandinavian Simplicity<\/h1>\n\n\n

Lucky were the longtime owners of a Brooklyn Heights co-op to find the adjacent unit for sale. Luckier still, perhaps, were the couple to meet Christine Stucker and James Veal, cofounders of Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer<\/a>. The designers convinced the homeowners that conjoining the two apartments was not only feasible but also financially viable. The merge would enhance both real estate value and quality of life for the family, a couple in the film industry with two pre-teen children. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Straightforward and easy enough\u2014at least, that\u2019s how the endeavor first seemed. The newly purchased apartment resembled a disheveled college dorm, complete with a stage and an elevated level change. Stucker and Veal, who are married, intended to raze dividing walls and create a seamless segue between the clients\u2019 long-time home and the addition, which was to be transformed into a luxurious master suite. Or so they thought.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer Enhances This Brooklyn Heights Co-Op<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"living
Devoted to the art of quality and craftsmanship, Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer crafts every piece of millwork by hand, which is clearly seen in this living room setup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The eight-story landmark structure with 72 residences was built in 1899. \u201cYou can only imagine what we found opening up walls,\u201d says Veal with a laugh. This required a gut renovation for the addition and extensive refurbishing for the main space. \u201cWe had to resurface everything,\u201d Stucker adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the designers maintained the basic organization with living areas up front and children\u2019s bedrooms in the back, they seized the opportunity to expand and completely redesign the kitchen and give it a generous pantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tour This Kitchen With a Generous Pantry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"kitchen
The kitchen was entirely recreated with bespoke cabinetry, anchoring the heart of the home in both function and beauty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ceilings received a structural change, too. In the original apartment’s footprint, the designers lowered the ceiling from 19 to 17 feet and covered the soffits for a clean plane. They also cleaned up the 10-foot-high expanse in the new space. All told, they designed a plan for 3,000 square feet comprising four bedrooms and four baths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neutral Tones & Natural Materials Give This Home A Clean Feeling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"bedroom
Massive built-in closets surround the bed in the primary suite, showcasing Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer\u2019s persistence in adding storage to the home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The designers embraced two guidelines for furnishings in the new expanded unit. One was a Scandinavian aesthetic favored by the clients, \u201ceasy and trusting,\u201d as described by Stucker. \u201cWe kept things simple and clean, understated with a premium feeling,\u201d Veal notes. Neutral tones and natural materials, primarily rift-cut white oak, dominate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second guideline was storage space\u2014and plenty of it. \u201cI was a New Yorker for 20 years,\u201d says Stucker, who previously lived in Brooklyn and now is in Easton, Connecticut. \u201cI dreamed of closets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result was copious millwork, a hallmark of a Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer design. They incorporated storage for the kitchen in cabinets beneath a 17-foot-long Taj Mahal marble-topped counter and the pantry. As for the living area, it received a display wall with shelving and cabinets. In the primary suite, two massive blocks for built-in closets flank the bed, and an integrally lit display wall at its entry\u2014which also happens to be the connecting point of the old and new spaces\u2014shows books, objects, and ceramics. There’s a similar wall in the son\u2019s room for his Lego creations and action figures. Even the stairway has built-in cabinets at its base, \u00e0 la tansu steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage Space Is the Name of the Game<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"bedroom
The son’s room has lots of storage space built into the wall for his Lego creations and action figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For freestanding pieces, Stucker and Veal got lucky at Design Within Reach. They scored the dining table, its mid-century Danish 39 chairs, bar stool, and Warren Platner coffee table. Mario Bellini\u2019s Le Bambole armchair in a creamy boucl\u00e9 follows in a similar classic vein, while the bedroom chair by B\u00f8rge Mogensen is a vintage find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer commission extended to curating the owners\u2019 art collection, to which Stucker added a piece of her own, an oil painting created for the large open wall in the living room. It’s nameless, as are all her paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stewart-Sch\u00e4fer Nods to Scandinavian Design in This Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"living
What began as two separate residences has been masterfully transformed into a singular, elegant family home. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"office
This corner nook of the primary suite embraces Scandinavian flair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"bathroom
This spa-inspired bathroom went through a luxurious renovation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"bathroom
This bathroom relaxes guests with ambient lighting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n