Blog - Page 9 of 148 - reclaimedhome.com

Losing My Brimfield Virginity

May 15, 2014 RH

Brimfield. It’s the antique show to end all antique shows here on the east coast. THE market for dealers and shoppers alike. Five days and about twenty fields. And yet, I had never been. Until yesterday.

Instead of braving the trip on my own, I gladly accepted an invitation for a bus ride with the Manhattan Women’s Club. This spared me dealing with the logistics, the 3+ hour drive each way plus the daunting job of navigating parking.

So, was it a success? Well, I didn’t come home with a monumental haul, but yes, it was a great success! I connected with at least four vendors who I plan on visiting regularly for their stockpiles. Folks from Albany to Pennsylvania who I never would have heard of if not for this show. Of course with only a few hours to explore, I didn’t get to cover even a quarter of Brimfield, but my take on the show as a whole was that it was a bit pricey. Some of the vendors were asking a good deal of money for items I can find locally for less than half the price. But hey, if people are buying it, who am I to say anything? Plus, there were some really great pieces.

If you’re looking to restore an entire home, there is architectural salvage. Looking to furnish? No problemo. Art? Check. Wondering how you’ll find those vendors carrying what you need? Yup, there’s an app for that.

The bus trip was an easy introduction and a perfect experience for those who might get overwhelmed by things like this. If you’re looking to do a massive amount of shopping, renting a U-Haul and a hotel room and spending a few days in Brimfield would be the way to go. There were a few things I saw that I knew I couldn’t schlep on that bus.

My friend Judy came along and the only thing she bought was a $ 5.00 tin, but the day was just so darned pleasant that she didn’t mind. What could be better? A bus full of fabulous women. A day in the country. While shopping. For antiques.

Did I mention they had wine of the bus?

Is Shabby Chic Out?

May 13, 2014 RH

What do we think of shabby chic? Is it out? Was it ever in? When I think of it, I think of white paint on an antique piece. But people are doing some interesting things with furniture in some other colors and I kind of like it, but then I’m like “Do I really like it? I dunno.” And is there a difference between shabby and distressed?

At the shop, we spend hours and hours on a single project to bring it back to life. We fill gaps and smooth it out and lacquer it so it looks like a new piece of furniture. We always have to be careful not to scrape or knock into these pieces or we’ll have touch up to do. Then I look at a distressed piece at the same price I have to charge and I feel like a schmuck.

It seems like shabby chic isn’t a style that suits NYC too well. I see it more in the suburbs or country homes. New Yorkers tend to go for a more streamlined look….Industrial or Mid Century. We like that reclaimed salvage look here but not too frou frou. And definitely not white! AmIright? YouknowwhatI’msayin!

Anyway, these distressed pieces are pretty cool. Maybe it’s just the name “shabby chic” that’s out of style. The kids these days are calling it “distressed” now. Or are they two different things? I don’t know. I’m just a confused old lady who hasn’t gotten her fill of coffee yet this morning.

Click on images for more info.

Bed Stuy 3BR Duplex for Rent

May 12, 2014 RH

Our tenant is buying a house! That means our upstairs apartment is available. Who wants to live with the coolest landlords evah? Available mid June or July 1st. $3200.

The Neighborhood

The home is located in the south west end of Bed Stuy. This means the A train express stop at Nostrand Avenue is only a block away! Foodtown at Restoration Plaza is a decent supermarket and there are a few smaller groceries around as well. There are 3 wine shops within walking distance and some great restaurants, cafes and vintage shops, although we won’t lie….the neighborhood can use some more restaurants. The YMCA on Bedford is pretty awesome and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Planet Fitness to open up right around the corner on Fulton Street.

Bed Stuy consists of treelined brownstone streets and super friendly people. Meaning, you should get to know your neighbors if you want to make the most of it here.

The Apartment

The upper duplex was renovated in 2006 and will be updated again in early June. The apartment is currently full of boxes as the tenant is moving at the end of the month, so these photos may differ a bit from what it looks like at the moment as they were shot awhile ago.

The main entrance is on the parlor level and your private entrance is upstairs. The third floor has high ceilings, 2 marble mantels, original shutters and of course, hardwood floors.

The galley kitchen features a hand painted antique tile backsplash on one side and tin on the other. Stainless refrigerator and dishwasher, plus over the stove microwave. Floors are tumbled marble.

To one side of the kitchen is a large L shaped living room. You have the option to use the separate room on the opposite side of the kitchen as a formal dining room or a third bedroom. There is a full bath with clawfoot tub located in this room.

There are two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs with a walk in shower and washer/dryer. This level has 3 skylights, but the ceilings are lower.

The apartment has zoned heating, which means you control it, we pay for it.

The House

We bought the 4 story brownstone in 2005. We fell in love with it because it retained so much detail but we knew we had a lot of work ahead of us to restore it back to it’s former glory. We had done some extreme DIY renovations in our day, but this was by far the biggest project we ever took on! It took us 9 months just to finish the duplex. This involved running new plumbing, heating and electric as well as restoring the walls, flooring and woodwork.

We live in the lower duplex with our menagerie. They wake us up at 5am and we’re falling asleep by 9pm. Pets are welcome, but smokers are not. Sorry.

$3200 per month plus stove gas and electric.

**Disclosure: Owner is a licensed real estate agent. This is a no fee apartment.

Repurposed Headboard Bench

May 9, 2014 RH

We didn’t invent the headboard bench. It’s one of the more common furniture projects among upcyclers, but we love our new headboard bench just the same. Built by our carpenter, Angel (You didn’t think us fancy ladies did ALL the work, did you?) and painted by Emilia. Phyllis stuck the cushions on and took pictures. And wrote this post.

Go buy it on our shop. $425. Word.

Mid Century in New Jersey

May 8, 2014 RH

New Jersey is calling! Here’s a tip on a great new vintage home store in Midland Park, which is a bit northwest of Paramus. Provisions Home and Garden opened just last week and already, I want to live in the store. No really, they have it set up with sundry mid century living room scenarios that are far too inviting for a retail shop. Why would customers ever want to leave?

But it IS a store and they sell fabulous things. Like that tempting pinball machine. $1250 in great shape except for one busted bumper. The bumper is in one piece. It’s the electronics that need some fixing. In any case, I can’t even begin to tell you the pinball envy I experienced.

The vinyl floor mats range from $138-$578. Reminiscent of vintage linoleum, they will be the highlight of any room. Mark my words. Even in a big, gorgeous space such as theirs with awesome furniture, my eyes went directly to the fabulous floor.

The furniture was carefully curated and completely clean. Everything had great lines and complimented each other. Some painted pieces are scattered about so everything is not monochrome wood tone.

Owners Catherine and Michael are from the area and it’s clear that they put their all into the shop. For a place that looks so high end, the prices are certainly fair enough. Less affordable than say, Goodwill, but it’s not out of line with the quality of the merchandise and didn’t even scare off this cheap bitch (frugal shopper).

Oh, and I know this sounds like an advertisement, but please don’t confuse my inspiration with a sales tactic. They have great smaller gifty items for Mother’s Day. Just sayin’.

Compact Furniture

May 7, 2014 RH

What’s better than multi purposed or compact furniture for small urban apartments? Well, if these pieces were made of reclaimed materials, that would be better, but until we come up with our own ideas, check out some of these awesome designs. Click on each image for source.

Empty Store Monday

May 5, 2014 RH 2 Comments

The weekend didn’t seem too busy. There were plenty of hours with no customers in the shop, but here we are on our Monday off and there’s much replenishing to do, so maybe it was a good sales weekend after all. Tomorrow will be a big shopping day. Yay! We’re in search of dressers, desks, coffee tables and kitchen/dining tables, but only what can fit in the van and shop of course, which means we’ll pick up a single dresser. Nah! It’s not that bad.

More to follow on the new merch later this week, but for now we say a fond farewell to some of our favorite pieces that have been with us since the beginning (3 weeks ago). Our first child (above). We played it safe with a “shabby sleek” look and a pretty patina top. Going to a photo studio on Long Island. The orange dresser. A mid century piece we found locally, near death. The design was done with masking tape. Heading to New Jersey.

The copper tub. We spent so much time and effort trying to remove that patina. In the end, the patina was stronger than us and we grew to love it. So did the person who bought it. Also, going to NJ.

Our sweet skinny red-n-wood side table left us for Manhattan late last week. She didn’t take up much space in the shop. Wasn’t any trouble at all.

This drop leaf table was with us since the very beginning prior to opening when we were selling strictly online while renovating. We were completely perplexed as to why nobody was buying it as it’s the perfect table for a small city apartment. Turns out, it’s going to a country home in New Hampshire, so what do we know?

Some of the items we sell do stay in Brooklyn, but that’s how it went last week. We gotta get moving on the new stuff this week!

Rockaway Beach Foodie Fest

May 2, 2014 RH

The second “Taste of Rockaway Beach” is taking place this Sunday, May 4th. Stroll around “restaurant row” picking up samples from each participating venue, ten bucks, all inclusive. Newcomers this time around include Rockaway Beach Surf Club, Other End Pizza, Uncle Louie G and The Rock Wine and Beer Bar. Check out Rockaway Beach Heart for full list of all 11 restaurants. Passes can be purchased at any of the venues involved.

Oddly enough, last year at this time I was scrambling to finish my Rockaway House renovation and spending extra time in Rockaway was the last thing I wanted to do. I associated it with Hurricane Sandy, an over budget, months-past-deadline construction job that sucked the life out of me. Now that the house and Rockaway make me happy again, I WISH I could hang out there this Sunday, but alas, I’m committed to the new project.

But you should go.

Reclaimed Home and Garden, New York Times

May 1, 2014 RH 4 Comments

Oh, what have we here? To quote Manilow, “looks like we made it”….to the New York Times Home and Garden section!

Didjya see it??

How does one get in the NYT? By being a pushy pain in the ass. Seriously, reporter Helene Stapinkski was incredibly sweet and somewhat brave to submit an article about two Mid Century women (They quoted that one!) just getting started in the salvage business. She did her own fact checking and then the Times called to fact check her facts. Very professional, that Times. They’ll go far.

Hopefully this will make us so busy that we can hire a couple of schleppers to save our old lady backs. And feet. Oy, the feet!

Oh PS: As a semi-retired professional photographer who spent many years in the biz, I (Phyllis) can finally say that I was published in The Times. Photo isn’t credited and it’s just a piece of merchandise but I’ll know.

And PPS: We’ll never forget our first online article by Casa Cara, who came to support us at our Grand Opening.

Brooklyn Back in the Day: 1870-1930

April 30, 2014 RH

Have you ever said to yourself “I wish I knew more about the history of Brooklyn architecture?” Well, here’s your chance! If you’re available tomorrow night, then do attend this free illustrated lecture by Suzanne Spellen a.k.a. “Montrose Morris”. If you don’t know who the real Montrose Morris is, then all the more reason to go to this event.

From the flyer: “Brooklyn was one of the great cities of 19th Century America. Fortunes of all kinds were being made in this vibrant metropolis, fueled by the talents and hard work of it’s vibrant citizens. In response, her streets were ringing with the sounds of hammers and saws as entire neighborhoods sprang up, and were settled in the space of decades. The real estate developers who saw opportunity everywhere and the talented architects they employed to create beauty and profit in brick and stone, created an architecturally rich city that has endured. There were dozens of great architects working exclusively in Brooklyn between 1870-1930. This lecture will focus on the best of the best, and take a look at their lives, their work, and their legacy. The times they lived in, and how society and technology shaped their work will also be explored. The authors of Brooklyn’s fine streetscapes will be anonymous no longer.”

Suzanne Spellen is an architectural writer, researcher and preservationist who spent 30 years in Crown Heights and Bed Stuy. She currently lives in historic Troy, NY where she maintains a blog named “Spellen of Troy” and she continues to write for Brownstoner under the pen name “Montrose Morris”.

She also happens to be a friend.

More information over at New York Public Library.

SoEP: South of Eastern Parkway

April 28, 2014 RH 2 Comments

It’s been two weeks since Reclaimed Home opened on the less hip side of Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights. Ok, so we’re not on ON Franklin. We’re on Carroll, just off of Franklin. We chose this location because the rent wasn’t crazy, first and foremost. There is no such thing as “affordable” Brooklyn anymore, but this area is easier on the wallet than most.

It takes people time to realize that this part of Crown Heights is perfectly convenient to Prospect Heights, Flatbush, Ditmas and Park Slope as well as the more gentrified part of Crown Heights. It’s not such a terrible commute from Bed Stuy either. Oh, and the transportation is top notch so you can make it to the city in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.

At the moment, the north side of Eastern Parkway is lined with trendy new restaurants, trendy new cafes, trendy new shops, trendy new bars. You get the point. Cross Eastern Parkway and it’s like stepping back in time to ungentrified NYC (the one we miss!) But that’s changing rapidly. Let’s just say that we’re not the only new kids on the block. About 70% of the walk in customers just moved to the neighborhood. As for the old timers, they’ve been awesome! They’re very supportive and appreciative of a new type of business that differs from the bodegas, check cashing places and beauty salons on the avenue. Not that there’s anything wrong with those businesses, although we have purchased items at some of the food places that were less than fresh. Sorry, but we wouldn’t be upset to see these places lose business to new ventures who actually respect their customer base.

We are currently only the second “new” shop to open up in **SoEP © (South of Eastern Parkway). Owl and Thistle opened up early this year after moving from another location on Franklin **NoEP © (North of Eastern Parkway). They sell locally sourced Brooklyn items that are handmade, fair trade and dare we say “artisan”. Their merchandise ranges from clothing to coffee to cards, all very gifty. They also host sewing and knitting classes in the shop.

An apothecary kitchen called I Love Mountain will be opening up right around the corner from us, next door to an Associated market that is kind of sucky. We’re psyched that we won’t die of food poisoning in that foodie wasteland after all.

Bob and Betty’s is expanding down south on Franklin (SOF) as well. The grocery is brought to you by the same owners of the Pulp and Bean cafe on both sides of Eastern Parkway, just a few blocks from each other.

If you want to learn more about this area, check out Jane’s Walk on May 4th. It covers both the north and south sides of Crown Heights’ Eastern Parkway. The 2 hour walk will be led by Urban Affairs lecturer Lisa Schreibman, Brooklynian blogger Michael Fagan and Franklin Avenue shop owner (Stork), Eyana Carballo. The talk will focus on the rapid transformation of the area. It is free of charge and dogs are welcome!

** We are not responsible for any eejits using this word blend without tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Gold Leaf Signage

April 25, 2014 RH 1 Comment

Ok, so we cheated. We started gold leafing the storefront window, but after one letter, we packed in the gold leaf for gold glass paint. Leafing was just too time consuming to work on while the store was open. Merchandise was moved to one side, a ladder was in the window. We just had to get ‘er done.

Does anybody notice the difference? Sure if you compare real gold leaf to paint side by side, the difference is obvious to spot. But just like this? Meh, it’s fine!

We decided that it looked better without black trim and not just because we didn’t want to do it. Maybe we’ll actually leaf the address numbers. Maybe.

Cherry Blossoms in Brooklyn

April 24, 2014 RH

It’s that time of year again! Allergy season? Yes, but deal with it and head on over to The Brooklyn Botanic Garden this weekend for Sakura Mastsuri, the cherry blossom festival. If you’ve never been to The Botanic Garden (whaaat??) then this is THE weekend to go.

The festivities commence on Saturday, April 26th and run all weekend long. As if walking the beautiful gardens with the trees in full bloom is not enough, there are Japanese dance, music and martial arts performances as well as demonstrations and ceremonies.

The festival gets crowded so it’s probably a good idea to purchase tickets online in advance. There is an extra fee to Sakura Matsuri unless you’re a member. $25 as opposed to the usual $10 entrance fee.

It will be awesome!!

But don’t spend the entire day there and I’ma gonna tell you why. The Flatbush Avenue entrance is closed, which leaves only Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue entrances open. The Washington Avenue entrance is literally one block from Reclaimed Home, hours 10am-6pm. Just walk down Carroll, cross the Franklin Avenue Shuttle overpass and that’s our little dead end block. 945-947 Carroll.

So, go have fun at the festival but you better stop by and say hello!

Happy Earth Day!

April 22, 2014 RH

We sometimes forget about Earth Day here since we feel that Mother Earth should be respected 365 days of the year. If you don’t adhere to that philosophy then today is the day to call your mother. Hasn’t she been guilting you all winter long with her cold shoulder and icy white tears?

There are celebrations and feel-goody events. Go! Have fun! But please remember what this is all about. Now, we’re gonna go all preachy on you.

Since this is a home and renovation blog, let’s start there…

1. Save on the manmade energy! Unplug electronics when not in use. Don’t leave heat on with open windows. Same goes with air conditioning. Conserve! Conserve! Conserve!

2. Keep items out of landfills! Donate furniture, clothing, appliances and housewares that you no longer need. And for the love of Mother Earth, if you’re doing a major renovation, more than half that stuff can be salvaged!

3. Buy green. Shop for recycled and vintage products. Like Reclaimed Home. See how we did that there?

4. Use low VOC paints when possible. *Disclosure: We don’t always do that because we sometimes buy “oops” paint or need a more durable solution.

5. If you don’t have the recycling of plastics, glass and paper down by now, gotta tell ya…you may be a lost cause. Prove us wrong.

6. Turn water off while brushing teeth or doing dishes until you have to rinse.

7. Only do full loads of laundry or dishwashing unless you have an appliance that allows for half loads.

Outside of the home….

8. Do not leave your vehicle idling longer than 3 minutes. It’s the law.

9. A vegetarian diet is a gazillion times more earth friendly than a meat based diet. Check out the water consumption and rainforest destruction used in meat processing if you wish, but all you have to do is make friends with a cow or a pig to realize that. Get thee to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary or Catskill Animal Sanctuary! And don’t forget to carpool when you do!

10. Carry your own water bottle and travel coffee mug.

Make your mother proud!

Detroit for A Thousand

April 21, 2014 RH

1200 sq ft 3 BR

If you could buy a home in the toughest area of the United States for a thousand bucks, would you do it? Detroit is auctioning off some of their abandoned properties for as low as $1000. The catch is, it must be brought up to code within six months and you must live there for 5 years.

Now what’s your answer?

1600 sq ft 3 BR

As a seasoned renovator, the house part would be a no brainer for me. True, we could be looking at a $200k renovation since these homes lack all of the essentials. Copper pipes and other items of scrap value have been ripped out. So basically, you’re starting with a shell. Still, a $1000 shell is a bargain.

As someone who’s never been to Detroit, I have no idea. From what I’ve read, Detroit sounds like that Will Smith movie “I Am Legend”. From what I know of the musical and industrial history of the city, it CAN make a comeback.

Would I do it? No. I have a life here in NYC. That being said, if I was a young freelancer with no responsibilities yet, I’d totally grab a bunch of friends and try to make a go of it there.

1500 sq ft 3 BR

Prediction: Artists and scrappy young folks will take the Detroit mayor up on his offer and where they build, people will follow. Soon it will be all “Artisan Detroit”, and people will start naming their dogs “Detroit”. It will be edgy and artisan at the same time.

Don’t believe me? Just remember that you heard it here first. From someone who’s old enough to remember abandoned buildings in Manhattan that could be had for a song. If I knew then what I know now.

Page Header

Primary Sidebar