AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 12

THE BLACK FAMILY HOME
sitting room. A desk faced the wall while
sparsely placed chairs were oriented
vaguely towards a wall-mounted television.
An awkwardly large electric fireplace
dominated the wall and the room. At the
same time, undersized furniture made
the room feel small and cramped. But all
of that just meant that transforming it was
going to be fun.
We began by putting together a
moodboard, reflecting on some of our
favorite libraries for inspiration. As much
as we love our country home, we’re city
folks at heart, so we try to bring the vibe of
the city with us — starting with Brooklyn.
The library room at Dumbo House, the
same room where we launched AphroChic
magazine, was an obvious choice. A perfect
gentlemen’s room, with moody blue walls,
deep club chairs, and large tables to work
from, it was one of our favorite places to
work when we were at the House — which
was almost daily — and our favorite place
to relax when the day was done. Memories
of that vibe set the tone for what we wanted
in this space.
The Ett Home Hotel by Studioilse in
Stockholm, Sweden, was another source
of inspiration. More of a bucket-list destination
than a favorite hangout, the library
features a large, modern shelving unit
mounted to a wall. More than a spacesaver,
the unit is a place for play, housing
books, art, and sculpture alike. It was an
attractive idea as we pondered the living
space for our art collection, as well. The
work of blending books and art — our respective
passions — came to highlight the
theme that defines the room: the balance
of masculine and feminine sustained
through the room’s many elements.
A final touch of inspiration came
from the NoMad hotel’s Library Bar. Now
closed, the former Manhattan chill spot
was decidedly moody, surrounding guests
with walls lined with hundreds of classic
books. It was that sense of intimacy and
warmth that makes you feel like can sink
into a room, and we wanted it.
Inspiration acquired, we redefined
the space with a new floor plan, dividing
the open plan room into two distinct
areas. One area would became a lounge.
Expected to house most of the books, it
would pair shelving with generous seating,
the perfect area for stretching out, reading
by the window, or just reaching up from
the sofa to grab a book off the shelf.
Every good library has a reference
section for big projects, the kind that
spread books and papers everywhere
while the laptop shifts from one end of the
table to the other. To make that happen, we
brought in a large dining table that also fit
8-10 people. In addition to providing more
than ample workspace, when not being
used as an office space, this size of the
table allows the room to double as a dining
room for holidays and family gatherings.
To make the two spaces feel even more
cohesive, we decided to cover the entire
room in Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue.
Chosen to complement and contrast
the pink undertones of our living room, the
pink and blue mix between rooms is a larger
example of the equal blend of masculine
and feminine elements that is woven into
the design of the home as a whole. Painted
on the walls, ceiling and trim, the color
is reminiscent of the wall color at Dumbo
House, itself inspired by the Manhattan
Bridge. Blue can be a challenging color to
design with. Too much can feel too cool and
icy, and layering with it can have bad results
if the shades feel unrelated. To avoid these
pitfalls, we spent time with the Farrow
& Ball team finding just the right shade.
Inchyra was perfect. Deep and soulful,
packed with pigment, it works in all types
of light, which is important when a room
tends be dark. It has notes of brown which
help to create a cozy feel in the evenings.
Color was the key to tying the space
together. But to make the room a library,
what we really needed was shelving large
enough to ground the space and showcase
the books and art. Once the shade was
decided, we worked with our friends at
Resource Furniture to design the custom
shelving. We worked closely with Resource’s
Manhattan showroom, designing
an open-shelf library system, similar
to the Ett Home Hotel. Every detail was
custom. The shelves were designed to have
height and depth to them for housing large
art books, and artworks, vertically. The
dark, melamine Oak Moro that we chose
for the unit went perfectly with the deep
Inchyra Blue covering the walls. Ensuring
that the library vibe extended from one
end of the room to the other, shelves were
placed in each area. As a finishing touch,
Resource offered one last idea: matte
lacquer panels in blue, made in Italy to
match our wall color perfectly, making
the shelving feel even more like part of
the room. It was an amazing idea, and we
decided to add a media unit under the television
in the shade, to hold remotes, wires
and any other tech.
With the layout decided, our attention
turned to the many furnishings and accessories
that would bring the space to
18 aphrochic