THE { LUXURY } LIFE: Current Interiors, A DESIGNER WE LOVE!

THE { LUXURY } LIFE: A DESIGNER WE LOVE!

Our dear friend Rachel Kane of Current Interiors is making headlines! Rachel was featured in Architectural Digest for use of bold colors and patterns to transform an industrial Brooklyn loft.

DUMBOresidence+5

An Industrial Brooklyn Loft Is Transformed into a Family-Friendly Home

For many interior designers, an 1,800-square-foot Brooklyn loft would be an invitation to embrace minimalism or industrial details, but that wasn’t the case for Rachel Kane and Xandro Aventajado of the New York–based firm Current Interiors. Instead, they saw the apartment, located in the borough’s Dumbo neighborhood, as a blank slate for lush layers, tonal textures, and bold prints—all in the name of family-friendly functionality.

DUMBOresidence+9
When the owners first moved into the three-bedroom apartment in a circa-1890 former printing press, they were still just a young couple more likely to prioritize comfort over design. Nine years—and two children—later, they knew it was time for a refresh. “When you’re in a three-bedroom, three-bath home with no kids, it seems like a mansion,” says Kane. “With two kids, it starts to feel tight. As much as they wanted it to look good, they needed the space to work for them.” Over a six-month period with only minor renovations—refinished floors, an upgraded kitchen—Aventajado and Kane turned the industrial-style space into a sophisticated, highly purposeful home for the family of four.

DUMBOresidence+10

For Aventajado and Kane, creating a successful open layout came down to making design decisions that felt intentional, but not at all modular. “Designing a loft is all about creating islands,” says Aventajado. “When you’re making these little pods with rugs, furniture arrangements, or anchored lighting, it indicates to the client how they should use the space.” Perhaps the most interesting tool employed by the designers in their effort to create these definitive moments was their wall treatments. “We love using wallpaper—it’s one of those classic materials that always elevates a space, taking it to the next level of texture and depth,” says Aventajado. When the design duo first saw the home, the front hall felt cramped and undefined. They resolved to cover both the wall and doors in Juju Paper’s artful Pas de Trois, which gave the neglected pass-through the illusion of depth, plus the gravitas of a larger room.

DUMBOresidence+8
Despite the profusion of eye-catching design elements, Aventajado and Kane’s main objective was to create a home as hardworking as it is style-forward. In the living room, the elegant Cliff Young sectional is upholstered in commercial-grade ultrasuede, perfect for rough-and-tumble elementary schoolers and wine-wielding guests. Even with its sleek lines and curved base, the dining table wipes clean with Windex, thanks to its resin-coated zinc top. Then there’s the seating in the entryway, commissioned by the designers with the same indestructible resin finish. “That’s a bench that’s going to see a lot of people coming and going, and it needs to be beautiful but functional,” says Kane.
DUMBOresidence+14

Aventajado and Kane’s respect for their clients’ real-world needs serves to fuel, not dampen, their creativity, and therein lies the secret to their success. “Nothing is better than when you finish a project and a client is thrilled with what they have, when they can’t wait to call it home,” says Aventajado, beaming. Given the duo’s refined style and solutions-based take on spacemaking, it’s hard to imagine any other outcome.

claudia-signature

Claudia Saez-Fromm

An entrepreneur, innovator, and singularly successful real estate salesperson, fitness fiend, foodie, mommy, and fashion fan. www.claudiasaezfromm.com

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>