Usually people talk about trying to be more like the French, but for former Parisian Florence Mars and her family, it's been all about embracing America—or least, the version of America that concerns a newly-renovated townhouse in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, where an an influx of French families has brought along shops with French signs and schools with a French curriculum. Okay, so maybe it's just about being French in America. Anyway, their home, profiled in the latest issue of New York Cottages & Gardens, was reworked by Manhattan-based firm Murdock Solon Architects in 2013. Shedding original features like extravagant molding and "everything painted gold," the remodel brought a bright-and-airy and altogether very European vibe to a landmark Brooklyn property.
"It shocks a lot of Americans when they see how few things we have," Mars tells NYC&G. Indeed, the decor aims for a streamlined look, though Mars' affinity for "flea-market finds and antique wares" is readily observable on various shelves and fireplace mantelpieces. Get the full story and tour over on NYC&G.
· A French Family Puts a European Spin and a Hipster Twist on an 1851 Townhouse [New York Cottages & Gardens via Domaine]
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