Tour the Breathtaking Space that The Brooklyn Home Company’s Founder Calls Home

Rip & Tan: We’d love the inside scoop on The Brooklyn Home Company’s origin story. What kind of projects fuel your interior passions?

Bill Caleo: Brooklyn Home is a family business that started with completing our first townhouse projects in Brooklyn in 2007.  During that time, we were looking to create an oasis in the city by focusing on natural materials and sustainable building practices. This effort was led by the creative energy and talents of Lyndsay Caleo Karol and Fitzhugh Karol, my sister and brother-in-law. Fitzhugh had the idea of building custom art in the homes that we sold. We became passionate about this integration, which included, and still includes, custom barn doors, live edge butcher block countertops, integrated sculptural elements and custom millwork. This integration became a cornerstone of our business, and we still lean on it in every home that we design.

Today, we also believe in utilizing passive house principles in the homes that we sell. Passive House principles provide better insulation and air tightness to buildings, which lowers the carbon footprint compared to traditional construction and makes a better indoor air environment. We are fueled by providing homes that are healthier to live in and more artistically focused. 

Rip & Tan: In what ways does Brooklyn itself inspire your design?

Bill Caleo: Brooklyn has been our long-time home. It is the place where we got our start, opened our business and raised our families. Our goal is to provide beautiful and timeless homes in the borough that we love.

There is an energy about Brooklyn that we find extremely inspiring, and the history it possesses helps us to lean into ensuring that we only add to its glory. 

Rip & Tan: In terms of both this home and your greater portfolio, what sets up an interior to age gracefully?

Bill Caleo: The use of natural and organic materials is very important to us. A key to our design process is incorporating brass, marble, wood and materiality that has been around for hundreds of years and that ages gracefully and with intention. We realize that aging is a natural part of life, so our interiors should do the same in a way that never makes a space feel stuffy or outdated. 

Rip & Tan: At what point in your design process did this space truly start to feel like home? 

Megan Noetzel: I think once we really settled into the design elements and each of our children started putting their marks on their own bedrooms and spaces, we really started to feel like it was coming together as a family home.

Rip & Tan: Each element feels so intentional and well-curated. What are some of your go-to spots in Brooklyn or the surrounding boroughs for sourcing materials, furniture, or décor?

Megan Noetzel: RW Guild, Salter House, LES Collection, ABC Home, BDDW, Clic Gallery, KRB NYC, and Soane Showroom—just to name a few.

Rip & Tan: Whether a finish or a decorative element, what are some of your favorite features?

Megan Noetzel: I think one of our favorite elements is the primary bathroom space. Trying something new here with the plaster finish covering every inch of the space was something I got a lot of pushback on, but I think ultimately, you have to take risks in design. It really feels like walking into a cloud, and we love how warm and inviting it feels.

Rip & Tan: Not every design studio boasts its own Artist-in-Residence. Do you have any Fitzhugh Karol originals you can speak to in this space? 

Megan Noetzel: I will say that I feel honored to have so many beautiful Fitzhugh Karol pieces in our space. I am a big fan of his work and find the sculptural shapes so calming and organic. From the foyer console table to the totem sculpture in the living room to the gorgeous guest bed and medicine cabinets, there is so much beauty and personality that his pieces bring to a space. And the fact that he is my brother-in-law makes it just that much more special.

Rip & Tan: The natural light in this building is exquisite. What are some of the ways you harnessed that in the planning of the space?

Megan Noetzel: We wanted the light and the views to be the main event in our home, so we really had to walk the line between making sure that the interiors didn’t compete while also following a very calming, natural, yet interesting palette and aesthetic.