Decorating & Design
November 14, 2022
Designer Ruchi Agrawal Mohan Transforms A Brooklyn Townhouse For An Artist & Her Housemates
When designer Ruchi Agrawal Mohan first saw the white-walled rooms of this 1,758-square-foot townhouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., it was like flipping through the blank pages of a book waiting for a story to fill them. Then, after meeting the young owner and her mother (who would be a guiding light for design decisions), Ruchi knew immediately it was a story she wanted to write.
The townhouse has three levels (kitchen and dining on the first, two bedrooms and a living room on the second and another bedroom and terrace on the third). The owner, an artist studying to be an art therapist, loves literature, collects comic books and is a big fan of Greek and Roman mythology and Broadway plays (her favorite is Hadestown, a retelling of the Greek tragedy Orpheus and Eurydice). She shares the townhouse with two girlfriends, marking Ruchi’s first time designing for roommates. The biggest challenge? Fitting all that life and personality into one home. “There’s so much going on in each of their lives,” says Ruchi. “They’re all into art, literature, movies and books.”
Keep scrolling for a tour of this personality-packed home!
The retelling of the circa-1901 townhouse story began in August 2021. When daughter, mother and Ruchi first teamed up to collaborate on the interiors, the blue kitchen cabinets were the only standout detail in the otherwise white envelope. That quickly changed over the decorating process. “The Grec0-Roman wallpaper in the entry, and the snake rug and old china cabinet in the dining room are all odes to my client’s personality,” says Ruchi.
To start, Ruchi made sure the owner’s favorite interior color, green, was used liberally in a variety of hues, with playful hits of pink, yellow, blue and lavender as accent colors. “Kinky” boots, signed by the cast of the Broadway musical, have pride of place in the powder room. The other key consideration was to seamlessly blend old and new elements. In the dining room, for instance, family heirlooms such as an antique china cabinet and a sword from India were juxtaposed with a sculptural chandelier and contemporary French dining chairs upholstered in faux velvet and alligator fabrics. “I wanted to mix new finds and antiques to make the space feel lived in,” says the owner.
The owner wanted a space that reflected her passions and personality, one where she could store all her books and showcase her art. “My love of history and dramatic flair has an origin,” she says. “Both my parents are big on collecting stories, too, and they took me to movies and museums all the time when I was growing up.” The living room includes an office area that houses the owner’s comic book collection.
On each floor, art, culture and creativity are on full display, and every room is its own chapter in the owner’s story. Three bedrooms are private oases for three roommates, respectively, while the living room is the common space where they gather and hang out. The beverage area off the living room is a tea station by day, wine bar by night.
A vintage dress form (named Francesca) models a 1950s silk taffeta gown on the second-floor landing. “This is one of many special moments in the house,” says Ruchi.
The owner’s art adorns floating shelves while cubbies under the counter stash art supplies. “Every house has a personality and a history — just like a person — and I wanted where I lived to feel that way,” says the owner.
“I’ve always wanted a dark bedroom; I feel completely at home here,” says the owner of the principal suite. Metallic wallpaper on the ceiling is ethereal.
Wallpaper with a forest motif sets a romantic mood in another bedroom.
In the evenings, the friends like nothing better than to sink in to the sofa to read, watch movies or play board games surrounded by art pieces, marbleized drapes and striking photos of RuPaul and Marilyn Monroe. “I love storytelling,” says the owner, “and I believe my townhouse tells an interesting one.”
“The project was a joy and every detail was collaborative,” says Ruchi (pictured). “It started out with a wonderful energy that quickly converted into genuine, heartfelt warmth.”
Jacob Snavely
House & Home October 2022
Ruchi Agrawal Mohan