OK if you’ve ever dreamt of a movie-inspired life living in some gorgeous light-filled Brooklyn brownstone, today’s home is for you! This sweet family pad belongs to textile artist Maryanne Moodie, her partner Aaron Moodie and their two young kids, Murray (3 yrs) and Rudi (very fresh!). The family have been here just two years, after Aaron was offered the opportunity to relocate by his employer, Etsy.
Maryanne and Aaron’s apartment occupies the top floor of a tall brownstone building in Park Slope. The building itself is over 100 years old, and sits proudly amongst a long row of similar homes in an obscenely pretty, tree-lined street complete with ubiquitous Brooklyn ‘stoops’ for perching on and watching the world go by. Maryanne says the lady who owns the building is 96 years old and lives on the ground floor. ‘Her daughter (our landlady) lives in the first floor apartment, her son lives in the basement and we live on the top floor’ says Maryanne. ‘It used to be one big house and our landlady regales us with tales of how she would toddle from floor to floor as a child and how she would sneak out as a teen. Brooklyn was pretty rough back then in the 70s and 80s, but her Italian Dad was apparently the ‘King of the Block’. Other neighbours confirm this!’.
Maryanne and Aaron were lucky to find this apartment relatively quickly. ‘In NYC, you have to hire a broker to show you apartments for hire. After being shown two shoe boxes, we realised what was important – we didn’t mind a walk up (even with a toddler), but needed space and light’. The next place Maryanne and Aaron saw was this one, and before the tour was finished, they knew it was the one.
‘This apartment was on a beautiful street where kids played outdoors, it still had the original fixtures including a huge window that let in lots of natural light, space to separate home and work life, and the thing that sealed the deal? A huge farm sink!’ says Maryanne.
After waiting for their furniture to arrive from Melbourne, Maryanne wasted no time in bringing her unique aesthetic to this bright and airy apartment. She notes that it’s a very ‘Melbourne’ sort of style, with a mix of sweet mid century and vintage pieces, the odd custom built piece and lots of lush indoor plant life. The home is also filled with beautiful handcrafted treasures and artworks from familiar Melbourne makers, ensuring home never feels too far away. ‘I feel like all of our friends’ homes back in Melbourne have a similar aesthetic to this, but in NYC, ours is quite different to any other home we have visited!’ says Maryanne.
Next week we’ll share the next video in our ‘Outlanders’ series, featuring Maryanne – we are VERY EXCITED, it’s a beauty.
