N EW WAYS

Life in Color

SEPTEMBER 2016

A MINI SAMPLE OF ICONIC CHAIRS (SCALE 1 : 6), VITRA.COM

THE DEFINITION OF STYLE What do these classics of modern design have in common with the style setters in this issue? They’re inspiring, innovative, creative, bold, brilliant, and a little bit edgy.

THEARTFUL LODGER

BY LINDA O’KEEFFE PHOTOS DAV ID LAND

PRODUCED BY EDDIE ROSS

WALL

STIFFKEY B LUE NO. 28 1 FARROW & B ALL Chris Benz, opposite, with his boxer, Rudy, sketches at an antique workbench he picked up on Craigslist. Tie-dyed upholstery on the tufted 1970s Milo Baughman sofa and chairs, this photo, throws off the back parlor’s formality.

WITH A HEADY MIX OF OLD AND NEW (AND LOTS OF ELBOW GREASE), DESIGNER CHRIS BENZ CREATES A LAID-BACK HOME WHERE IMPERFECTION IS PART OF THE CHARM.

“ I RELAX HERE WITH A CUP OF COFFEE AND SOAK UP LIGHT FROM THE GARDEN.”

Low cabinets keep the kitchen, above, feeling open. The peacock blue door is original. “It’s a keystone to the entire property,” he says. “I’m proud of where I allowed worn-down parts of the house to remain.” A painting found at a Salvation Army, right, showcases Chris’s color palette.

In the dining room, opposite, Chris displays his ‘50s-era dinnerware by Sascha Brastoff, a California ceramicist. Two tacked-up Bill Blass posters add splashes of color and Chris’s signature irreverence. eep into the renovation of his

D1903 home in the BedfordStuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, fashion designer Chris Benz was tapped to become creative director for classic American fashion brand Bill Blass. “I found myself in parallel situations,” he says. “Two traditional ‘houses’ in need of modernization.” But far from reviving the label’s classic sportswear or restoring his brownstone to period, he “re-invented both slates by wiping them clean.”

For Bill Blass, this meant a new identity as an e-commerce site, but for Chris’s kitchen, it translated to a gut job. He removed plaster to reveal lath work, brick walls, and ceiling beams. “It was a filthy, dusty job,” Chris says, “but the plaster was crumbling so it had to come down.” He left the original beams exposed and filled the spaces between with beadboard to cover electrical wires.

The office, bedrooms, and parlors got off easy with only fresh coats of paint in crisp whites, smoky grays, and a full spectrum of intense blues. Chris chose the colors so their tones and shades transition gradually with the floor plan. “I like to use a highgloss version of a matte wall color on the trim,” Chris says. There’s an illusion of height whenever walls and baseboards are painted the same color.

Chris’s mix of furnishings, accessories, and art follows the new-meets-old trend of the house, with some high-low mash-ups thrown in for good measure. “My style is bold, casual bricolage,” he says, “and I’m a sucker for impact so long as it’s inviting.”

At the end of the day, he says, “Everything is fixable—it’s the best part of renovating! When I first started, I was sentimental about moving walls or opening up drywall, but the answer is always to make the layout the best and most logical. It was never a question of restoring the house to its former grandeur or glory. It was built as a spec house so I didn’t need to treat it with kid gloves.”

RATHER THAN BUY IMPULSIVELY, I HOLD OUT FOR THE IDEAL PIECE. EVERY INCH ENDS UP BRIMMING WITH PERSONALITY. —CHRIS BENZ

“ EACH PIECE IS UNIQUE. IT’S A CONSTANT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION,” CHRIS SAYS.