☞ REVIVE: The New Antique Aesthetic

A modern space with accents of authentic vintage pieces in the hard finishes can be the right way to go for historic renovation projects but few townhouses take on this route uptown.  Most of the gut renovations are either basic with moderate finishes or severely high end and incongruous to the nature of a century old house.  An occasional homeowner will keep all of the original details with worn patina, hairline cracks in the porcelain and original plaster molding but this is often a rare case because the idea of having a brand new space is so ingrained into Manhattanites for some reason.

We have seen some of the history-friendly renovations in Brooklyn's brownstone blocks and the basin sink at the new Vinateria on FDB reminds us of how some of the more creative designers in that neighborhood tackle the problem of mixing new with old.  As we mentioned before, the gutted space at the new South Harlem eatery has classic ceramic hex tiles in unglazed black but reclaimed items were selected to fit into a budget.  The sink within the unisex bathroom has newish fixture to it but can be easily purchased and reglazed for less than most high end new fixtures.

This in turn adds the character needed to a space and helps an interior not look like a contemporary hotel suite.  Bathrooms especially benefit from reclaiming old cast iron or porcelain sink but renovators who have more to spend can actually purchase newly manufactured versions at a restoration company that will charge substantially more to get this authentic look.