This Brooklyn Townhouse Is a Master Class in Fusing the Old and the New
Who is Dorion? As it turns out, the mysterious eponym of a young Brooklyn-based interiors firm doesn’t exist. She is a fictive “esteemed older decorator,” as Peter Dolkas describes her, one with a very real point of view.
Dolkas and Michelle Ficker, who cofounded Studio Dorion in 2020, met and became close while desk mates at the firm of ELLE DECOR A-List designer Billy Cotton. It was during that period that they were introduced to the homeowners of this Brooklyn brownstone and worked alongside Cotton with a mandate to “improve on empty.” Five years later Dolkas and Ficker came back under their own steam to put a new spin on its interiors.
A Bay Area native, Dolkas studied costume design before going into prop styling in New York City, with a brief interlude back in San Francisco as a junior designer at a local firm. He went on to complete his master’s at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Ficker, who grew up in Colorado, moved to the East Coast to study at the New York School of Interior Design, working at that time for David Kleinberg and later with Peter Pennoyer. Dolkas and Ficker “both have a passion for furniture and for objects, and for how people could live with them,” Cotton says. “It’s amazing to see them use those tools in their own work and create their own vision.”
The client, who works as a consultant, lives with her husband and their two teenage sons. She first hired Studio Dorion to complete a gut renovation of a barn on her property in Litchfield, Connecticut, turning it into a guesthouse. Thrilled with the results, she called them back to revisit the brownstone with an eye toward “warming things up.” The four-bedroom, Italianate-style townhouse, built in 1901, required a light but knowledgeable hand. Studio Dorion’s vision took shape in spurts over the course of several years, starting with the untouched primary bathroom, which was overhauled. The adjoining primary bedroom, featuring a bed designed by Ficker, was revamped with a wall artwork by Marley Freeman and a 1950s Scandinavian modern armchair upholstered in a Holland & Sherry wool.
Living Room
The custom sofas are in a Holland & Sherry mohair, the 1960s cocktail table is by Angelo Mangiarotti, and the vintage armchairs are by Guglielmo Ulrich. The floor lamps are by Tommaso Cimini and the vintage sconces by Jacques Dumond. The artwork at right is by Alex Katz.
Living Room
Artworks by Franz Kline (left) and Andrea Blum are on display above a custom sofa covered in mohair velvet by Holland & Sherry. The cocktail table is by Angelo Mangiarotti, the side table by Adam Otlewski, and the Linen White wall paint by Benjamin Moore.
Living Room
In a 1901 Italianate-style brownstone in Brooklyn designed by Studio Dorion, a chimney breast is newly clad in mirror. The pendant is by David Weeks, the 1940s Gio Ponti club chair in black wool by Rose Uniacke, and the circa-1940 floor lamp by Maison Jansen.
Living Room
The custom sofas are in a Holland & Sherry mohair, the 1960s cocktail table is by Angelo Mangiarotti, and the vintage armchairs are by Guglielmo Ulrich. The floor lamps are by Tommaso Cimini and the vintage sconces by Jacques Dumond. The artwork at right is by Alex Katz.
Living Room
Artworks by Franz Kline (left) and Andrea Blum are on display above a custom sofa covered in mohair velvet by Holland & Sherry. The cocktail table is by Angelo Mangiarotti, the side table by Adam Otlewski, and the Linen White wall paint by Benjamin Moore.
Living Room
In a 1901 Italianate-style brownstone in Brooklyn designed by Studio Dorion, a chimney breast is newly clad in mirror. The pendant is by David Weeks, the 1940s Gio Ponti club chair in black wool by Rose Uniacke, and the circa-1940 floor lamp by Maison Jansen.
Dining Room
The table is by Piero Lissoni, the chairs are by Gio Ponti, and the 1950s console is by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture. The floor lamps are by Tony Blahd, the wallcovering is by Caba Company, the rug by Beauvais Carpets, and the artworks by Tony Just (left) and Sam Falls.
Media Room
For a 1970s look, the walls and ceiling were covered in an espresso cork wallcovering by Cowtan & Tout. The sofa is by Room & Board, the ottoman is custom, the floor lamp is by Isamu Noguchi, and the artwork is by John Beardman.
Office
Cork flooring tiles cover the walls and ceiling. The lounge chair and ottoman are from Herman Miller, the ceiling light is by Alvar Aalto, and the 1950s sconce by Le Klint. The artworks (left) are by Nahum Tschacbasov.
Office
In the office that also serves as a music room, the piano is by Yamaha, the stool by Alvar Aalto, and the artworks are by Ray Parker (top) and Alexander Calder (bottom).
The Designers
Studio Dorion cofounders Michelle Ficker and Peter Dolkas in the library. The bookshelf is custom, the 1950s armchair is by Franco Albini, the vintage side table by Eileen Gray, and the wool rug by Holland & Sherry. The artwork (top) is by Donald Sultan and the lithograph by David Hockney.
Primary Bedroom
The Scandinavian armchair is in a wool by Holland & Sherry, the side table is by Philippe Starck, and the artwork by Marley Freeman. The walls are painted in Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore.
Primary Bathroom
The bathroom was tiled to make it congruent with the home’s original architecture. The custom vanity and matching mirrors are in walnut, the sconces are by Urban Archaeology, and the fittings by Waterworks.
On the parlor floor, the living and dining areas were reimagined for flow and functionality: The chimney breast was clad in mirror to bring light deeper into the room; the dining table now has leaves; the living room sofas, previously upholstered in a white silk bouclé, are currently—following a tragic chocolate incident that the client admits was her fault—in a darker mohair velvet. “I couldn’t get it out,” she says. “I was like, this is a sign.”
The ground-floor media room is a space where the kids can relax with their friends; it manages with aplomb the uneasy union of art, design, and teenagers. Outfitted in an espresso cork wallcovering, it features a large Room & Board sectional and a custom ottoman upholstered in a vintage Tibetan blanket. “Our little one—who’s the tallest of us all—we still call him the puppy,” the client says. “And he hasn’t grown into his paws, so we’re always a little at risk.”
An adjacent office was a necessary addition for the client, who primarily works from home. Its walls and ceiling are paneled in a cork flooring material to mirror the den. “We showed her a photo of Yves Saint Laurent’s office in Paris that has a big cork wall that he pinned things to,” Dolkas says. “That was our sort of gateway to get her excited about the idea, but it didn’t take much convincing.”
The home’s extensive art assemblage was curated over years of acquisitions from auctions, shopping trips in upstate New York, and with help from Brendan Dugan of Karma gallery, whom the client met through her children’s school. Notable pieces in the collection include works by Alex Katz, Franz Kline, Paul Lee, and Andrea Blum. “Beautiful things just have meaning to me,” the client says. “They’re part of what feels like home.” Like many a great story, this one is ongoing: Dolkas and Ficker recently finished a tennis pavilion and a screened-in sunroom at the Connecticut home and are eager to see what else is on the agenda. “She jokes about the next project being a beach house,” Ficker says. “So we’re waiting for that call.”
This story originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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