There is no denying that Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse is a design epic. Undoubtedly one of the most grammed and pinned interiors on the internet, this home is the culmination of three years spent manifesting, educating, renovating, and seeking to create her masterpiece. But it certainly didn’t start out this way. The late 1800s Greek Revival had been stripped of much of its original detail when Calderone got her hands on it however the visual storyteller could see its potential and over time, she slowly reinserted the ornate traditional architecture with a modern sensibility (and her nonconformist stamp, too).
Much like the beautiful lining on a coat jacket, the hidden details of a room are what I love most about design. When you dissect each room of Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse, there are concealed layers that aren’t always immediately obvious to the untrained eye—but they all amalgamate to create the masterpiece you see before you. A huge part of the design process was collaborating with the plaster aficionados at Kamp Studios to bring back the old-world sculptural detailing and wall paneling into the space. But perhaps the most transformative consideration for each room was the paint. In the same way she obsessively searched and deliberated over every piece of décor for the townhouse, Calderone was just as committed to finding the right shade of white.
In fact, we’re fairly certain that “what is the color white on your walls?” is one of the most requested DM’s on her Instagram. But, here’s the thing—the white that Calderone has will most certainly not work in every space. As Calderone writes in her latest LivingEtc Column: “Whites are soooo sensitive. You can choose the perfect white paint in the shop, only to find it’s a different color on your wall at home thanks to the constant reflecting and refracting of the light and colors in the space around it. White will absorb everything and anything in its path.”
Calderone’s advice when choosing the best paint color? Look at a range of colors from Farrow and Ball or Benjamin Moore, buy a few samples, get out your paint roller, and give it a test on a few walls that get sunlight from varied directions, checking it at various times through the day—morning, noon, and night. I would also suggest photographing the wall too. Then you can really figure out which one works best for your space because more often than not, the one you love on paper won’t be the one that works in your home.
So, with that in mind, read on to discover every paint color in Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse to help you on your own paint journey. Good luck and have fun!
