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In need of temporary digs while renovating their new home—and enough space for a toddler to run around—a Brooklyn couple finds the perfect in-between solution.
Brooklyn residents for over a decade, Andy Grieve and Akiko Iwakawa-Grieve recently found themselves in the same place as many New York couples their age: expanding their family and in need of more space to match. The couple loved living in Fort Greene, the leafy bohemian neighborhood where they bought a loft-style apartment in 2005, but when their first daughter arrived, their wide-open space didn’t seem quite so large anymore.
“We built a room for her in the loft, but it was still a loft, with no windows in her room,” says Andy. The setup just wasn’t ideal for the long-term. With property prices booming in the borough, the couple decided to sell their Fort Greene apartment, knowing they’d make quite a profit from when they purchased it almost a decade ago—and look for a larger family home. They knew they wanted to buy in Bedford-Stuyvesant, an increasingly popular neighborhood near Fort Greene known for its beautiful brownstone blocks. They quickly realized that purchasing a townhouse here, complete with outdoor space, would mean they’d probably have to spend some time and money renovating. That was doable for the couple, but presented a new dilemma: their Fort Greene loft sold, they still needed somewhere to live while they looked for a home to purchase and renovate.
Andy and Akiko wanted a completely move-in ready place. Considering they planned to renovate their own home soon, for the rental, “we didn’t want to have to paint walls and all of that,” says Andy. “We wanted somewhere that wouldn’t have problems, with a good landlord where we would just know everything was in good shape.” That proved to be a bit of a tall order. “We looked for about three months,” says Akiko. “We were looking everywhere,” and eventually “we were getting depressed” by what was available. They saw a two-bedroom in Park Slope that had plenty of space, but was in very poor condition. A half-townhouse in Clinton Hill was in even worse shape.
They were, however, pleasantly surprised when they discovered a four-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse on Hancock Street in Bed-Stuy.Dixon had recently bought the historic early-twentieth-century single-family home and put it through a top-to-bottom renovation to revitalize its original splendor. Our first thought was, “This is too nice for a rental,” says Akiko. Each of the three levels had been meticulously renovated with dark oak wide-plank hardwood floors, en-suite marble bathrooms, and elegant details like the arched French doorways in the living room, built to match the home’s original grand entryway. For Andy and Akiko, the two biggest selling points were the pristine condition of every room—no changes would be needed at all—and the abundance of space.
“We had figured we would have to get a rental plus some storage space,” says Andy. “But with this house we could forget about the storage space and also not have to pay for a parking garage,” since there was a private off-street spot out front. The young family moved in shortly before Thanksgiving—good timing as they immediately appreciated the spacious chef’s kitchen and especially the three-tiered, vintage-style oven that includes separate compartments for the convection oven, broiler, and standard oven (just large enough for a turkey).
As they set out to renovate the Bed-Stuy townhouse they eventually purchased—a project that they expect to take up to a year—they’ve set up home at the Hancock Street house. Their daughter has a tent dominating the living room/play area on the main floor, while the lower level houses a home office (both Andy and Akiko are video editors), guest bedroom and laundry room, plus space for their bikes and a stroller. The two en-suite bedrooms are located upstairs, where they particularly appreciate the heated bathroom floors.
The burgeoning neighborhood may not have quite the amenities of their old haunt in Fort Greene, but they’re gradually discovering favorite new spots and are excited to explore further. They are particularly looking forward to the opening of L'Antagoniste, a family-friendly French bistro from Manhattan restaurateur Amadeus Broger. A weekend morning might start with lattes at their favorite local coffee shop, Georges-Andrews Vintage Café, just around the corner. Then, it’s playground time at the quiet schoolyard nearby, perhaps followed by a walk through verdant Fulton Park and a bike ride through Brooklyn.
Now that the weather is warming up, the most enviable element of their new home is certainly the private back terrace and landscaped Zen garden, where their daughter enjoys running around under the shade of multiple trees. “That’s a big plus,” says Akiko. “Usually in the city you don’t even think about outdoor space, but that’s been fantastic for her to have.”
View the floor plans for Hancock Street
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