Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad 1890s Brooklyn Home

After visiting over 70 properties, Suleika Jaouad saw a 1890s Italian-style building in Brooklyn that offered all the attributes to hold the music quarters for Jon Batiste to play and record, and for Suleika to write and create in silence, she knew it was their home. The offer was made without a minute of doubt. The result is a home filled with beautiful furniture and objects, including many John Derian pieces.

"With the invaluable help of our friend, the writer and designer Hallie Goodman, who became my collaborator on the interiors, we achieved a balance. Hallie and I both love all things thrifted, and we developed an unconventional, possibly inefficient, but powerfully organic process. We’d find one object, say on Facebook Marketplace or in a flea market, and it would lead to one idea and then another. Gradually a room would coalesce." - Suleika Jaouad.

As much as they were eager to move into this "home-to-be", there were many renovations to be done and they were faced with budget decisions as well as creative impasses and construction delays that are all inevitable.

As soon as they had found the ideas for the aesthetics of the house, they joined forces with their friend, writer and designer Hallie Goodman, who helped find the balance needed to reach the decor of their dreams through a unique and personal collaboration dynamic.

The home has beautiful pieces, including the Brook Sofa, Tete A Tete Chair and Dromedary Sofa from John Derian (made by Cisco Home).

If you're looking for an interior designer with an eye for the balancing old and new, who celebrates art and spotlights creativity, you need to explore Hallie's portfolio.

"My work is both art forward and elegant, unexpected and built to last. I am an expert at sourcing vintage and antiques, and known for mixing them in ways that don't feel fussy or old fashioned. When I incorporate new furnishings, I hew toward handmade, heritage-quality items from smaller makers-pieces my clients can cherish for a lifetime." - Hallie Goodman

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Jon Batiste’s latest album World Music Radio is now available. Suleika Jaouad is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms. Batiste and Jaouad’s original documentary, American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman, a portrait of two inimitable artists at a crossroad and a profound meditation on art, love, and the creative process, is available on Netflix and has received many award nominations including and Oscar nomination Best Original Song.

Photography by Frank Frances (frankfrances.com)
Interior Design & Styling: Hallie Goodman (halliegoodman.com)