Inside Restaurateur Chelsea Altman’s Clinton Hill Home
What do you do?
I own restaurants, I’m an actress and I’ve just started writing, to add to the list of impossible professions.
Why did you move to Brooklyn?
In 1999, I wanted to buy, so clearly Manhattan was out. My boyfriend at the time lived in Clinton Hill, a neighborhood I had barely heard of, but there was a super-cheap apartment for sale on his street. So I bought it. That’s a young dumb move, but it worked out… the apartment that is.
What’s your favorite thing about your space?
It’s like a country house in the city. It’s cozy and rustic and colorful and the opposite of the loft I grew up in. I find some comfort in tiny rooms.
What’s your least favorite thing?
Having a house when you’re not handy is an issue: mice, waterbugs, leaks, snow shoveling, power outages. Sometimes I want a hermetically sealed condo high up in the sky.
What are the three things you’d save first in a fire?
A picture of my Dad from the late 60s, my kids’ art and all the Lauren Moffat coats I just bought at her winter sample sale.
What’s your favorite room in your space?
My bathroom.
If you suddenly received a windfall of cash, what changes would you make to your space?
I’d blow out my attic, make it into a master bedroom with sliding glass doors that lead onto a roof deck.
If you could move your house/block/neighborhood to another city, which one would it be, and why?
Oaxaca. Good food, good people, good times.