Talking with Brad Farmerie about His Clinton Hill Home
Brad Farmerie, chef/owner of PUBLIC and Saxon + Parole, and his wife Jocelyn outfitted the beautiful Clinton Hill townhouse they share with their son Bruno, daughter Scarlet, and dog Ruby with colorful furniture, art, and souvenirs from their travels. After inviting us into his home and sharing his design inspiration, Brad completed our Proust-inspired questionnaire.
How long have you lived at your current residence?
We have lived here since the summer of 2012.
What do you love most about your home?
I really love how bright and light the house feels with the amount of sun that floods into the rooms, but also in the colors and textures of the furniture and art that Jocelyn has chosen for the rooms. I love the natural details of the original 1880’s structure—the façade, the bay windows, and the wooden floors. I feel like every single room is inviting and very comfortable and reflects the idea of having a beautiful but also functional house where our kids’ art and toys can live amicably next to our design choices.
If you could change one thing about your home, what would it be?
I wish when we did our last renovation we had put heating in the floor of our master bathroom. It can be a bit of a rude awakening hitting the cold tile in the middle of the night.
What’s the first thing other people notice when they visit?
Our bright, Van Gogh-yellow front door.
How would you define your design philosophy?
My personal design philosophy is to always defer to my wife Jocelyn. Her approach is “color, pattern, and simplicity.”
What is your most treasured possession?
There are a lot of treasured possessions, but probably at the top of the list would be the things that cannot be replaced—old family photos, artwork (especially our children’s artwork), and things that we have picked up around the world on our travels. These are some of the things that make the house distinctly ours and a great place to live.
What is your favorite thing to do in your home?
I love to cook, spend time with the family, and just generally decompress. I tinker in the backyard clipping and cutting the trees and bushes with no real idea of what I’m doing. A veggie garden is going in this year so hopefully this will be an addition to this list.
What’s your favorite spot in the house?
I like the whole entry level with the very bright, light, super comfortable living room that flows straight into a really functional kitchen that is a joy to cook and entertain in. Our family spends a lot of time together on this floor either doing things together or separately. I also think that we have finally gotten our bedroom to be a little sanctuary of quiet that we can retreat to, so that is a close second place.
What makes a house a home?
Having a space to share with friends and family. A space filled with things that bring you joy, and a space that you can’t wait to get home to after traveling or just a long day at work.
What do you love most about your neighborhood?
As a chef I love that it is a neighborhood where many of the food staples are well represented but also has shops and restaurants that are striving for even more, often with the owners as the passionate face of the business such as Leon and Sons wine, Pizza Loves Emily, Tilda All Day, and the Kelso brewery. As a father I love that there are lots of parks close by, a good bike shop, and that cultural goodness like the Brooklyn Museum, the Botanic Gardens, the Brooklyn Zoo, and BAM are all a short walk away.
If you could change one thing about your neighborhood, what would it be?
Fulton Street can be a bit grungy, and sometimes the C train can take its sweet ass time getting me home at night.
What’s your happiest memory in your home?
I think lazy Sunday mornings making crêpes for the kids with the dog running around and the kids coloring away with a big stack of paper and some crayons, with nowhere specific that we need to be for a few hours…
For more on Brad and Jocelyn’s home, and to check out nine other beautiful Brooklyn homes, visit here.