Jenna Lyons Is Also an Interior Design Genius — Why Her Brooklyn Brownstone Became Famous
People are still raving about Jenna Lyons' renovated Brooklyn brownstone 15 years after a magazine featured it on its cover.
Jenna Lyons is typically known for her clothing style and fashion — helped along by a long career at J.Crew — but she recently revealed more on The Real Housewives of New York City how she’s also famous for another kind of style: interior design.
“Since leaving J. Crew, I had a chance to do some things that I’ve really been wanting to do for years — like interior design work,” Jenna said on Episode 6, as she helped a friend, actress Emily Hampshire, with decorating her cottage. “I renovated a brownstone, and ironically, I got more attention for that than I did for my career in fashion.”
Where is the brownstone Jenna Lyons renovated?
Jenna bought the brownstone in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood with her now ex-husband, artist Vincent Mazeau, in 2004 for $1.3 million, reported Forbes. After Jenna listed it for $3.75 million in November 2011, it sold in the spring of 2012 for $4 million, according to Trulia.
The home — which dates back to the 1880s — is four stories tall with a finished cellar that’s been converted into a media room, Forbes reported. It has seven bedrooms, and three and a half baths. Jenna’s full renovation included all new mechanicals, electric, and plumbing, as well as a new rear façade and roof. The eat-in cook’s kitchen was redone with brand new appliances, and there’s now a large private terrace off the master bedroom.
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Jenna worked to preserve many of the home’s original details, according to Forbes.
“An open double parlor, beautiful (but not fussy) plaster cornices and medallions, aged pine floors, and seven restored limestone mantels are just a few of the special details of this magnificent home,” Forbes reported in 2011 when the home was for sale.
Why is Jenna Lyons' brownstone famous?
Jenna has recently been giving her social media followers a look into her home and decorations.
On July 28, she posted a picture of herself sitting on a yellow sofa on her Instagram, prompting one person to comment, “the sofa that launched a thousand Google searches.” Jenna herself pointed out the large, crystal chandelier in the photo, captioning, “Recognize that chandelier? It now resides in my bedroom.”
One of her fellow Housewives fully supports Jenna living in Brooklyn.
“I think you should come back to Brooklyn. Neighbors??” Sai de Silva commented on the post.
Another Instagram post the same day showed off the brownstone’s home garden, with stairs leading down to a patio and grass, with a beautiful pink flowering tree.
The home was featured on the cover of Domino magazine 15 years ago in 2008, which Jenna reposted to her Instagram on July 27.
She showed off images of one of the renovated bathrooms, featuring a large tub. Another image was of a sitting area with a white table and chairs, and large floor-to-ceiling windows in the background.
Jenna’s famous closet was featured in the magazine, and Jenna reposted one of the shots of her space, with clothing racks and many shelves of shoes visible, along with huge windows and a fireplace, making it an inviting space.
Jenna also reposted some shots of the kitchen from the magazine, revealing teal cabinets, sleek white countertops, and an industrial oven and range hood.
“My first magazine cover 15 years ago!” Jenna wrote in the post’s caption. “Domino was one of my favorite magazines and I was so honored to have my Brooklyn home featured.”
The Domino cover sparked hundreds of blog posts about Jenna and her interior design. And it turns out that magazine cover introduced another RHONY cast member to Jenna all those years ago.
“Fun fact – the first time I ever 'saw' you was this!!!” Brynn Whitfield commented on the post. “I was a senior at Purdue in Indiana and saw this fab person in a gown bathing her child in an NYC brownstone. I thought I was looking at my future (wink emoji). Little did I know (head explosion emoji).”
The comments show why Jenna’s brownstone has became so famous, with one person writing on the posts, “I bought a second issue of this Domino just so I could keep one pristine and then use one for a vision board. Absolutely iconic.”
Another person commented on Jenna’s design influence, writing, “These ripped out pages from Domino have followed me through many moves, guiding my own design choices.”
See more of Jenna’s interior designs and style on new episodes of The Real Housewives Of New York City, airing Sundays at 9/8c on Bravo and the next day on Peacock.
