See How Stagers Transformed Spike Lee’s Former Work Studio into an Art Deco Oasis

Home staging is all about helping buyers see the “diamond in the rough,” says Taylor Deltz, a senior designer with Urban Staging. That philosophy rings true whether stagers are refreshing a dated apartment, a well-loved cottage, or a historic firehouse-turned-movie-production-studio (turned into, eventually, a home, which was Urban Staging’s latest challenge).

The team recently breathed new life into a unique living space with a storied past. The three-story building in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, started its life as a water tower, then became a New York City fire station in the early 1900s. Later, in the 1970s, it became director Spike Lee’s live-work space and the headquarters for his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks studio. (At some point along the way, it was also designated as a civil defense bomb shelter.)

Now, the historic building is ready to start its next chapter. Listed for $4.45 million, the 5,593-square-foot townhouse has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two rooftop decks.

The property hasn’t found a buyer yet. But thanks to the staging, real estate agent Melissa Leifer is confident it will soon.

“Staging works,” says Leifer. “When you stage something, you can create the story of the apartment to attract the best buyer. It evokes emotion as well, and emotion is a driving force behind people’s decisions. You get to create how you want people to feel when they are in the apartment. That experience translates into a faster and higher sales price.”

Home stagers with Urban Staging worked their magic on the townhouse’s top floor, which leads out to the two massive terraces. They wanted to honor some of the older details — including the glass block windows and the 1970s tile — while also showing buyers that the property could be upgraded to a more modern, luxurious design.

When stagers first arrived on the scene, they immediately noticed the townhome’s strong Art Deco vibes — including the sconces and pendant lights.

“It seemed that it would appeal to a creative personality, which sort of freed us in our design process,” says Gabrielle Hamill, Urban Staging’s creative director.

The top floor consists of a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room — all centered around a large bathroom with etched glass accents, a sunken bathtub, and a wall of curved glass blocks. The kitchen was old and shabby, which initially made it difficult to stage. But the team decided to embrace the dated, brick-colored floor tiles to help the kitchen mesh with the surrounding rooms.

“We filled the dining room with deep reds to allow the kitchen tile to become the narrator of the space, instead of an inhibitor,” says Deltz.

The living room is massive and has very high ceilings — it’s also “very white, very hard, very concrete,” says Hamill. To make the sterile space feel more homey, the stagers added colorful rugs, pillows, and artwork; they also broke up the room into several smaller seating areas. These subtle tweaks transformed the room from “empty and echoing” to intimate and inviting, says Hamill.

To serve as the focal point in the spacious living room, they selected a large framed masterpiece by renowned artist Man Ray. The playful piece hangs above the couch and helps accentuate the Art Deco feel.

Similarly, the outdoor decks are massive, so they created smaller entertainment zones and added tall grasses to help make them more inviting.

“Through texture and color, we brought warmth into the space,” says Hamill. “With it being a firehouse, it had an industrial feel that we needed to make feel like a home.”

More than likely, the agents believe, whoever buys the townhouse will probably undertake a top-to-bottom renovation. But even though the space may be completely gutted, the stagers still wanted to honor its legacy as a firehouse and as Spike Lee’s headquarters.

“We knew that anyone who was drawn to this space would know its history and hopefully use that as the jumping-off point for the changes they make,” says Deltz. “You want to highlight the beauty of the space, even if you know everything may change in the future. The aspirational effect of staging can help a potential buyer see that there may be more to the overall bones than they had previously thought.”

Further Reading

I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said