Paul Johnson of Brooklyn Vintage poses with one of his refurbished pieces in front of his White Street warehouse. — photo by Jeremy Sapienza

You probably have a pathetically small living room. Or maybe a dinky windowless bedroom. Or possibly you live in one of those tenements with retardedly narrow hallways from which, upon emerging, you feel like you’ve been born again. No matter what spacial problems you may suffer in your living situation, Paul Johnson has just the table, dresser, desk, or headboard for you.

Paul’s experience as a mover helped him realize the need for properly scaled furniture. Many of the items he delivered to Brooklyn apartments weren’t able to fit through the door, and even once inside, some of the pieces were so massive they dominated the space. His inventory includes several dressers and wardrobes, narrow enough not to take up too much of your precious square footage, but tall enough to be efficient — but not too tall:

“Most of these pieces come in under 72 inches, so we can get around the tight corners of some of the narrower walk-ups.”

Paul finds his pieces throughout New England, has them refinished, and sent to his Bushwick warehouse space. He does things like minor structural repairs and installing missing glass himself on site. The result is mint condition period pieces from the 1930s and 40s, “with some 50s stuff thrown in,” Paul adds.

If your fabulous but space-hog midcentury pieces are cramping your crib, trade them in for some Depression-era jewels made for frugal living. People were poor, but damn they were stylish. Hopefully you can incorporate the aesthetic of decades past while staving off the economic ruin that was its muse.

Brooklyn Vintage
917-501-9998