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.”

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It’s a typical six-family, on a regular Bushwick block, and not a bar in sight.  Or is there?  One, two, three, four doorways later, Oliver and I found ourselves in some sort of Bavariawickian paradise.  Perhaps because it channels this area’s German past, or maybe because it’s creators bring new meaning to the word detail, the Bushwick Beergarden is extraordinarily authentic, and somehow fits seamlessly into its surroundings.

Jan VanDamme and Paul Nicholson built a Beergarden in their backyard.  To document their work, they created an impressive display of the Bushwick Beergarden genesis, including before and after shots, details, materials, and more. Before we crossed the threshold of the final doorway to paradise, Oliver and I marveled over the pictures, and especially the timeline: April 2008 to just a few weeks ago.  And I thought I had a productive Spring/Summer.

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