Cobble Hill with The Calderones

ATHENA, VICTOR, AND JIVAN CALDERONE
Athena: Author, Interior Design, Founder of EyeSwoon; Victor: DJ & Music Producer; Jivan: Student of Life, Cobble Hill. Find them at @eyeswoon, @vcalderone and @jivancalderone

How did you get to Brooklyn?
We moved to DUMBO in 1997 — one might say we were pioneers in the neighborhood. DUMBO was still sketchy, cheap, and magical with its empty cobblestone streets and vistas of the river, sky, and twinkly bridges. Brooklyn offered light-filled space and promises to a young couple and growing family. It was risky and perfect and established so much of who we are today! Also, Victor grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Today we are in Cobble Hill, and we simply adore its old-world charm and tight-knit community. 

Wildest Brooklyn story?
The best story is how our current home was simply meant to be OUR home. When we came to see the house for the first time, as Victor was walking up to the third floor, he hit his head on a rusty nail protruding from the wall. Well, it got real bloody real fast, and everyone went into panic mode. There were ambulances called and paramedics wrapping Victor’s head — it was quite the scene. BUT, never to be deterred from a good real estate deal, we went back to finish viewing the house. Vic, bruised and battered, basically told the real estate broker, “you have got to sell me this house, I bled for this house!” And well, basically, the rest is history. In a market where townhouses are very hard to come by, somehow it was kismet for this one to be ours, blood and all! But furthermore, I recently found out that in the early 80’s, the third floor of my house was rented to a young design editor. Apparently, there were epic soirees that took place here, and basically, EVERY major design editor now, from NYT to Architectural Digest made their way through this house early on in their career! It seems to have a design legacy built into its walls!

Our Brooklyn will forever smell like… the pizza from Franny’s we miss so much! 

Our favorite spots…
FOOD: La Vara and Poppy’s
DRINKS: Elsa Bar + Grand Banks Brooklyn
NATURE: Prospect Park
EXERCISE: Bike rides along the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront and all the way to Red Hook and back
CULTURE: Pioneer Works

Click here for our more Brooklyn guides by local insiders and, of course, our favorite Brooklyn Hotels

Click here for our more Brooklyn guides by local insiders and, of course, our favorite Brooklyn Hotels