Brookhaven Country Club: Back to the Future

Brookhaven Country Club, built in 1957, just got a cool new makeover by young boutique firm Sarah Pickard Interiors. Sarah and her associate, Lane Montgomery (both ASID), were inspired by the club's incredible mid-century modern architecture:





But many of the club's rooms hadn't been renovated in decades, including the Five Five bar upstairs, as this "Before" shot shows. (Reminds me of the dining room at Dunston's on Lover's Lane, which I don't think has been renovated since it opened in the 60s either.)




Here's what the bar looks like now!

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

"We designed the space to look like a room you'd want to have a mimosa in," Sarah told me. Inspired not only by colors from the original era, Sarah and her team often peruse current fashion magazines to stay on trend.


Here's a "Before" shot of the Members Grille. Think anyone will miss the green plaid carpeting and beige-pink walls? Notice the icky ceiling tiles, too.




Here's what it looks like now! Cool and fun. See that fabulous carved concrete screen behind the George Nelson hanging lamp? It's original to the building. Sarah painted it a persimmon-y red. Notice how much nicer the ceiling looks now, too.

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Contractors gutted the rooms down to the studs, and as many of the walls were coming down, Sarah and Lane were astonished that many of the original colors from the late 50s and early 60s when the club was built were similar to the greens, oranges, yellows and blacks they had already chosen. "We were all rushing around saying, 'Look at this!' We were right on target all along," says Lane.



[Photo by Steve Hinds]


With the club's million dollar golf course renovation and a fabulous new tennis center, its members don't just sit around playing bridge. They're athletic, and fit. The redesign of the club is a better reflection of who they are, says Sarah.


A lounge area in the entry sets the new energetic tone right away.

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Here's Sarah. She looks like a young Jamie Lee Curtis, don't you think?

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Editor's note: I wrote more about Sarah Pickard in the upcoming March issue of Modern Luxury. See more of photographer Steve Hinds work on his website. I also wish to thank blog fan and interior designer Rena Hardeman at Gensler for suggesting I look into Sarah's work.