Tour This Picture-Perfect Brooklyn Author's Home

International travels, diverse backgrounds and creative pursuits give this home to celebrated novelist Rumaan Alam and his young family its beautiful eccentricity.

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September 25, 2020

By: Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason

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Photo By: Seth Caplan

Family Style

Home is all about family. It’s about creating a space where every member of the family feels represented, connected, and safe. Of course most of that happens outside of the realm of interior design, but when it’s reflected in the design of the interior, that’s when a space becomes truly special. Nestled away in a quiet corner of Brooklyn, New York, one home manages to capture all of these things spectacularly. In it, author of Leave the World Behind — soon to become a Netflix film — Rumaan Alam (far right) lives with his husband David Land (far left), a well-known photographer and video director, and their sons, Simon and Xavier. With family roots in Russia, Bangladesh and African-American heritage, the diversity of the family provides a fertile ground for design that is a beautiful melange of cultural pieces, family heirlooms and items collected during travels.

Designing for Kids

This Brooklyn home explodes in a variety of colors and lively patterns. A modern banana-leaf wallpaper creates a feature wall, providing a background to the bright pops of red, yellow and green furnishings and accessories. Collected pieces top off the dresser, including two works representing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. add to the history- and quirkiness-infused decor at this home to photographer David Land and author Rumaan Alam and their two sons.

Art On Display

When a photographer and an author share a home expect the decor to include a lot of pictures and a lot of books. This home doesn’t disappoint on either front as this corner of the living room shows. The central piece, a reproduction of a painting first encountered when the couple visited the Jaipur City Palace Museum in India, is accompanied by an image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a bust of Thomas Jefferson, pieces which show how the diversity of the family is celebrated in every element of the home.

A Bedroom Retreat

The master bedroom is a serene affair. The perfect place to rest and relax after a long day. It combines the couple’s love of banana-leaf prints with soft grays and warm wood tones. In this restful retreat, a few plants become the perfect accessories.

Stacked Sleeping

Upstairs is Simon and Xavier's bedroom. Bunk beds are perfect for the brothers. For bedding soft kantha quilts are a perfect touch. Above the bed, a piece of art, a painting of a leopard stands out.

Sophisticated Sides

This side chair is a perfect moment demonstrating the layering of color and pattern that is central to this interior’s design. A mid-century chair has been upholstered in a festive block print pattern. To top it off, an African wax print pillow by a favorite Brooklyn boutique, xNasozi, completes the color story.

Heirloom Style

This bedroom is a celebration of cultures. Here a love seat that was David’s grandfather is backed by a California state flag in an homage to the state where David is from.

Office Space

In Rumaan’s study, where he brings his literary creations to life, classic furnishings have been mixed with the family’s enduring love of art. Above his desk, a piece by local artist Jas Knight casts a glow. And on the desk, a work by artist Kehinde Wiley and vintage Princess Diana doll are sculptural elements. The Princess Diana piece was discovered while traveling and became an inspiring element for Rumaan’s latest book.

Dine In Color

In the dining room this family shows that they are not afraid to experiment with color. A vintage dining table has been painted a bright magenta. Upholstered hairpin leg dining chairs add to the vibrant mix. Along the original wood railing is housed one of the home’s more intriguing moments - a series of George Washington paintings surveys the room. The collection, which began accidentally, according to David, is a “study in contrasts,” as many are prints or amateur interpretations based on the original work by Gilbert Stuart.

Sophisticated Sides

Bright Furnishings

The bright pop of yellow that this coffee table brings to the room is actually a tempering influence, as it is one of the few solid colors, devoid of pattern, to be found in the room. The power of the yellow helps it to stand out against the patterned details.

Colorful Accessories

Completing the home office is a colorful display, combing mid-century furnishings with bright red lamps, wallpaper, and of course, books. Even in the quietest of its spaces, this home revels in the bright colors and lively patterns that describe so much of who this family is.

Tour This Picture-Perfect Brooklyn Author's Home

Related To:

Shop This Look

Family Style

Designing for Kids

Art On Display

A Bedroom Retreat

Stacked Sleeping

Sophisticated Sides

Heirloom Style

Office Space

Dine In Color

Sophisticated Sides

Bright Furnishings

Colorful Accessories

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