Paul Suepat: Color and Whimsy in Brooklyn
Photographs by Chinasa Cooper
Kingston born and Brooklyn-based, artist Paul Suepat is a student of contrasts. Focused constantly on the nebulous space between ambiguity and definition, his art moves between sculpture and painting, whimsical figures and strong abstract shapes, specific emotions and imaginative contexts. His home too is a class in the power of opposites. Here, trend-forward rooms defined by bright splashes of color sit beside (or beneath) spaces where restrained motifs speak more of the past than the future. And everywhere there is art. Art that Paul creates and art that he admires; pieces gifted from fellow creatives and pieces left from his massive installations for public works and private galleries. The effect is magical, and each room, no matter how different, feels like somewhere that deserves further exploration.
The home’s beautiful entryway greets guests and ushers them into Paul’s unique, Alice in Wonderland-like interior. The brownstone in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood had been victim to a fire. When Paul moved in, he lovingly worked to restore the classic structure and renew it with bold, modern color choices and engaging patterns, like the tiled floor.
Past the lively blue pillars the living room is the center of this artist’s colorful world. At once surreal and serene, the calm, neutral white of the walls, sofas and side chair serve as a canvas for the bursts of color provided by the art and bright orange Eames rocking chair. Paul plays with texture and shape in living room, adding to it’s fanciful aesthetic. The furnishings are a mix of modern classics, including Eames seating, an Arne Jacobson Swan Sofa, and an Arco Floor Lamp. Color and texture are on display through art. The yellow flowers in the canvas over the sofa are three-dimensional and roughly textured, while a painted chair injects a rainbow of colors into the room.
The fantasy continues in the dining room. While the white walls and hardwood floors may be standard, even typical for a Brooklyn brownstone, what happens between them is anything but. In this room a surrealist light fixture designed by Paul hangs low over a thoroughly modern set of dining chairs. For a contrast from the metal furnishings, a vintage Cherner Arm Chair captains the table. On the floor, a hand-painted rug brings a big splash of color to the space which is presided over by even more fantastic sculptures of creatures, seashells and plants. The plants lining the dining table are prototypes for an outdoor installation Paul is designing for the Brooklyn community. A graduate from Jamaica’s Edna Manley College Of Art in Kingston and the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, Paul remains fascinated by the sense of nature that he grew up around. Now in Brooklyn, he represents nature in his sculptural creations.
Upstairs, the library is distinctly different from the dreamlike world beneath. The space is studious and more restrained in the color palette, but colorful components shine through in the seating and art in the room. The space is significant one, as everything in it once belonged to Paul’s godparents. Upon inheriting it, he painstakingly had each piece of the library moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn, reassembling the room in his home just as it had been in theirs.
The modular sofa breathes life and fun into this unique library space. Though it’s made of four pieces that can easily be separated and spread around a room, it’s hard to deny the impact they have when working together. Combined with the room’s other elements like the conceptual lamp, stained glass door and the funky art piece overhead, the sofa is a perfect finishing touch.
The main bedroom has the feel of the Caribbean. The neutral color palette is accented by greens. The color comes in through plants, art and the textiles in the room. The room’s most unique touch has to be the bedside table. The art installation was made to resemble a stack of fruit boxes for the fictitious company “Pablo Sue-Pat’s Banana’s.” The installation beautifully brings the room’s color palette together.
The en suite bathroom is the most modern room in the home. Tiled walls in a deep gray stand out against a stark, white vanity. The neutral colors partnered with modern furnishings and fixtures allow this modern bath to feel large and luxurious.
Outside, the unique details continue. Through the dining room, the brownstone reveals a large outdoor space, which Paul has designed in two parts. In the first, a sun porch boats a series of Eames dining chairs around a simple and elegant wrought iron table. A series of Paul’s sculptures lines the table, displaying his continued fascination with nature, texture and unique shapes. Down a short flight of stairs from the sun porch, the outdoor space expands again into an amazing sculpture garden and lounge. A series of tall sculpture is mixed among tables and chairs that also have an artistic quality. Brooklyn remains as close as a glance over the wall but with so many visual delights between it and the garden, the city feels as though it’s worlds away.
