$16K Clinton Hill townhouse rental promises ‘farmhouse comfort’ and ‘Narnia’

The brokerbabble for this Clinton Hill townhouse is effusive, to say the least: the home is described as “truly magical”; “equally bold, elegant, and playful”; and “more akin to a sun-soaked penthouse than a townhouse.” The backyard, meanwhile, “will make you feel you are in Narnia,” and “there is truly nothing like this house in either Brooklyn or Manhattan.”

That’s a whole lot of hyperbole, but the townhouse—currently listed as a $16,000/month rental—does, in part, live up to the hype. It’s owned by Fabrice Penot, co-founder of the chichi fragrance company Le Labo, and it was renovated to be a comfortable (“farmhouse comfortable,” per the listing) home for him, his partner, and their children. “I wanted to see the kids play and be connected visually with them, with their joy,” Penot told the Times in a 2016 profile.

What that means: a generally open floorplan on the first floor, with a kitchen/dining room that has a lovely old fireplace, and huge 22-foot ceilings. There are five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a deck on the parlor level, and plenty of luxe finishes throughout. There’s also “a one-bedroom garden apartment spanning over 800 sqft for guests or in-house help.”

• Listing: 121 Saint James Place [Compass]