My husband Shawn, son Arlo, and I live on the top floor of a 1900’s brownstone in Bed-Stuy, which we've been renting for four years. We immediately fell in love with the space because of its soaring ceilings and charming pre-war details, and were willing to overlook its wonky railroad layout (there’s always a compromise in a NY rental, no?).
Our living room is at the front of the apartment. I love how airy the space is, along with the treetop view that changes with the seasons. This room doubles as a play space for Arlo, so nothing in here is too precious. Our brown velvet sofa from ABC Home has a 70s vibe that I love, and I’ve thrown a Forsyth sheepskin over it to make it a little more forgiving and kid-friendly. The white oak coffee table, one of my many Craigslist finds, was made by Akron Street, a Brooklyn furniture design studio.
As a textile designer, I find myself drawn to wild color and interesting patterns, and these pop up in the pillows and floor cushions in this room. The rug was purchased on one of my many trips to Oaxaca, Mexico, and the vintage Thai textile hanging on the wall was used as a table runner at our wedding. The print hanging above our sofa is from Block Shop Studio.
Just off the living room is our dining room, which also serves as home office, craft room, library, etc. This room serves many purposes for us and is a real workhorse! The oak dining table is also from Akron Street Studio, and the Cesca chairs are vintage. The Ikea shelves showcase our books and Shawn’s record collection. As much as I love the look of a minimal, neutral home, that’s just not us! I’ve learned to embrace color in this room and let it be the relaxed, happy space that it is. The eclectic shelf collection includes a St. Frank skull and Rainbow Pangden Mini Framed Print.
Our bedroom is located at the rear of the brownstone and it's so peaceful back here. I remember the first night we slept in this apartment, my husband exclaimed, ‘I hear birds chirping!’ which feels like such a rare treat in NYC. Like the rest of our apartment, a mix of patterns and textiles are at play here, but I’ve kept the color palette a bit more neutral to create a calmer vibe.
Our bedroom furniture is a mix of vintage and secondhand pieces, and our bedding and decorative pillows are all St. Frank. Before working at St. Frank I never had anything other than solid white linen sheets, but I've since been converted. I'm biased, but our bedding is the best. You can't see the rugs in these photos, but both are from Oaxaca, and one of them was custom-made for me by a weaving teacher I had there. I will keep it forever. The wall hanging above the bed was made by me.
Last is Arlo's teeny-tiny bedroom, but luckily he's tiny too. It's super colorful and playful, and walking in here makes me smile. Like the rest of our apartment, there is a mix of high and low in here, from the Oeuf dresser to the secondhand Ikea crib. Maybe my favorite rug we own is the one in Arlo's room, purchased on a mad dash trip to the bazaar in Istanbul several years ago. His patterned crib sheet is another St. Frank touch.
