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Name:Joey Skladany Location: Greenpoint — Brooklyn, New York Size: 674 square feet Type of home: One-bedroom apartment Years lived in: Less than one year, renting
Joey Skladany, a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer, found his one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment with a little luck, timing, and resolve. Participating in a housing lottery, the opportunity came about to move into his current building. As Joey tells it, “While touring my current building, I saw a few apartments, but fell in love with the staged model. It was a corner unit with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto Manhattan and Brooklyn. The views were goosebump-inducing and it was absolutely my favorite of the bunch.” Unfortunately, when it came time to select an apartment, the staged model was no longer available. Joey almost walked away from the opportunity, as he “couldn’t justify taking anything else in the building while knowing that someone else was enjoying my favorite apartment for the same price.” Luckily, the exact same staged model he fell in love with became available at the last minute.
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So in love with the staged model, Joey kept the original aesthetics of the apartment and used that as a foundation for his decor and design — the original color scheme providing inspiration for furniture and fabric. His design was also inspired by his need for organization and whimsy. “I am admittedly a control freak,” Joey says. “So everything in my apartment has a place and needs to stay consistently organized. This means that while I love bold colors and patterns and elements of whimsy, there needs to be a very effortless flow among furniture and decor that is rooted in neutral tones and modern, clean lines.”
Inspiration: I opted for a very basic, but trendy black, white, camel, and gray color scheme as the base, accented by geometric shapes, sleek and streamlined furniture, and pieces I’ve collected during my travels. A pop of lime green through plants, moss balls, and appliances helps to weave everything together because I’m, unshockingly, all about the details.
Jonathan Adler is, by far, my favorite designer and I love how he maintains a balance between playful and refined. It’s his tasteful crudeness and the juxtaposition of the two that I really admire. My friend, Anthony Gianacakos of Anthony George Home, is also an inspiration because he is so willing to be bold and daring in his color and fabric selections. While most of his projects are a bit too eclectic for my personal living space, I always keep his fearlessness in mind when making major design decisions.
I also like collecting things that seemingly have no meaning, but are tied to memories. My apartment is full of trinkets that tell a story. In fact, the entire space is one giant conversation starter, which helps to tone down the potential sterility of the neutral color scheme.
Favorite element: The floor-to-ceiling windows. There is a comfort to seeing the Manhattan skyline after leaving the city.
Biggest challenge: The layout is quite awkward — literally the shape of a triangle with very little wall space. The galley kitchen also isn’t ideal, especially as someone who cooks often. And the closet space, or lack thereof — yikes! I had to get really creative with storage.
Proudest DIY: I love taking pieces of furniture that are designed for one purpose and using them for another. My buffet is now a coffee nook, my storage bench is now an adorable seating area, and I have skinny laundry baskets hiding behind my couch to store random belongings that don’t fit in the furniture.
Budget: I am a huge fan of high-low decorating. Invest in the pieces that will last for years (i.e., my leather couch from BenchMade Modern, pillows and bedding from Jonathan Adler, etc.) or speak exactly to your design aesthetic, but don’t be afraid to save money on very basic, personality-less items that are really just used as storage. Also, don’t be afraid of a good flea market. Sometimes a scavenger hunt to find something that just speaks to your mood can be a wonderful investment. And it’s a piece that will always make you happy.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Having to treat floor-to-ceiling windows as actual walls has been unique and interesting, but it’s taught me to really take dimensions and furniture height into consideration. You don’t think much of scale in a smaller living space, but literally every piece of furniture I put into this apartment affects aspects like my view, the general flow, and how it interacts with everything surrounding it.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small-space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I often hold on to entirely too many things that I don’t need. It’s easiest for me to separate everything into categories, pare down duplicates of anything, and then figure out the storage that suits its size. This is easier than buying a ton of furniture and just praying that everything fits.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Pick one major piece of decor or furniture and use it as your inspiration for the entire living space (or room). This is great for anyone who may feel lost during the design process. In my case, I knew I wanted a big and bold, black-and-white striped chair. And this purchase informed every decision I made going forward, knowing that all other shapes and colors had to complement and/or support it — not overshadow or clash with it. This chair was my star, my muse, if you will, and it was fun to find pieces that played into its design.
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Picture a studio, and you probably conjure an image of a glorified kitchenette, low ceilings, and a bed pressed up against a coffee table. What you likely don’t picture is this home. Though it may be filtered into the studio category on listing sites due to its lack of interior walls, the loft-like space actually spans more than 1,100 square feet.
And the square footage is gleaming with industrial allure, from the custom concrete flooring and tall ceilings to the chrome fixtures and large factory windows. If the decor style feels extremely cool, you can thank the home’s owners — Lisa Menichino and her wife Jo-Ann DiSantis, owner of the popular bar Cubbyhole, one of NYC’s only lesbian bars.
In one corner, a neon sign spelling out “All I Need Is You” in glowing purple letters hangs above a Murphy bed, which doubles as a giant piece of artwork thanks to the mural that appears when the bed folds away. I love the open layout and this ingenious hidden bedroom idea, but the listing also touts the unit’s ability to be converted into a classic one-bedroom if you so choose. You can head up a few stairs to a loft currently in use as a home office, which you could easily repurpose it as a sleeping loft, but tall people beware: It’s just 5 feet 9 inches tall.
A far cry from the hot plate and mini fridge of a more compact apartment, this kitchen boasts beautiful white stone counters, stainless appliances, glass cabinets, and even a wine vault. The entire living area flows easily around a giant concrete pillar, making the light, soaring space feel grounded and solid.
This home is listed for $950,000 by Kristi Ambrosetti of Sotheby’s International Realty – East Side Manhattan Brokerage.
Are you on the house hunt, or just the type of person who loves browsing real estate listings, even when you’re not in the market for a new home? Property Crush is a column where we feature actual real estate listings that get the Apartment Therapy seal of approval in regards to style (we haven’t done home inspections or anything, so don’t sue us). Know of a great house on the market? Email the listing to repitches@apartmenttherapy.com.
Name: Sophia S Lewis Location: Upper West Side — New York, New York Type of home: One-bedroom apartment in six-floor co-op Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: When I was born, my parents rented a junior suite in this building. Soon after, the apartment below went for sale for $100k in the mid-’90s in a sheriff’s sale. We bought it for my uncle, who was on the autism spectrum, so he could stay close to my family — my grandparents live six blocks away. My parents have since moved to California, and my uncle sadly passed away in 2019.
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The apartment was in disastrous condition — mold in the ceilings, destroyed windows by two cats, and the remnants of severe hoarding everywhere. We had to completely gut the space, redo the floors, and remove the mold. I moved back to NYC and into the apartment once the renovation was complete. So, I now live in the same building where I was born, 30 years later. Initially, my grandma couldn’t come to visit without leaving with tears in her eyes. I have since curated the space to be a pseudo-gallery of my grandmother’s paintings and turned a sad place into a happy place. My apartment includes 16 pieces of her original artwork. She is still six blocks away and enjoys coming over. I’m now taking care of her in her old age, as she once took care of my uncle — it’s a really special position to be in and a role exchange. I also have a group of friends in my building — similar to the TV show “Friends.” I love every inch of my apartment and am happy to keep it in excellent condition.
My style is a bit of a mish-mosh with bamboo cabinetry and an imported white tulip dining table from Italy. The living room features a cozy white rug and tall white shelves flanking the windows, and I’m particularly fond of the open shelves in the kitchen and the heated toilet seat in the bathroom.
I identify as an earnest empath, reflected in my apartment’s tribute to my grandmother’s artwork and maintained as a soft shrine in memory of my uncle.
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Chic, art-centric, modern, clean, and textured
What is your favorite room and why? The living room features a five-foot wide acrylic painting over the velvet couch from ABC Carpet. It’s beautiful and a grand centerpiece.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Honestly, shoe storage from the Container Store.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Champion women artists and collaborate with your dope granny.
Name: Coralie Kwok Location: Fort Greene — Brooklyn, New York Type of Home: Apartment Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, renting
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Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I moved in this apartment this fall and had to furnish it from scratch as I’d just moved back to New York after a having spent a few months this year back home in Paris, where I grew up.
It was a very fun project for me to undertake, as I’ve lived in many apartments in New York (16, believe it or not!) but never got to live on my own. I always have had roommates, so apartments would come with pre-existing furniture, or we’d decorate them together eclectically. This is my first solo apartment, and it was so nice to be able to make it into my own home, the way I wanted.
I would define myself as a thoughtful and intentional person, and that gets reflected in my apartment. Furnishing an apartment from zero is expensive, so I had to be strategic about what I was going to purchase, how I would furnish and decorate the space.
I would describe myself as a minimalist; I love a clean space that is not cluttered, while also having specific items that bring warmth and comfort. Because I have moved so many times, I’m used to purging every time I do and only keep with me what I find most meaningful.
What I’ve kept throughout the years are mainly books. Even if they can technically be replaced, there is a sense of belonging by carrying them with me wherever I might move. When I have my own little collection of books with me, I always feel at home.
Most of the color palette is neutral, with touches of bright tones to accent the space.
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Cozy, warm, minimalistic, clean, intentional
What is your favorite room and why? My favorite space is definitely the living room. I’m a social person and love having people around, so naturally, I love to gather people around in this space.
It is also a space of comfort and rest for me, where I can journal and read during the day, or cozy up at night, watching TV.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? One of my most recent purchase is the one I’m most proud of: a painting from my dear friend, Stephen Whittaker, an artist from New Zealand who now lives in Paris. He shipped the painting rolled up from Paris and came to visit New York last month. He stretched it at my apartment and mounted it on the wall for me. It was such a fun experience to set it up together and it is special for me to have this gorgeous piece of his work in my home.
Another item that I purchased and absolutely adore is a print from an Italian artist, Gianluca Cannizzo. His illustrations are gorgeous and also really fun. You’ll see his his works in many wine bars. I work in the hospitality industry, so I purchased this illustration that is a nod to both my French background and love for wine.
Any advice for creating a home you love? I love art and looking at other people’s spaces, whether it be fictional movie sets, or people’s homes in magazines, or on social media. We have access to an incredible wealth of information now with the digital world. I find it inspiring and extremely creative.
The more spaces you see, the more you’ll learn about what you like and define your own sense of style.Always add some plants for some greenery and life, and less is more.
It’s almost that time of year where I watch “The Holiday,” renew my crush on Jack Black, and wonder if I should try to do a house swap. As much as I’d love a stint in an adorable English cottage, swapping my lovely one-bedroom apartment for another feels like a more attainable daydream. And I could easily see myself happily calling this top-floor apartment home.
Situated in the idyllic Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope, the unit is part of an Art Deco building that dates back to 1928. Up the elevator to the sixth floor, you enter through a foyer wallpapered in a bold yellow pattern, and then flow into the large, open living room and kitchen. Given how bright and sunny the space is, I love the modern look of the rows of cantilevered shelves on a simple gray tile backsplash that stretches up to the ceiling. I’m a sucker for a Smeg appliance, so the dark gray fridge is the cherry on top for me — I particularly appreciate how the retro rounded edges echo the rounded doorway that leads out of the kitchen.
Around the corner, the bedroom keeps things similarly simple with gray-blue walls and an industrial Serge Mouille-style light fixture branching across the ceiling. The bathroom plays on the power of neutrality, too, with all white fixtures and white tiled walls — and then funky floral tiled floors and a pretty pink wallpapered ceiling with a barely-there paisley pattern. The whole home is proof that you can subtly fill a space with personality, even if you’re not a maximalist or able to commit to painting entire rooms.
And the final feature that would really woo me to pick up my life and move here, à la Kate Winslet? If the building’s landscaped courtyard wasn’t enough, beautiful Prospect Park is literally steps away.
Are you on the house hunt, or just the type of person who loves browsing real estate listings, even when you’re not in the market for a new home? Property Crush is a column where we feature actual real estate listings that get the Apartment Therapy seal of approval in regards to style (we haven’t done home inspections or anything, so don’t sue us). Know of a great house on the market? Email the listing to repitches@apartmenttherapy.com.
