Name: Jeff & Delia (marthastalwart.wordpress.com and marketstoreshoppe.com)
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
Size: 1,400 square feet
Time lived in: 4 months

Los Angeles transplants Jeff and Delia would not settle for a standard New York-sized apartment, so they had to think outside of the box in order to find the spread they craved. Instead of your typical third story walk-up, the couple rented an industrial garage previously used as studio space and turned it into home. They tore down walls, painted the floor black, and whitewashed everything else in the raw space to camouflage the numerous quirks encountered there.

The garage started with an open plan, and had a kitchen, lofted storage space, dressing room, and two bathrooms at the back. The couple sectioned off a master and a guest bedroom near the front door using a closet system and hanging curtains. Jeff and Delia brought their collection of vintage items for the home with them in the move, so their space is full of charm and character — quite the opposite of how you'd picture living in a garage. They supplemented their treasures with inexpensive finds from Target, Urban Outfitters, and IKEA, where Delia was able to design a more functional kitchen for her gourmet needs. This home is proof that if you use the foundational pieces provided by the big-box stores, you can most definitely make something original with a little imagination. Many of you will remember the unique solutions presented in the House Call we posted a while back, which you can still see Delia & Jeff's Flood-Prone Loft. Enjoy our expanded look at this creative lifestyle.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: A playful mix of modern and vintage.

Inspiration: We were RE-inspired by things we already had more than anything else. All of the antiques we moved from our old craftsman bungalow in LA had to somehow work in a big, open industrial garage. When you can see everything in your house all at once, finding a way to tie it together visually in one room is inspiring on its own!

Favorite Element: The funny little guest room. It is definitely weird to have squashed another bedroom in the place (and behind a curtain), but we really like to have people over and wanted to offer them something more cozy than an air mattress or sofa. It was something we always wanted, so we made it happen.

Biggest Challenge: Well, this is what we started with. SO, I guess the whole place!

What Friends Say: They love the transition from the outside of the building to what we have created within. The pay off is so rewarding when you walk through the front door.

Biggest Embarrassment: The ceiling. We really wish we had redone it when we had the energy, because now we just want to enjoy New York on our weekends.

Proudest DIY: Again, the whole place.

Biggest Indulgence: Our new sofa. With three clawing cats, it's a gamble to spend a lot of money on any upholstered furniture, but we just had to have it.

Best advice: If you want to redo your place, pile up all your decor and pillows and curtains in one place and look at each piece in a new way. Can you paint it, re-cover it, re-purpose it, or give it a new life? Sometimes you don't need anything new. Even that old fashioned collection of figurines can be spray painted black!

Dream source: You know how Andy Warhol had massive collections of various things from cookie jars to Native American portraits? In our dreams, that would all be at a cheap flea market somewhere.

Resources:
Dwell, Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair, askthebuilder.com, and our own brains and ideas

FLOORS
• Behr Porch and Floor High Gloss Latex paint in "Evening Storm"

ENTRYWAY
• IKEA rug
• Delia's string art
• Electra Amsterdam bike with a basket from Michaels
• IKEA closets made into a wall, which you can read about here
• Everything else is from various vintage and antique stores across the country

DINING ROOM
• Shine Gallery (in LA and online) vintage dead stock advertising
• IKEA frames
• IKEA tabletop
• Urban Outfitters table legs
• Overstock.com rug
• IKEA lights
• painted IKEA chairs

OFFICE
• Urban Outfitters leather rag rug
• IKEA shelves, cutting table, and tall stools
• Out of the Closet farm table
• All rustic drawers from an antique mall somewhere in Oklahoma
• Chalkboard is Rustoleum chalkboard paint on a found piece of wood
• Corkboard made of cork tiles on a found piece of wood
• Bernina sewing and embroidery machine
• Juki overlock machine
• IKEA red chair
• Flea market white chair

LIVING ROOM
• 2modern.com sofa
• Pillows by Delia with vintage fabric from International Silks & Woolens in Los Angeles
• Flea market chair
• Ottoman is an antique set of drawers with a DIY velcro upholstered pillow top
• IKEA lamps
• Overstock.com rug
• Urban Outfitters bean bag chair
• Upholstered coffee table by Delia from a flea market find and an old drop cloth
• IKEA shelves
• Urban Outfitters blow up heart
• Urban Outfitters end table
• Nuts by http://www.etsy.com/shop/kgrandey
• Taschen Circus book
• Anthropologie snow hat candles
• Crosby record player
• Antique steamer trunk

ART WALL
Various artists we love. If you want to know about any pieces in particular, put your questions in the comments section and we will be more than happy to give you the contact information.

KITCHEN
• Rustoleum Chalkboard paint
• IKEA island, pantries, pot racks, and chairs
• Glass jars from Whisk in Williamsburg
• Mom's paint by number art from the 70s
• Pearl River Mart owl shakers
• World Market tea kettle
• Everything else is various vintage stuff or gifts collected over time

½ BATHROOM
• IKEA towels, towel holder, toilet paper holder
• Areaware moose mirror
• Urban Outfitters DIY cardboard deer head
• Vintage poster and Jesus collection

BATHROOM
• Antique sofa, singer table/vanity, drawers, chair
• Urban Outfitters jewelry trees
• IKEA lace trimmed mirror
• IKEA full length mirror
• IKEA lights (rewired)
• Delia's string art
• Bench was pieced together by us
• IKEA Shelf
• Target towels
• Target shower curtain
• Rugs from Urban Outfitters and Target
• IKEA hooks

MASTER BEDROOM
• Mom's old bed
• Vintage dresser, repainted by mom
• Vintage photos from flea market
• Dressing screen by Delia from old windows and door
• IKEA lamp
• Anthropologie bedding
• Horse pillow by Delia from vintage scarf
• Urban Outfitters rug
• IKEA curtains, pieced together
• Vintage duck
• Anthropologie wallpaper

GUEST ROOM
• IKEA bed, duvet, rug, throw pillows, shelves, curtains, closets
• Target polka dot sheets
• Anthropologie wallpaper
• Various framed photography by us and by our very talented friend Channing Johnson

Thanks, Jeff and Delia!

Images: Annie Werbler

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