Here is Keehnan's final post! Comment away...
Name: Dave D.
Location: East Williamsburg/Bushwick
Size: 1534 sq ft in total-2 floors divded with a wooden stairwell, lower level bedroom-the bedroom is 500 sq ft
Years lived in: 8 years since the building's inception
>> Enter House Tour
Dave, in addition to living downstairs from us, works from home. While he designs tees for his own line and plays a part in other ventures, clearly his first love is surfing.
Dave's loft is divided into two levels by a staircase he built himself, with the lower serving as his bedroom and paneled closet - quiet and perfect for sleeping. The ground floor functions as everything else. One enters through his office, into the the large main space. This has been divided up into several smaller areas: a small living and media room, a dining area, a second work space, a hallway closet, and the kitchen...
>> Enter House Tour
Most of the furniture in the living room - the turntable shelving, the media console, the coffee table - were made by either Dave himself or by friends. The shelving throughout the loft is also custom, having been made from salvaged timber and railroad ties. The dining table is constructed from repurposed table bases and a piece of plexiglass found on the street.
Lofts can be difficult to personalize; breaking up space appropriately is often an issue, and creating reasonable storage options when possesions are exposed by default can also present problems unless you have a compulsive urge to edit. Dave has done this beautifully, though it helps that he has fantastic taste in books and magazines, which are prominetly displayed throughout in casual but intentional stacks. Graffitied, exposed brick and the surf boards suspended from the ceiling also help to make this space totally unique.
>> Enter House Tour
AT Survey
How would you define your style?
AMERICAN CLASSIC SPORTWEAR MEETS SURFER-CLEAN, COMFORTABLE AND COLORFUL
What is your greatest inspiration?
MOTHER OCEAN, GIRLFRIEND, MOM
What is your favorite element of your home?
SURFBOARDS HANGING FROM CEILING, WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS, WALKING UP THE STAIRS,40 FT LONG WALL OF EXPOSED BRICK
What is the biggest challenge of your home?
HAVING 13 FT CEILINGS - USING THE LADDER TO GET TO MY SHELVING
What DIY project are you most proud of?
hanging surfboards to have more space, the stairwell railing..
What is your Biggest Indulgence, when furnishing your home?
bed, bedframe and couch by design within reach
Best Advice:
reuse and recycle materials
Dream Source:
any wood, metal and raw/ industrial materials i can reuse to make something out of; tables, night stands, shelving, etc.
>> Enter House Tour
- Keehnan Konyha
This is the last of four posts by Keehnan that we've posted during the past two weeks. All others are below:
• August Inspiration: Jay Spectre
• How To: Copy Gorgeous Room Dividers
• Milk Paint in Peter Hinwood's Home
>> To All Blogger Tryouts
yay! a warm idiosyncratic space used in a warm idiosyncratic way! Love it.
view mskk's profile
If Dave wants to sell one of her surf boards let me know, we're in the market for one. Thanks. Nice space.
view wooks's profile
I like this space, and love that there is clutter with a purpose, and that someone lives there. Too often I see these immaculate spaces that leave me wondering, "Where do they put their stuff?" I like all the repuposing going on here. And the Smurf!
view Artichokesoup's profile
2 house tours from bushwick... makes me want to move there when i move to NY but i keep hearing horrible things about the safety lol.
view lordofthecakes's profile
There's nothing cooler than homemade furniture, especially when it looks as good as it does here.
view Blandwagon's profile
I want to like it and love the idea, but there is so SO SO much clutter and stuff filling (sometimes dumped around) every inch that it just is overwhelming and stresses me out. This just does not work for me at all. Maybe if it was organized in some purposeful way, but it has no visual symmetry or appeal in the way things are layed out or scattered, most notably the great room area, so it just doesn't work. Think about what you're left with if you take away the unique appeal of the surfboards, and the appeal of the surfboards is lost because of all of the crap below them.
view bmorebent's profile
What works for me though is the surfboards and the brick wall with the graffiti. Awesome. I like SOME of the homemade furniture too alot, just pare down the place about 50%!
view bmorebent's profile
cool table!
view HeatherAB's profile
I like the post and the type of style being pictured....but I'm a little iffy on the photography.
The space is cool though, a nice style difference to what we've seen along...
view blueroses1's profile
Gack! Hide your stuff, man!
One thing I've seen in lofts is creating a perimeter of low cabinets, below the windows. You could put all the magazines and arty books and bric-a-brac in there, then only display the surfboards/skateboards/really good art.
Raw space only works for me if you respect the space for what it is. Since so much of new york is jammed together, it's always refreshing to have a little breathing room.
view Bolder's profile
hanging the surfboards ~ great idea! we need to hang our kayaks, but they will probably get hung in the garage ~ still great to be able to see them everyday!
http://xobeau.blogspot.com/
view xoBeau's profile
i don't think the poor photos were doing the place any favors.
like a lot of the individual pieces though, and the surfboards are cool
view formosagirl's profile