apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Are the figures, masks supposed to ward off evil spirits?

A method to the madness.

This is very Nest: provocative, interesting, expressive, entertaining to visit, and about eight people on earth could actually live with it.

I'd love to visit it, though, and maybe to dust it ONCE, just to get a really close look at every item.

I also love the print ad (for hairspray?) with Paul in it! A little gem among the more aggressively fabulous items (like the puppets, of course).

Amazing and beautiful puppets. You have done a wonderful job displaying and organizing them but the thought of dusting and keeping it all clean really hurts my brain. I can't help but think that all the puppets would be better preserved inside a display case where they're protected from dust and dirty hands...but that's just me.

Rexona is actually a deodorant, not hair spray. That makes the ad even more fun, doesn't it?

i always hate it when people say this about the more cluttered apartments featured here, but oh my god. i would literally have nightmares. this place would be a great ad for a storage company.

actually, to give some more constructive criticism, i think the stuff here could be far more attractively displayed if the rest of the apartment were a little less utilitarian. i'd paint the kitchen and bathroom and try to hide the non-collection oriented clutter a littlle better. for instance i would move the CD storage into some kind of multi-use storage furniture or binders rather than keeping it on those little sheves above the desk. Well chosen cabinetry could really work wonders here.

i think the collection stuff could be more effectively integrated with the space itself. the masks above the door and small amount of packaging on the bookshelves is nice. the huge amagamations of stuff stuck randomly to the kitchen walls is not so nice.

editing and rotating is in order -- it's really hard to notice and appreciate any one thing when it's in there among hundreds of other similar things. i especially noticed in the packaging collection that there would be one really fascinating piece surrounded by (for example) boxes of Pocky. Pocky is not an exciting foreign collectible anymore. you can buy Pocky in the supermarket now. lose the Pocky and keep the Bimbo brand flour, because that's what's interesting about this collection. as far as the things that ARE interesting, i'd look into getting a storage unit (or finding hidden closet or armoire style storage in the apartment) and packing away at least half of the collection at any one time. this will make it much easier to enjoy what is actually on display. this is what museums do, and it's what enables them to make sure the art is displayed in an appropriate and visually interesting way.

you do have a fabulous collection, though, and i'm glad you've prioritized it over the years.

The collection is amazing, you should open a museum. Just to get it out of your house.

INteresting collection but I would lose my mind living there. Too much stuff would make it difficult for one or a group of things to be appreciated.

It looks like the apartment or house of that old person down the street who would never throw anything away. And when they died, it was filled to the gills with garbage, newspapers and cats.

Funny this should be posted on the same day as a few "Collyer Mansion" stories have been triggered by a fire out in Queens (click name for link to stories)

But you must admit, while this collection is probably more than most of us woudl care to live with, it is well "curated" and does seem to be neatly kept.

Very interesting, but for me personally I could not live there. I have half the amount of stuff and still feel like it is too much for my own comfort level. I know people who have collections like this and love living amongst them; I've only ever collected one thing and it is in a box right now because I don't know what to do with it (royal commemorative china, in case anyone has any interest in buying a collection of it)

I love your place! It's totally yours and it shows! Way to express yourself!

I would love to hang out with this man and his amazing wife! If his home says anything it says he's well traveled, interesting, not snooty, and has a great sense of humor. I may not personally decorate that way, but I'm sure he wouldn't decorate the way I do either. Rock on man, your place kicks butt.

o my god this is insane! i love it.

exactly the same response as sassy.

I love this. I also agree completely with sassy.

The beauty of this place is in the sheer numbers of what is being displayed at the same time. The owner doesn't want to rotate the collections or only show some of his stuff. He loves it this way and it makes him happy!

Great house tour.

I do not have an apartment, I do not live in New York City, and I am in no need of therapy (ha!) however, this slideshow is exactly why I take minutes out of my day to look at Apartment Therapy! Thank you.

Wow, it's amazing that there is so much stuff but that it seems to be well-controlled and not messy. This apartment really expresses Paul's life and interests. I could never sleep there, because I don't think I could banish the thought of all the puppets (ha!) but more power to him!

Wow, that is an amazing collection. Mind boggling. And I absolutely love the guest bed! Totally worth the trouble to get it up there.

One thing I'm kind of wondering, though, is where is all his wife's stuff? Is this collection more "theirs" than the write-up would have us believe? I take it that Paul's initial comment about her tolerance was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

What a beautiful home! Oh I wished I lived in a place like that.
Paul and his wife seem to be independant spirits: their house shows real character and personality, it matters and has value to them. Thank you for showing it!

i'm surprised no one has mentioned that all those eyes would creep them out, because they would definitely give me the heebie-jeebies.

Every time I look at this tour I notice something different. Is that a puppet of Kim Jong-Il in the fourth slide? In the Mao jacket? Or possibly it's of Paul himself? Not that they look that much alike.

Kim Jong-Il and Paul, I mean.

a Stephen King movie waiting to happen....

Paul, if you're reading this: I think you would like this site: http://heaventree.blogspot.com/


(I'm in Bay Ridge, too. Interesting to learn, why, obviously knowing the city very well, you chose our neighborhood to live in?)

To open one’s apartment to the perusal and evaluation of strangers – what an enlightening experience! It’s fascinating to see what folks take particular note of. Here’s a scattershot response.
The idea of putting our wayang golek puppets (the wooden ones typical of West Java) into display cases would, we think, be contrary to the spirit in which they were created. Ninety-five percent of them are well-used and were purchased from the puppeteers who employed them in staging all-night performances. They banged them around for years and even decades. In fact, a goodly proportion of the dust and grime on them is actually Indonesian in origin. We’re treating them pretty much the way their creators did. However, if we were to move to another apartment, we’d definitely divide this mass of characters into smaller groups, probably by carver (each carver’s set totals 40 to 120) and display them separately in various areas. But hey, we’re not trying to create a cultural center here. The puppet museum in Atlanta, perhaps the best in the county and somewhat sterile, uses showcases. Their collection includes nine of these golek puppets. We have about 650 – and we think they need to breathe. What’s more, the whole idea of rotating various items in and out of storage doesn’t appeal to us, either. If we have it, you’re probably going to see it. Then once we’re sick of looking at it, out to the curb it goes for Monday or Thursday morning pick-up. Come to think of us, we’ve created this household over a period of time with ourselves in mind, not visitors.
Other notes: although the Balinese masks above the chair in photo 9, as well as the Javanese masks over the door in photo 16, were made solely for the tourist trade, we like ‘em. We have other one-of-a-kind masks made by artists, but they’re not shown on this site.
Don’t buy new hardwood furniture in Southeast Asia and have it shipped here. Our dry winters and steam heat will quickly crack it. (The same is true of leather shadow puppets.) If you want a Javanese or Chinese bed or chest, find it in some local shop, where it will likely have sat for awhile. Another reason to purchase here rather than abroad is cost; bulk importers pay a lot less for shipment, so you’ll pay less as well. The cost of shipping our bed was three times the cost of purchasing it in Jakarta.
Those 750 jazz cassettes over our desk? In a month or so, they’ll all have been converted to MP3 files, permitting me to give the actual tapes away, along with the rack holding them. And if you have cassettes or LPs cluttering up your life, by all means purchase an easy-to-use software program called Spin It Again, downloadable from the Internet for a pittance. The volumes on music are mine; I edit a NYC jazz monthly called Hot House. Yessy has little interest in jazz – but we do share a passion for exploring The Great American Roadside.
An even larger book collection on these shelves documents diners, chili parlors, architecturally significant gas stations, bizarre signage and endangered mom-and-pop motels. Much of the clutter on our kitchen walls reflects this interest as well.
Yessy also labored to assemble this puppet collection. Because she’s Indonesian and grew up with this tradition, she’s done much to educate me. Her own keenest interest, though, is in cooking. She works a demanding job and spends far less time at home than I do, since I’m a freelance writer.
The walls in our bedroom, incidentally, are the apartment’s least adorned. I can only say that our place reflects a bunch of enthusisams that simply got out of hand. Oddly enough, though, we’ve had visitors over the years who entered our living room, stayed for a time and then left without ever commenting on what they saw.
Pocky is indeed a common item stocked at better grocery stores across the country these days. Yet we decided that displaying it helped to throw Blocky, Chocky, Choki-Choki and Jocky-Jocky into sharper relief.
Had I been photographed in a khaki jumpsuit, you would indeed have been astounded by how much I look like Kim Jong-Il. Even my mother says so.
Anyhow, if you find yourself in Bay Ridge one of these days and want to drop by, give us a call. Our phone number’s posted on the SwingStreets website. And by the way, if you join me on a Harlem walking tour, I’ll happily lead you past the spot where the Collyer Brothers’ world-famous townhouse once stood.

just wanted to clarify a small thing -- rotating your collection can be a good way to appreciate it better yourself, not just in the interest of visitors. i'm a collector, too, and i find that i get way more psyched about my stuff when i haven't seen some of it for a few months.

but different strokes, i guess. your place is a lot of fun, and it seems to hold a lot of meaning for you. which is the important thing -- always bugs me when i go to someone's house and they have all this ornamental type stuff that clearly came from Pier One and is pretty much just there because the inhabitant felt that there should be some knick knacks around.

also, way to go on converting the tapes to MP3! i'm a CD girl myself, but putting all mine on iTunes enabled me to put the actual discs in binders and stow them away. huge space saver, that.

Talking about Bay Ridge it is the talk of the town. I like exploring new communities. We were in sheepshead bay 2 weeks ago. Our next stop is Bay Ridge - We are gathering information.

Tat, Paul - Do you have anything in particular to say ? the popular streets, upcoming streets, the historical streets, cobbled roads. where does all the action lie - night life OR is there any good source that you can direct us to ? any good eats economical restaurants

https://secure.entango.com/donate/aBESu2hcVVJ#

The Brooklyn Historical Society has these great little walking tour/history booklets. I followed the Bay Ridge one and it was a great and interesting day in a neighborhood I'd never visited.

Thank You rr

Cool!

I've never collected more than 10 of anything, (marble eggs, for some odd reason) but I can see the point of wanting to enjoy your collection for yourself rather than create some sort of museum-like display for visitors.

This is fun but man is it a lot of stuff. I agree some of these puppets might be better in a case. But i dont have to live there, though i enjoyed the tour. It cracked me up that the dirt and dust was from indonesia and that was important to you. I kind of understand that.I think that is something very personal. I do love to see people with hobbies, even those hobbies that are on the edge of turning to obsession. I applaud your wife. I'd go nuts with all that stuff. But there is some beauty in all of this.

I'm an Indonesia whose house is less Indonesian than Paul's. Amazing. Manic. Haha. A little correction. In the pic #20, the writer wrote that the colorful stuffs in plastic are candy. They are not, Sir. They are what we Indoeensians call "kamper" or "kapur barus": toilet balls to make the bedroom smell good and to make cockroach run away. The brand is SWALLOW but they are not meant to be swallowed!!!!

Paul and Yessy are obviously two of the most interesting and fascinating people in NY. Paul's exuberance and Yessy's patience are beyond measure. If anyone out there owns a Mercedes and wants to trade it for puppets I would advise them to talk with Yessy and not Paul.

I think that the massive dispay is impressive and appropriate. The Indian-inspired arts are by and large about profusion, and this collection makes that point quite beautifully. I love it!
I als love the bed, and the way the yellow T-shirt breaks up the curtains. Kudos, Paul!

Apa kabar?
I am in love with Indonesia, especially bandung & I am always happy to see a little piece of that magical place.
Terima kasih,
Jill
(Williamsburg)

I've been to the apartment and it is truly magnificent.

what an amazing apartment. i love the personality here. so much better than a mercedes. i'm coming to visit!

Hi Paul!
How many funny named packages have you added on the wall as your collection since I've been to your apartment?
I love your collection!

Paul - and Yessy,
As an old friend from your Indonesia days it is wonderful seeing your eclectic selves as 'the latest thing' in New York and who knows where else.
Keith

I lived in indonesia for 11 years and its great to see a little bit of it here in the states! My parents are more into the indonesian style than i am, and they brought all of their furniture back. Some cracked and warped, but they wanted to try anyways since they loved their furniture. Thanks for posting this! Im glad you keep your collection out, and its great to see all that packaging. The stationary there was my favourite, dont know if you ever checked it out!
meg

What...the...hell?

Paul and Yessy are friends and I have visited the apartment. For the full effect, include in your imagining the long subway ride out to Bay Ridge, the working class "real people" feel of the neighborhood, Paul's warm, deep, former Voice of America radio-man voice, the relative tranquillity of the apartment compared to the street, and Yessy's and Paul's enthusiasm for whatever you're talking about with them, at that moment--whether it has to do with what's in the apartment or not.

This home is truly one of a kind. Congratulations - it's wonderful.

Interesting and unique - full of character! But how to you dust it?

The wall with the heads is creepy.

New York is not limited to the trendy neighborhoods.

I also live in Bay Ridge (well, technically Sunset Park). Seeing Paul's quarters makes me feel somewhat better about our own (well, my husband's) somewhat overwhelming collection.

There are many wonderfully eccentric people in all the five boroughs.

The old radio show, NY and Company used to talk about some of them. There was a man in Manhattan, for example, who had a real stream running through his basement. Of course he was a homeowner, rather than an apartment dweller. I think he actually met his death in a freak accident, drowning in his own stream, when he fell and his head rested in it.

We also knew of a retired policeman in Sunset Park who had arranged mica shist boulders in his back yard so that they reflected light into his living room. He planted around them with seeds of wild flowers he collected on trips to Colorado.

I think people like this are even more interesting than merchants promoting new design trends, though I like to read about those, too.

Holy crap!

The dream location for the casting director of the next Puppet Master installment...

Can't sleep, puppets will eat me.

Cool stuff, but too much of it. I'd second the idea of building a better collection display area and rotating "exhibits" seasonally.

Mommy, I'm scared.

Isn't this the third time this particular home has been featured? We like the repetition because...?

Oh, that's just scary! Obviously no one in the home is allergic to dust.

I collect art. I have more art than walls. I love each and every piece. The art makes me happy. Many people would not like to live with as much art, particularly the religious art. I do. Congratulations, Paul and Yessy.

asian packaging is amazing, i'm also totally intrigued by it and with i had the guts to attach it to my walls. hahah. cool place. but the puppets would give me nightmares.

How can you sleep in the bedroom? I have a large collection of product tins and they have to be washed about once a year. These cardboard packets will quickly become sticky, from grease, in the kitchen, and dusty. Many of the rooms remind me of those homes where an old person keeps 40 cats. Just because you own something you don't have to have it on show all the time. In the end its appears to be what you like and that is what matters.

Amazing collections. I've recently started collecting the golek puppets myself. Do you have any advice as to where I should look for them (short of flying to Indonesia)? Thanks

No comments? Holy Smokes what a place...I actually think its great. couldnt live there myself but what balls to do that all.