I am finding so many irresistible details in this: the lightswitch covers are a treat (though almost impossible to imitate-in-a-good-way, here in Europe), that lampshade was love at first sight...and I'm so glad you kept that beam!

A great house! A floorplan would have been excellent, though...

Great light, lots of good vibes. The living room makes me smile. I know you're not finished but I hope you get to the bedroom soon, you deserve a beautiful haven.

wonderful place--love the style, the comfort, & the lighting. am especially taken with the transportation light shade made by gretchen. thanks for a great tour!

That ladder looks a little flimsy to me. My fat butt would surely break those rungs and then be flung down the steps. I guess the bell hangs there as a warning to people coming up the steps to get out of the way of falling people.

Magical.

Thanks for sharing your home. I love the way you've tempered the open spaces with more intimate little pockets. It's just lovely.

I always appreciate seeing the occupants, as well as the homes. Thanks.

Love the lightswitch covers, especially the crossword puzzle one. And the bathtub -- so classy and luxurious.

nice photoshopping in the pic with the rocker. other than that - charming home!

I love the honesty of this place. It's light, bright, comfortable, filled with interests and intellect, and is stylish without being trendy or cloyingly "designed." Bravo.

Mattab, that was funny.

I love this space. The mermaid coat/towel hangers were adorable.

Gorgeous place!

love!!!!!! its so freakin cozy and warm. and why dont more people include themselves in a photo like this? im always so curious.

Such an inviting home! I especially love the switch plates and the orange desk chair!!

wow::love!!!
reclaimed slate chalkboards as tile, nice personality all around, and that great beam! thanks for showing such a terrific real-people home.

Bright and full of ideas!

sassylashes — nice catch. I wonder if there's a hole in the wall, like the ones by the doggy bed?

the kitchen, so square, so light filled, looks amazing!

I love the coffee table in the living room picture. Anyone know who makes it?

I love all the little personalized details and an adorable dog always helps to make a home complete. What a lovely place!

Can anyone identify the plant on the coffee table, or the one next to the side chair?

Thank you for sharing your awesome place with us, it's amazing what you have done with it considering you started from nothing. I looove your living room rug because it has the oriental rug look without all the crazy colors, would love to know where it (or one like it) is from.

Love the mermaid hooks, switch plate covers and very cool lampshade.

Looks amazing, so many lovely touches, the floor is gorgeous! I needed a floor plan as I was getting confused by the directions and explanations.
Thanks for sharing!

Not my style at all but this is a great example of a lived-in home that has character, quirkiness and functionality.

There's some humour in the accents and the space is well used.

Great job.

i like that it's stylish but still looks lived in!

with many homes i think, "that isn't how it really looks every day!"

this house looks like a real & pretty house.

Where can I find a sofa and chairs like those? I need furniture that my cats can't claw up. Wooden armrests are a must.

a great place, filled with light, lots of wood, art and books! this is a place that seems to work really good for all living in!

Love the light-filled kitchen and the mermaid hooks in the bathroom, and I think it is So! Cool! that you salvaged former NYC PS blackboards! This seems to really suit the owners' style and sounds like a labor of love, which is all that matters. Nicely done.

I covet that plywood divider/bookshelf.

I have total bathtub envy.

Also, I've always wanted to hang up a mobile - I think they can be so dainty and whimsical - but I haven't been sure how to make it work. The placement of yours is great though!

The switchplate covers, are they decoupaged? Love the look here. I've set about doing this with all the covers in my house, and I've loved the result. Really inexpensive way to add some detail to an element too oft neglected and, if you don't like it after a while, switching them out costs peanuts.

Very creative space. I love the clawfoot tub and the transporation lampshade!!! I second the request for a floorplan. It's hard for me to grasp how the flow is in the space.

I like this tour. This home looks like a comfortable, lively place to relax and play.

Swedishchef, they have a fine set of temple blocks and a rain stick in photo 9. The info at this world music store helped to satisfy my curiosity about them, too.

Hi All. Thank you for your great comments. Here is Rachel's response to many of your inquiries:
"The living-room furniture is all Danish Modern. The chairs and coffee table came from Gretchen's parents and the couch from my side of the family. The thing in picture 9 is called a danmo --it's a Vietnamese percussion instrument carved from a jackfruit tree.
The "map" lightswitch plate is sort of decoupage I wrapped the plate in the map and spayed it with several layers of spray-on polyurethane.
The crossword puzzle one we bought somewhere......don't know where.
The plant by the side chair is a rubber plant, we don't know what the one on the table is --company brought it.
The rug may come from Macy's not sure.
Transom over the kitchen wall and bathroom wall: the original walls were not anywhere near where the current walls are and nothing was load bearing so we were pretty unconstrained in that regard. But getting that piece of glass up was one of the hardest things we did. Harder than replacing the sagging floor joists....."

In response to floorplan requests... The front living room and kitchen are separated by the long bookshelved hall from the master bedroom bath and meditation nook. Downstairs are Rachel and Gretchen's offices. The kitchen has a window that looks into the meditation nook and the rest of the master bedroom.

Congrats Rachel and Gretchen! Glad Guinness made it into the shoot. place looks wonderful. Ellen

What great light! This looks very comfortable and lived in. It looks like the sort of home that anyone would be welcomed into and feel at home in. Very nice job. :)

Oh -- and I agree that it is always nice to see the homeowners!

Great use of curiosities and inventive recycling of different objects. The ladder is well positioned to include the overhead space. The space evokes a lot of comfort and a real sense of use. It looks well loved and appreciated by the residents but I would agree with the discerning members that this home lacks clarity in terms of style and inspiration. To me, this is just another brooklyn home.

Where are those mermaid hooks from? Absolutely love them. Very warm and fun home, by the way.

Yes! Mermaid hooks!! Where are they from?

Nice place - less pics of stuff tho - why does everyone do that? Pictures of their stuff.

The mermaid hooks that a number of you asked about are available here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/riricreations?section_id=6902429
Enjoy