Name: Michelle, Howard & Rosa
Location: East Village — Manhattan, New York
Size: 650 Square Feet
Years lived in: 12 years — own
Three years ago, when Michelle moved into this one bedroom apartment in Manhattan's East Village, Howard had already been living there for nine years. To make room, adjustments had to be made. As an artist and and an architect, she had both the eye and the know how to help transition the space into a comfortable home for two (and now three).
The creative couple (Howard is an engineer and a musician) worked together to make changes to their home. Adding a cabinet system in the living room, opening up the previously walled off kitchen area, and creating a desk solution that made room for two (with built-in storage) were all changes that took place to accomodate the needs of a couple sharing a space previously occupied by one. Clever additions like a custom table top fitted atop a potted plant base (created by Michelle), a cup holder built into the wall next to a lounger where there is no space for a coffee table, and a peg board wall in the hallway all add to the effectiveness of the space and add charm as well.
Now that baby Rosa has arrived, changes are again afoot in the apartment. When space is limited, finding a place for all the accoutrements that a baby requires can be a challenge. To create a changing area, the couple adjusted the closet at the end of the hall to meet Rosa's needs. To make room for all the baby things, Michelle and Howard raised their bed to generate additional storage space.
The apartment has already evolved twice to meet the changing needs of those who live there, and now that a growing child has been added to the mix, the evolution of the space is sure to continue.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: We are packrats that hate clutter.
Inspiration: An English wartime book of cartoons called "How to Live in a Flat" illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. It's filled with brilliant yet ridiculous solutions for how to live in small spaces.
Favorite Element: Our entry area. It's a tiny green room lined with wooden shaker hooks and a bench for our shoes and boots. It's a place to quickly shed all our outdoor things in order to enter the home unburdened. It feels like a walk-through closet or an extruded threshold. Many things we use are seasonal, and it's nice to have a place inside that reflects the seasonal changes outside.
Biggest Challenge: Figuring out how to re-organize the house to make room for baby Rosa. We don't know what her spatial needs are just yet. Most of the changes we have made were based on guesses before she was born (diaper changing area, bed relocation). Luckily, they have worked out so far, but the future is still unclear.
What Friends Say: People often comment on our view. We look out onto a historic cemetery and the view is bright and green. In the summer we can barely see the street behind us. It's unusual in Manhattan to have a green view, unless you are luck enough to live next to a park.
Biggest Embarrassment: All my mistakes on the built-ins and furniture, like using mismatching cheap plywood from Home Depot for the bedroom closet and making jagged cuts on the cabinet door pulls.
Proudest DIY: The ficus tree side table. While rearranging the house to make room for the baby, we started looking for a side table to replace the coffee table while simultaneously discussing where to put the tree. Then one day…
Biggest Indulgence: Our Italian stainless steel stove. When reading reviews about it on the internet, we encountered a glowing review written by a friend. We took this as a sign that we should buy it, and it hasn't disappointed us.
Best Advice: Watch out for white! We chose white tile and grout for our kitchen and bathroom walls and found out very quickly that it reveals the slightest amount of grime. Maybe it's a good idea to know exactly how dirty these areas are, but unfortunately it causes us anxiety. White grout can also discolor and be difficult to clean. Be warned!
Resources of Note:
ENTRY
- • Light fixture: Artemide
• Bench: DIY
• Shaker Pegs: Woodworks Ltd.
• Rug: Green Depot, Manhattan
• Chinese Scrolls: Souvenir from China
KITCHEN
- • Cabinets: IKEA
• Stove: Elba
• Refrigerator: LG
• Faucet: Hans Grohe
DINING ROOM
- • Table and Chairs: IKEA
• Pendant Lamp: Existing mystery fixture
• Rug: Persian Rug from Michelle's Grandfather
• Shelving: IKEA
• Grey Filing Cabinet: Found on Street in Brooklyn
LIVING ROOM
- • Floor Lamps: DIY Stacked Chair Leg Lamp and Dentist Lamp Found in a Dumpster in Queens
• Side Table: Ficus Tree Plus DIY Table Top
• Sofa: Modernica Case Study Daybed
• Lounge Chair and Ottoman: Classic Herman Miller Eames Chair - a gift from a friend
• Art: Michelle's Box Prints and Gifts from Friends
• Desks: IKEA and DIY Shelving Unit
• Desk Chairs: Humanscale Freedom Task Chair
• Rug: Souvenir from Turkey
• Ceiling Fan: Dayton 48" Ceiling Fan from Grainger
• Chinese Scroll: Souvenir from China
• Mural on Back Wall: Photo Mounted on Foam Core, Found on Broadway in Manhattan
HALLWAY
- • Closet Doors: DIY - made with peg board
• Mirror with Wood Frame: Housing Works
• Diaper Changing Station: DIY with Plastic Drawers from Muji
BEDROOM
- • Bed and Headboard: DIY
• Plywood Closet: DIY
• Dresser: Made by Emmanuel Delalain of Atelier Delalain in Brooklyn
• Green Rug: Gabbe from ABC Carpet and Home, Bronx Warehouse
• Red Rug: Persian Rug from Michelle's Grandfather
• Co-Sleeper: Arm's Reach
• Mosquito Trap: Stinger
• Bench (former coffee table): Recycled from Dotcom-Era Company
• African Baskets: eBay
BATHROOM
- • Bathtub: Kohler from Build-It-Green NYC
• Showerhead & Bathtub fixtures: Hans Grohe
• Bidet Toilet Seat: Brondell Swash
• Towel Bars: Kohler Stillness
• Mahogany Cabinet: DIY
• Sink: Ikea
Thanks Michelle, Howard & Rosa!
(Images: Liana Walker)
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sooooo cozy and cute i LOVE ITTTT. Especially the desk area, changing table and the kitchen! it's gorgeous!
What a terrific NYC apartment. The penguin near the front door is adorable. I also love the plant shelves in the middle of the all the windows, what a great way to have plants without taking up floor space. But I wonder, is there a way to close the blinds? Maybe there's room behind them, I can't tell.
Charming!
Michelle and Howard, you ought to consider entering this in next year's "Small Cool Contest." I would sure give your sweet home a vote for such clever and charmng use of space.
This is so charming and well thought-out. I really enjoyed every single photo, which is rare for house tours.
I can't say enough good things about this place! It's cozy, inviting, and just perfect for a family of three!
Great character but way too much stuff.
I LOVE this house tour! This looks like a very comfortable and cozy home, and an amazing use of space for three people. Nice to see a home that looks loved and lived in rather than "curated." I'm kind of smitten with those African baskets, and love all the plants.
One thought I had is that, as Rosa grows, you might consider changing her on the bed or daybed and converting the diaper-changing space to a little corner for her to play or read in. (My kids still love tiny spaces. Makes them feel safe.) Thanks for sharing.
That is one cute baby!!
I love this house tour. I really like the shelves in front of the brick wall and the floor to ceiling bookshelves crammed full of books - so cozy!
The rug in the living room is gorgeous.
I'm getting a little sick of the curated houses with one carefully selected branch here and an expensive vase there and a couple of coffee table books staked up on a glass side table and maybe an ironic deer head on the wall (they all look the same after a while), so this is refreshing and so *real*. Thanks for sharing!
HA! Just realized I sound like @funkytown's echo..... :-)
Beautiful.... and the shelves do not seem 'full of stuff' to me at all... they are scarcely crowded, and filled with things that are meaningful to the homeowners. It is so refreshing to see a little character and not blind trend-following. A cheerful happy home for your gorgeous babe to grow in!
I also love the shelves! Very cute place, with cool useful vintage finds. I can't BELIEVE you found that metal file on the curb. ::Sigh::
Is there a website or source where we could see more of that bank of framed art pieces in the main photo? I believe the source says, "Michelle's Box Prints." I'm interested in seeing the details. Are they for sale?
Where did you get the rocking chair in the bedroom? Love it (and need one for my baby).
what a fun and practical home. this is what AT is all about -- creating a wonderful home in a small space. you can feel the love when viewing this tour.
This is a nice place but has a little bit too much stuff. I think they need to do some editing or somehow storing some of it behind closed doors. That said, its nice to see a home that looks completely unstaged, which is how most of us live. Cute kid, as well.
The shelves are perfect. Hooray for Skandia!! And cluttered? Oh HARDLY! I only wish I could have mine less full.
This must be one of my favorite house tours ever. Real people making do with what they have and turning it into a cozy, adorable, warm place. Clearly there's lot of love here, between the people who live in this apartment, and love for the things they have.
I particularly like that this is a real lived-in place, not a staged showcase. Also it's nice to see real art on the walls.
I'd rather see more tours like this than people showing off the money they have via their oh-so-perfectly "curated" good taste.
Oh and that ficus side table is so much fun.
Fun and enjoyable tour. Thanks for opening your home for us to see!
I thought this house was great although the drink holder made me laugh! It seems so redneck to me and you both seem so NOT redneck-y (I am happily classified as a redneck myself...i don't mean it as an insult...)
You have a wonderful home and a beautiful family!
wow! nice job!
Really charming! I agree that it's nice to see a cozy, lived-in space.
I love the brick walls, the kitchen, the sofa, the shaker rocker and peg rails! We have a tiny entrance with a closet, but I want to replace it with a peg rail to leave wet rain gear in and stuff :)
We lived in a 600 sf apartment very spaciously with a 3-year old but moved out recently because of a mold issue.Though we probably had less than half the stuff here;)
Lovely home! Everything was awesome, especially the desk for two!!
great use of space, but it seems stressful to live with all that stuff. The bedroom seems to be the most peaceful spot in the apartment. My eyes enjoy a blank, calm wall once in a while, and NYC rarely allows that.
How rare to see a real home without all the trendy touches that AT usually loves! (I call it the Apartment Therapy look.)
And YAY!! to IKEA Yellow-Brown Nexus cabinets! My favorite of all time.
which ikea shelves are the ones in the dining room, the GORM? did you stain them? I am trying to avoid building my own shelves and this might work. thank you
Love the space! Can we get more info on that amazing desk project? Please? Pretty please?
And I echo the sentiments of the previous posters -- hooray for a space that features everyday stuff (extension cords, pacifiers, grocery carts hung on walls)!!!
Lovely window shelves-- how did you do that?
And that desk-- perfect.
Like previously mentioned, it's nice to see an apartment where people worked with what they had and showed creativity and personality. When I see the ultra-fancy homes of the "moneyed" people, I don't get the same joy and sense of the personality of who lives in the place. I want to see what the "people" who live there did with the place, not what the hired designer did.
Great kitchen...beautiful babe
Kitchen is just lovely. (I too fear the white grout!) I would be so grateful to know what the door fronts are on the base cabinets...are they ikea too?