This Gorgeous Over 100-Year-Old NYC Apartment Has “Too Many Faux Pas To Count”

The couple met at an artist collective in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. Sydney, who also posts on TikTok, had been living there for two-and-a-half years, and Joe had lived there a year before they started considering alternatives. Joe’s friend’s parents owned a one-bedroom rental apartment in Bay Ridge, New York, and they decided to check it out. 

“The apartment was beautiful — a bay window in the living room, original trim, cove ceilings, the floors had just been redone — but honestly, the idea of having a kitchen that we didn’t have to share with 12 other people is what sold us,” Sydney explains. 

Sydney admits that it was a “bit of a bachelor pad” before the couple moved in, but luckily she was attending Parsons School of Design and majoring in interior design at the time. “I had renders and floor plans made before we even signed the lease,” she says. Sydney says mapping out their new space served as “good practice.” 

Since moving into the home (which Sydney estimates was built initially between the 1910s and 1920s) three years ago, they’ve definitely made their mark on the space. Namely, the living room is covered in hand-painted flowers and murals. But that’s just one of the gorgeous projects. 

• Living Room — Sherwin-Williams’ Willow Tree (SW 7741), Vast Sky (SW 7506), Olden Amber (SW 9013), Coral Island (SW 6332).
• Dining Room — Sherwin-Williams’ Sashay Sand (SW 6051) and Gorgeous White (SW 6049).
• Bedroom — Sherwin-Williams’ Vast Sky (SW 6056).
• Kitchen — Sherwin-Williams’ Willow Tree (SW 7741) and Crème (SW 7756).
• Hallway — Sherwin-Williams’ Willow Tree (SW 7741), Vast Sky (SW 7506) and Olden Amber (SW 9013).

• Sofa — Secondhand
• Chair — Secondhand
• Daybed — Interior Define
• Art — Secondhand
• Console Table — Secondhand
• Pillows — Handmade
• Lampshades on Sconces — Handmade with Rebecca Atwood fabric
• Lamp — Target 
• Eileen Grey Table — Secondhand 
• Standing Lamp — Secondhand
• Rug— Etsy
• Curtains — IKEA 
• Coffee Table — Secondhand 

• Table — Secondhand
• Chairs — Secondhand
• Rug — Secondhand
• Vases — Secondhand, and the blue one is from McGee & Co. 

KITCHEN

• Counter — IKEA 
• Shelves — IKEA
• Spice rack — Secondhand
• Valance — Handmade, Sister Parish Fabric scraps from client

• Bedding — Quince 
• Curtains— Quince and IKEA 
• Tapestry — Secondhand
• Rug — Etsy 
• Headboard — Leftover from upholstery project and covered with fabric from local Fabric store (J&A Fabrics) 
• Green Dresser — Secondhand
• Wood Dresser — Apt Deco 
• Blue Bookshelf — Vintage
• Big Bookshelf — Secondhand
• Lampshades — Handmade

• Desk — Vintage
• Shelving — The Home Depot 
• Chair — Apt Deco 
• Ottomon — Secondhand
• Curtains — IKEA

Thanks, Sydney!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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