A Colorful “Mini Pop Culture Museum” Apartment in the East Village

Name: Jeanie and Tater Tot the Bulldog
Location: East Village — New York, New York
The basics: 23 years, rented — 850 square feet

There’s a perception out there that New Yorkers live and die by the color block. Jeanie has taken that idea and turned it completely on its head, filling her apartment with colors on colors on colors!

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I live with Tater Tot the English Bulldog who is under the impression the queen size bed is for him and that he graciously permits me a sliver of space to sleep. Thankfully the one bedroom in NYC’s East Village is big enough for us, my 25 and counting collections, 14 different paint colored walls, a big sparkly pink chandelier, a ton of street finds, the occasional dinner and a murder party and plays home office to my style curation company, apartmentjeanie.

I’ve been collecting since I was five years old and coupled with a design aesthetic based on my nine year old self — candy, comics and cartoons the apartment feels like a tightly curated mini pop culture museum. And since I refuse to draw the blinds of the six large street facing windows, most people can see into our second floor apartment and think it is a store, based on the collections displayed and bright lighting. It really is a colorful, happy place and most will think I am slightly insane but I find it to be really calm and welcoming. I smile every time I open the front door.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room in my home is the kitchen, although I’m never cooking in there. The small space encompasses everything I love, one wall is painted glossy fire orange and another I covered in Mexican oil cloth to act as a back splash. My food theme collections are on display and the vintage metal cabinet doors are a living scrapbook of puppy Polaroids, food postcards, paint by numbers, photos of friends, little kid art and vintage food packaging. I have a decorative state plate collection hanging above the door frame and framed paint by numbers hanging on the fridge — I glued magnets to the frame. It is literally my kitschen.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? That I own it. 🙂

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? A 1960s commemorative plate of my childhood township’s fire department.

Which fictional character would be most at home in your place? Pee Wee Herman

Any advice for creating a home you love? Surround yourself with things you love, nothing you feel lukewarm about. It’s okay to say no thank-you if someone tries to gift you something for your home and you don’t care for it. Also, don’t be afraid to paint color on the walls.

Thanks, Jeanie !

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