This Creative’s Brooklyn Rental Is Perfectly Balanced Design

Michelle, her partner, and about 20 plant babies have been renting this two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment for one year: Being the fashion girlie that I was in my teenage years I’ve always dreamt of living in a brownstone in NYC. Obviously, Carrie Bradshaw of “Sex and the City” is to blame and my inner child was beaming when I found my very own here in Brooklyn with a similar walk-in closet. What a bonus!

Since the very moment I walked into this apartment, it felt like my dream space. It’s a combination of new fixtures that modernize the space (adding to its functionality) but is paired with the original charm of the home. It features exposed brick, two skylights, bay windows, and original hardwood floors (stained and sealed) that create so much balance. Balance being a word I like to use to describe my interior sense of style. Balance is important to me to create in any space, but especially in a shared space. My partner and I have cultivated a home that reflects us both and most mornings I can’t believe we get to live here.

I am a creative. My first love and my first form of expression was music. I studied music in high school, fashion in college, and made a recent pivot to interior design after starting my business, bigg BLOOM. bigg BLOOM started off as hand painted pottery that has now evolved to offering interior design services. This pivot honestly feels like another way to honor my younger self that once asked her mother to paint her walls turquoise and her ceiling fuchsia. That girl still influences my artwork, the colors I gravitate toward, and the shapes I like to play with throughout our home.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Balanced, playful, colorful, nostalgic, elevated.

What is your favorite room and why? You must know, I love to sleep lol. I am a serial napper and I can honestly do it anywhere. But my favorite resting place is a cloud. Light and airy. Plush and pastel. That is when I get the best and optimal sleep. I like to call our bedroom a cloud. Unlike the rest of the house it isn’t engulfed in color, instead soft hues and pops of color. Again, playing with shapes and textures to give our cloud room some interest. I feel relaxed and at peace in our room. It is my favorite place to retreat to and that’s the easiest way to get on top of my list.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? So the last space we finished in the apartment was our office/guest room. It’s a pretty small footprint so I knew I didn’t want to overwhelm the space. We decided to create a floating wood shelf and desk combo to accommodate us when we are both working from home.

After completing the room I struggled to find a set of desk chairs and opted to use our old dining chairs instead. That encouraged me to find a new set of dining chairs. I wanted black to pair with the new hardware we installed in the kitchen. I found this great inexpensive set that feels like a good mix of old (bistro aesthetic) but new (black matte finish) from Target.

Any advice for creating a home you love? “Do what feels right.” I think it’s easy to neglect your space for a lot of different reasons. But there is something really magical and empowering about being in a space that reflects you. A space that you will take pride in because it grounds you. Forget about the trends. Purchase intentionally and don’t shy away from personalizing something and making it your own. We all deserve to feel joy and to feel seen in the place we call home.

Thanks Michelle!

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