While Celia’s home is gorgeous to look at (and has come a LONG way from where it originally started, as this before and after post proves), it’s also a full of smart storage and small-space ideas she’s implemented, particularly after their son Cassius was born eight months ago. Nestled into a corner of their bedroom is the cutest nursery nook with a mini crib, and the couple purchased an IKEA PAX system (before, Sean kept his clothes in the entryway closet!).

My Style: I like to call my style “Mid-Century, Vintage, Eclectic.” I love the shapes of mid-century modern design. It’s clean and sharp and creates the perfect palette for layering in all my color and texture. I’m a huge fan of collecting things when I travel. My partner knows that’s a must! Adding cultural elements and art by Black artists makes my space feel like a representation of me and my history. I don’t have a huge budget but supporting small businesses and artists as much as I can feels good and makes my home feel like mine. Some would call it clutter, and say it’s too much, but I love things! I love to be surrounded by the things that tell the story of my life. From the neon bust of a ram I carried home from London, to the segregationist photos in the bathroom that speak to the history of America, and the now vintage head carving that hung in my childhood home, it’s me and I’m happy looking at it all.  I’m going to be one of those old women with a house full of treasures and a story for it all. 

Inspiration: I love looking at images on social media, and I have so many ideas of what my next home will look like, but for this space I didn’t have a true inspiration. It is truly just the result of me doing what I wanted with the budget I had. 

Favorite Element: Before my son was born my favorite space in the apartment was the bathroom. I just love the wallpaper in there so much! It is the room where I took the biggest risk, and it made me so excited to get more adventurous. But since the arrival of Cassius the bedroom has become my favorite space. I’m not a natural early riser but that changes with a child. We spend some of our best moments in the morning in the bedroom as a family in the beautiful morning light. It makes sharing a room with an infant a little easier (sometimes lol). 

Biggest Challenge: Like most New York City apartment dwellers, closet space was by far our biggest challenge. We added an IKEA PAX system to the bedroom and it changed the game! 

Proudest DIY: I am most proud of the wallpaper we hung ourselves in the bathroom and the geometric mural we painted in the hall. Both spaces are so small and just begging for a bold treatment. They felt like great spaces to try out bold “trendy” options.

Biggest Indulgence: The couch on the balcony isn’t the most expensive thing in the apartment, but at the time it was  a big purchase for us. My partner wanted to go with something cheaper and smaller but I wanted this couch so badly lol. It’s just from IKEA, so it’s not designer or anything, but I just love the look of it and my justification (to him at least lol) was that if we moved and needed something bigger we could just buy more of the same thing and expand it! It’s useful beyond this apartment!! But it’s so comfortable, easy to keep clean, and allows us to really enjoy our small outdoor space. 

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? My top three favorite things I’ve purchased for my apartment are our PAX system in the bedroom, heavy duty command strips, and our mini crib. Before the PAX, my partner Sean had to keep his clothes in the entryway closet, along with our shopping cart and mop bucket, and the rest stuffed into a few drawers in the bedroom. He was very gracious in letting me have the bedroom closet to myself. He kept his sweaters in a gym bag that our cat made her bed (we no longer have the cat), so generally his clothes were constantly covered in cat hair. The PAX allowed him to move all of his things into the bedroom, gave me a little extra space, and gave us doors to close when things got a little messy, instantly making our bedroom appear more tidy. Totally worth the spend.

The couch on the balcony was at the time a big purchase for us but it’s so comfortable, easy to keep clean and allows us to really enjoy our small outdoor space. 

Our walls are made of concrete or cinder blocks, but what I do know is drilling into them is SO HARD. After a couple of hours long drilling sessions we turned to heavy duty command strips.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Hydraulic lift up storage beds are THE best! You can fit so much under there and it’s so easy to lift the bed and access your things, especially when the walls are too close to slide larger things under the bed. If your couch sits on legs, that’s more storage! We store shipping boxes for our small business under our couch! 

And the Elfa closet door storage system from The Container Store completely changed the way we used our linen/craft/broom closet. It holds SO MUCH STUFF. It’s absolutely amazing! 

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Do what feels good to you! Renters, don’t be afraid to make changes. YouTube is full of so many renter-friendly changes! Command strips, paint and knobs are all ways to make easy changes that can easily be changed back! And a space is never complete without a plant or two!

• Hall — Clare’s “Avocado Toast, Hyperlink, and Wing it”
• Dining Room — Behr’s “Black”
• Bedroom — Sherwin-Williams’ “Anchors Aweigh”

• Theater chairs — purchased from a friend
• Tapestry — BLK MKT Vintage
• Drink Table — Target

• Andes 3-Piece Chaise Sectional — West Elm 
• Chair — Overstock
• Bookcase — Target
• Arch Lamp— West Elm
• Coffee Table — Wayfair
• TV — Samsung
• Ottoman — Chairish
• Dresser — Vintage hand-me-down
• Rug — Carried it home from Marrakech, Morocco
• Side Table — Urban Outfitters
• Large Plant Pot — West Elm
• Ghanian Fans — Sticki Icki
• Large Painting — Jasmine Camielle Art
• Pillows — West Elm, Jungalow 

• Desk — Article
• Chair — Neue Chair
• Lamp — Article
• Woman print — Society6

• Table — IKEA
• Buffet (I added legs) — IKEA
• Wooden Chairs — Article
• Console Table — Overstock
• Sneaker Candle — Cölle
• Art Sources — Brooklyn Dolly, HiAj, BLK MKT Vintage, Create the Culture, Katy Smail, GUSTAVO RIMADA,  Society6, purchased on travels
• Armoire — IKEA

• Sticky tiles — Wayfair
• Shelf — IKEA
• Cart — IKEA
• Soap Dispensers — Urban Ember

• Rug — Overstock
• Bed — EQ3
• PAX Wardrobe — IKEA
• Lamps — West Elm
• Chest of Drawers and side table — Vintage hand-me-down, matching pieces to living room dresser
• Bedding — Target
• Pillows — CB2
• Lumbar pillow — Etsy
• Art Sources — Studio Nom, Sew Trill, African Bumbles, Chisholm Larsson

• Crib — Amazon
• Wall Decals — Fluke Decor
• Animal Prints — The Crown Prints
• Changing Table (painted, added knobs and legs) — IKEA
• Changing Pad — Keekaroo
• Stacking Storage — IKEA
• Laundry Basket — The Jolie Market

• Wallpaper — Etsy
• Shower Curtain — Target
• Table — IKEA
• Art — eBay, HiAJ

• Couch — IKEA
• Pillows — Target
• Rug — Target
• Rug — Overstock
• Side Table — Target
• Side Table — IKEA
• Coffee Table — IKEA
• Faux Plants — Target

Thanks Celia !

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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