“I actually found the apartment completely virtually — it was the height of early COVID caution and not a single apartment building allowed touring,” she explains. “I signed the lease before I was even allowed in the space and got very lucky that it was even better than I could have imagined. It’s set up to have enough space for the myriad of hobbies my partner and I have — I also run a small business and store a lot of antiques here.”

Whether you’re interested in more Simon content, antique store trips, or fashion advice, Katie’s TikTok is full of great vids that also feature her beautiful home as a backdrop.

My Style: Grandmillennial maximalism with a touch of Scandinavian minimalism, Dorothy Draper meets Eero Saarinen

Inspiration: Anything and everything. I don’t really go to interior design images to inspire me; I’ll look up ornate china patterns, browse the Met’s online collection, and look at lots of British country gardens. I like a malleable space that I can live in and experiment with — it’s taken over a year to decorate this apartment because I needed to see how I lived here, where I threw my clothes, the best way to organize the closet, if I ever really sat down for breakfast. I want my space to fit my life, not the other way around.

Favorite Element: The sunlight. It’s bright all the time, the windows are huge, and I love waking up to the glow.

Biggest Challenge: We had a small budget for decor, anything that could be got on the cheap needed to be. The only investments we made were in the couch, the bed frame, and a comfortable chair in the office. That’s basically the only stuff we paid over $250 for.

I also struggled so hard with the bathrooms; they’re both windowless and have no where to put towels, they drove me crazy, all dark and cold, like who would use all black and gray in windowless rooms?

Proudest DIY: I think the curtains and pillows in the bedroom (or just the bedroom in general). The dresser is customized IKEA, and I sewed the euro size pillows and curtains out of a print I fell in love with.

Biggest Indulgence: The couch, it was from Article, and I think it was worth it. It’s held up really well, comfortable, and a classic design.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Oh we have so many of these — we use the second bedroom as a main because I think it’s dumb to have the biggest room be one you just use to sleep instead of enjoy. We use the main bedroom closet as a woodshop, the main bath is storage and the cat’s own bathroom for their litter box. We don’t have a dining room, instead I have an open office space in the living room because I work from home so much. Everywhere antiques are tucked away, under the couch, in the kitchen cabinets, at the top of my closet, had to get creative!

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? Wallpaper and art. I am a highly visual person and keeping a space bright and engaging makes me feel happier, more in control, and more creative.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I have severe ADHD, so I tend to let things accumulate in piles. Once every week or so I purge and move the pile a little futher from my living room, so I have to go dig for something if I need it. I figure out what stuff I do use as I bring it back, and the rest of the pile is either sorted and saved (if it’s like art supplies or electronic cords) or brought with me to donate on my next Goodwill run.

What’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Never (or rarely) buy retail. In limiting myself to either DIY-ing or buying secondhand from thrift shops, garage sales, and estate sales, I find my ideas about a space are much more focused. Am I buying this object because it’s cute, or am I buying it because I want that specific thing and I think it will work in my space? When I come back with random stuff after going to Target, it rarely works out as well as I thought it would in the store.

• Painting of Simon and Dolores — Custom order from Mew & Company
• Entry table — Wayfair
• Mirror — Target
• Vase — Tiffany’s (wedding gift)
• Plates — Mix of my wedding china, family wedding china, and antiques I’ve collected

• Couch — Article
• Coffee table — Target
• Rug, unsure — But it’s this
• Tv stand — IKEA
• Bookshelf — Target
• Two chairs — Wayfair, I reupholstered them tho because they were pleather
• End tables — Thrifted
• Big Lamp — CB2? I think
• Chinoiserie lamps — Thrifted
• Abstract painting — Thrifted
• Small A frame art — Chloe Johnson creative
• Small floral paintings — Aspen art gallery
• Orange needlepoint — Made by my grandmother

• Chairs — Amazon

• Bedframe — The Inside
• End tables — Amazon (with new knobs I got at a hardware store)
• Lamps — Target
• Dresser — IKEA
• Blanket rack — Made by my partner
• Bedding — Casper
• Curtains and pillows — Made by me
• Cat portraits — Commissioned from Nora Kabulov (@Jesuswasadog on Instagram)
• Wallpaper — Rifle paper co
• Ceramic cats — Thrifted
• Storage cabinet — From Wayfair and custom painted by me

• Shelf above toilet — Made by partner
• Botanical prints — All thrifted
• Floor — Tiles from amazon
• Shower curtain — Thrifted, made by me
• Soap dispenser — Target
• Dishes for personal care — All thrifted

• Wallpaper — Peel and stick by Tempaper
• Custom engraved champagne saber — Wedding gift, reads “No Gods, No Masters”
• Original Ashley Longshore small tray, reads “I don’t cook, I don’t clean, I don’t fly commercial”
• Square framed image of partner’s grandparents on their wedding day — IKEA

• Painting of my grandparents’ house
• My dad’s PHD
• Thrifted fabric rendition of the caged unicorn tapestry
• Signed Joan Miro poster — Thrifted
• Photo of my mom with her parents when she was a baby

• Computer chair — Humanscale
• Storage etage — IKEA
• Desk made by partner
• Bookshelf — From target with wallpaper added by me
• Rug — Rifle Paper Co

• Closet organizing is the Elfa system — Container Store

Thanks Katie!

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

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