Mark & Levi’s Home Among Modern Mementos

published Apr 11, 2015

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Name: Mark, Levi, + Theo
Location: Upper East Side; New York City
Size: 400 square feet
Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented

Mark and Levi both share a love for beautiful things. With Mark working for Artsy, an online destination for the art world, and Levi for the luxury American jewelry brand David Webb, they both spend their days surrounded by beauty. Stepping into their Upper East Side home, their creative perspective is evident as is the harmony with which they decorate their space.

Mark and Levi make excellent use of a studio space as a living, dining, work and bedroom all fit seamlessly into one room. (Image credit: Liana Hayles Newton)

(Image credit: Liana Hayles Newton)

In their own words: “Our backgrounds are in art and design history, so we pull inspiration from periods and artists that interest us. Mark’s interests tend toward modern and contemporary art, while Levi is more passionate about decorative arts and the 19th century. We’re both drawn to the functionality and clean lines that you find in the 20th century, mixed with the 19th century’s affinity for collecting objects with meaning. We’re hugely inspired by our work (Mark works for online destination Artsy, and Levi for jeweler David Webb) so we’re always pulling inspiration from new things we’re constantly being exposed to.”

(Image credit: Liana Hayles Newton)

Our Style: We love the sentiment of mementos through a modern lens (an idea taken from one of our favorite books, Heirloom Modern).

Favorite Element: Right now we’re in love with the watercolors above the dining table that our friend Ben gifted us.

Biggest Challenge: Definitely working with the restrictions of a condo space.

Biggest Embarrassment: We gave up architectural character for ease of living and amenities, so our space isn’t as interesting as it could be if we lived elsewhere.

Proudest DIY: We’ve altered a number of pieces in the apartment, so we’re proudest of how our small DIYs work together.

Biggest Indulgence: Our bookcase from MASH studios.

Best Advice: Invest in furniture you can take with you and constantly edit and upgrade. It’s better to save for that one special piece than buy in bulk.

Dream Sources: There are a lot of brands and stores that we love, some of our favorites include: Hem, Nordlings Antik, Umbra Shift Design, Third Drawer Down, Kiosk, + Artek.