Musician Emma Frank and her husband Pedro, also a musician, explain that their rental is a dream apartment in a lot of ways. “It’s the top floor of a brownstone in Park Slope. We found during the pandemic and got a good deal on rent because landlords were having trouble filling places at that stage,” admits Emma. “It’s long and airy and ends up feeling kind of like a loft because the only real doors are for the bathroom and this long narrow study. It feels very Victorian, and that was fun from a decor perspective to highlight and also subvert that aesthetic. We’ve mixed and matched a lot of vintage and contemporary items.”  

But that’s not to say the apartment didn’t need any work to make it their home. Emma explains that the entire place was all white, and that the fireplace was dark and black. “Painting was a big priority because I’m super sensitive to colors,” writes Emma.

“We painted the whole place a very muted green and I really love how that plays off of some of the warmer tones in our rugs and furniture — there’s a lot of interplay between coral, peach, pink, and then these super cool tones. I was unemployed for a lot of the pandemic so I really used that time to experiment. We tried every possible furniture set up, and I’m still always tinkering. (Bless my husband who doesn’t blink an eye when he comes home and the bed is in a different room).” 

My Style: It’s a mix. There are some tendencies towards leanness and minimalism, but in color. Definitely a lot of Scandinavian influences.  

Favorite Element: Our place is on a pretty busy street and on one side of the apartment you get a lot of traffic sounds. But in the back, our kind of dining/music room, the windows look out onto all of these trees and it can feel remote in the nicest way. I love sitting at the piano and improvising while looking out the window. It’s the best.  

Biggest Challenge: We didn’t quite know what to make of the layout when we moved in. It seemed like the only real place to put the bed was in this weird dark middle room. That didn’t give us much privacy, because there’s no door between the bedroom and the other rooms. I nap everyday so this was tough. We learned to embrace the layout and to think of it more like a loft apartment.

We also spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make the study both beautiful and functional. Pedro works in there during the day and we had to try a lot of different setups to get it where it is now. Also the kitchen is tiny. It’s totally functional, but it really takes some getting used to.  

Proudest DIY: I painted the fireplace a bright lavender, and also the heater and weird heating pipe in the dining room. That brought a LOT of joy into my life during the cold months of the pandemic. In the kitchen, we used copper sheeting from Home Depot to cover the weird vinyl walls. It’s not the cleanest job ever, but it helps a lot.  

Biggest Indulgence: Honestly, just about everything. We really invested in a handful of pieces that felt design-y and fun — the CB2 acrylic console table, the U-shaped blue chair from Anthropologie, certainly the Akari lamp. 

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I get rid of things a lot, which drives my husband crazy, but I really can’t recommend it more. In our last place, we had room to have backups of lots of things. Here, that’s not the case, so it was really important that we not have tons of clothes in the closet that we don’t wear anymore, or plates that we don’t use anymore in our kitchen cabinets.  

• Fireplace — Benjamin Moore “Grape Ice”

• Piazza Sofa — CB2
• Mid Century Circle Chair — West Elm
• Coral Armchair — Urban Outfitters
• Sea Shell Lamp — Humble House
• Amish Wood Standing Mirror — Trailer Park (Brooklyn)
• Akari Lamp — Noguchi
• Vintage Turkish Rug — Collier West
• Mid Century Dresser — Craigslist
• Polish Wedding Chandelier — Michele Varian 

• Lubi Daybed — CB2 
• Vintage Turkish Mat — Collier West
• Desk — Acrylic Console table from CB2
• Varier Variable Monochrome Chair — Varier

• Diplomat Sleeper Sofa  — Blu Dot
• Kilim Pillow — Etsy
• Mudcloth Pillows — Etsy
• Block print tablecloth — SZ Blockprints
• Vintage mirror — Trailer Park, Park Slope

• Pantry Shelf — IKEA 
• Dish Rack — Yamakazi

•  Vintage Bedside Table — Trailer Park
• Vintage stool — Etsy
• Mid Century Storage Cabinet — Brooklyn Flea
• Vintage Moroccan Rug — VF Design
• Linen Sculptural Chair — Anthropologie 
• Milk Glass Lamp, Vintage — Humble House

• DYNAN shelf — IKEA
• Toilet Paper Organizer — Yamakazi

Thanks Emma!

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

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