Jory and Alex’s 650-square-foot NYC apartment is a feast for the eyes. So much so, the small sneak peek we shared with their house call last year just wasn’t a long enough look. With hand-me-downs from family members, vintage pieces purchased at thrift shops, DIY artwork, and different periods and styles of decor, every room has a conversation starter. But while it all comes together to create an eclectic home, the space does not feel frenetic. In fact, their friends compliment them on how their apartment feels “warm, inviting, restful, and tastefully done.”

For Jory, a photographer and producer, and Alex, a visual windows stylist, creating a home that feels warm and inviting is a labor of love. Their creative eye, thrifty finds and vintage (and historic!) hand-me-downs (like Alex’s grandfather’s WWII Navy trunk) have come together to create a unique style and space, but has taken time to put together. And their advice is simple: “Don’t rush to fill your home, design over time…”

Our Style: We’d consider our style as mid-century modern with an eclectic spirit. It’s hard to describe as we like things from different periods and styles. It’s a happy combination of things we love and have acquired through the years.

Inspiration: Our inspiration is drawn from a variety of sources like Kinfolk, Dwell, Veranda, Apartment Therapy (of course!), Pinterest, interiors created by Taavo Somer, architects and designers like Chan and Eayrs, and Ashe and Leandro. We also get inspired by friends and neighbors, and are always looking for new ways to keep our space fresh and inviting.

Favorite Element: It’s wonderful to have an outdoor space as it provides an extension to our home and is a welcome rarity in New York City. It’s a fun space in the spring and summer when our plants are thriving, as well as in the fall and winter when we can bring out a warm blanket and our little fireplace space-heater to enjoy the view of the Hudson River. We also really like how open our living/dining room space is as it allows us to entertain and host our friends and family for dinner parties.

Biggest Challenge: We adore our tiny kitchen and put a lot of work into repainting the cabinets, updating the hardware and adding a backsplash… however it’s just that—tiny! Cooking large meals for family and friends requires us to be efficient in how we prepare and clean up for dinner parties.

What Friends Say: Our friends compliment us on how our apartment feels warm, inviting, restful and tastefully done, but not in a way that is too precious.

Biggest Embarrassment: We really dislike our mix of wood parquet and 1970s linoleum tile floors that came with the apartment. We are saving up to renovate them to give the space a more cohesive and finished look.

Proudest DIY: Our kitchen refresh is probably one of our proudest DIY projects to date. The repainting, backsplash, and new hardware in the small space didn’t cost a lot, but the finished result was like night and day compared to when we first moved in.

Biggest Indulgence: We have acquired a few finer pieces of furniture over the years, but we are saving up for the biggest indulgence: Replacing our floors!

Best Advice: Slow and steady wins the race. Don’t rush to fill your home, design over time, and keep the balance of your spaces in mind. Fresh flowers and plants give life and color to any room.

Dream Sources: 1st Dibs, Design Within Reach, WYETH, Apparatus Studio, PINCH, pieces by Risa Nishimori, Putnam Flowers, Kaufmann Mercantile, Schoolhouse Electric, Farrow & Ball, ABC Carpet & Home, Morris & Co., Garnet Hill, Maison 24, Sylvester & Co, MONC XIII, Plain English Design, ETC.etera, Coyle + Drift, ASH NYC, Ben Medansky Ceramics, Bertazzoni, Vola, Kris Knight, Yinka Shonibare, Kehinde Wiley, Atelier Vime, Brendan Ravenhill Studio, the Marche aux Puces in Paris, and the Elephants Trunk flea market in Connecticut to name a few!

PAINT & COLORS
Sherwin-Williams — Eider White

ENTRY
Vintage Divan 2 Pendant Lamp by Simon P. Henningsten for Lyfa, 1962 purchased on Etsy

LIVING ROOM
Gazelle skull — Brooklyn Flea
Vintage Ib Kofod Larsen for Selig armchair — Ebay
Stockholm entertainment console — IKEA
Brass sconces — West Elm
Clarendon mirror — Crate and Barrel
Union Square Musicians by Dan Butler — Handmade in Brooklyn
DIY Artwork Alex created with leaves from his parents’ garden on Long Island and watercolors
Alex’s Godmother painted us the copy of George Bellows “West Wind” from 1913
Vintage “A” from the Brown Elephant Thrift Shop in Chicago
Vintage map of Idaho found on Etsy
Room and Board cowhide ottoman from Housing Works thrift shop (Similar from Room and Board)
Vintage Isamu Noguchi coffee table purchased at Housing Works thrift shop (Similar from DWR)
Alvar Aalto cobalt vase — ittala
Beni rug — CB2
Movie Queen sleeper sofa — CB2
Assorted sofa pillows Crate & Barrel, CB2, and Kilim pillows found at the Brooklyn Flea
Floor pillows — Rumrunner Home, East Hampton and Crate & Barrel
Vintage blanket from Alex’s grandmother
Large Black and White artwork Jory created using Marimekko fabric
Telescoping lamp — West Elm
Side stools — Ikea and CB2

DINING ROOM
Bookcases — West Elm
The Harry Bertoia style chair Alex got from work for free! Similar from DWR
Blox dining table — CB2
Eames Cherrywood DCW dining chairs — Design Within Reach
Skogsta dining benches — IKEA
Scatter rug — CB2
Antler candlesticks — Huck & Paddle, Ketchum, Idaho
Vintage Ginger Jar — Manor Home Portland, Oregon
Stockholm Wall Mirror — IKEA
Vintage Foo Dogs — Found at an antique fair in La Porte, Indiana
Vintage Bjorn Wiinblad for Rosenthal vase — Housing Works Thrift Shop
Skogsta stool — IKEA
Fire Sense Space Heater — Amazon
Copper Mirror — West Elm
Line Console — Design Within Reach
Wadsworth Candlesticks — CB2
Vintage Tree stump stool

TERRACE
Blue tile table — West Elm
White Feuerhand lantern — Lehman’s
Marais AC side chairs — Industry West
Bench — Hildreth’s, Southhampton
Outdoor pillows — CB2
Faux Boxwood wall created with tiles — Amazon

KITCHEN
Odyssey 2 ceiling light — Schoolhouse Electric
We sanded and painted all our kitchen cabinets with Benjamin Moore Simply White Satin Finish
The paper backdrop is a William Morris wallpaper design

HALLWAY
Bell white flushmount lamps — CB2
Vintage console found on Ebay
Jeff Koons for Bernardaud plates — Housing Works Thrift Shop
Piero Fornasetti plate — Barney’s New York
Paper Boat Lamp by Goodnight Light from Housing Works Thrift Shop. Similar
Cloche Table Lamp — CB2
Alex’s grandfather (Mother) WWII Army Unit

BEDROOM
Go-Cart Desk, and metal file cabinet — CB2
Ranarp desk lamp — IKEA
Framed William Morris Wallpaper
Cup, Ben Medansky x Kelly Wearstler from Bergdorf Goodman. Similar
Desk chair, Eames — Modernica, LA
Nissedal wall mirror — Ikea
J & A prints by WhiskerPrints — Etsy
Alex’s grandfather’s WWII Navy Trunk
Amp Closet Knobs — CB2
Bed from Crate & Barrel, linens, pillows from Ikea, and reindeer blanket from Guatemala
Rudy copper deer — CB2
Vintage George Nelson bedside tables — Esty and Ebay
Vintage Howard Miller Museum desk clock —Etsy
Telescoping table lamp — West Elm
Vintage Tizio lamp by Artemide. Similar — Design Within Reach
Carnaby Zebra dish — Jonathan Adler
Mid-century Chiffonrobe — West Elm
Vintage framed Overland auto advertisement
Alex’s grandfather’s Diehl fan
Vintage Japanese framed fabric from Etsy and print by Tom of Finland
Door knobs throughout, Schlage — Amazon

BATHROOM
Vintage Sailboat print from Alex’s grandmother
Amp Handles — CB2
Oxford stripe shower curtain — School House Electric
Arne Jacobson clock — School House Electric

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