She Swapped Her Apartment’s Living Room and Bedroom, and the Choice Paid Off
When Jackie Cantwell first found her East Williamsburg apartment, it had only been a few weeks since her dad unexpectedly passed away. Yet in the midst of her grief, all the signs pointed to this new space being home.
The apartment was on Jackson Street, which reminded Jackie of her dad’s nickname for her (Action Jackson); the small Brooklyn backyard felt like the childhood Virginia yard she grew up spending time with her dad in; and her new landlord shared a name with her dad’s best friend and her surrogate uncle who had passed a few years prior.
Jackie funneled all of her grief and mixed emotions into the new apartment and created a refuge during “one of the darkest years of her life,” she shared in her apartment tour in June 2025. “It was comforting, creative, and exactly what I needed at the time,” she says now.
A year later, Jackie was ready to make another change to her space and have her boyfriend, Nicol, move in. As a meditation guide, sound musician, multidisciplinary artist, and one-on-one coach, Jackie had a colorful and vibrant apartment filled with family members’ art that she used to remember them by.
Having the Bedroom in the Middle of the Railroad Apartment Threw Off the Overall Flow
But before Nicol moved in, the couple realized that because it was a railroad-style apartment, when people came over, no one really went to the living room. Instead everyone socialized in the kitchen or outside on the deck, or they sat on the floor of the bedroom.
“The bedroom being in the middle of the apartment made the flow a little weird because you had to cross through it to get to the living room,” Jackie says. So Jackie and Nicol decided to swap the bedroom with the living room to have a larger bedroom for the two of them and a cozy living room for socializing.
The Bedroom Closets Were Converted into Spaces for Their 3 Pets — Now the Dog Thinks It’s Her Apartment
“When Nicol came into my life, it felt like color came back too,” Jackie shares. “It was really special to look at the space through new eyes and imagine not just recovering from life, but building one.”
Nicol moved in “during the dead of winter with a U-Haul,” bringing with him two big pieces from his old apartment — a low dresser and a matching wardrobe.
“We laughed a lot, froze our asses off, and somehow made it all fit,” Jackie adds.
But Nicol wasn’t the only one moving in with Jackie and her dog, Jelly — he also brought Nova, a 20-year-old python, and Steve, a 5-year-old crested gecko. Because the apartment gained two more pets, the closets got the biggest transformation of the home. “Every closet in the house got reorganized, shifted, downsized, or repurposed to make room for both of our lives,” Jackie explains.
One bedroom closet in particular was converted into a reptile habitat for both Nova and Steve. They also moved Jelly’s crate into another closet so that she would have her own space too. “She absolutely loves it and treats it like her own little apartment,” Jackie comments.
His Furniture Was the Perfect Fit and Sparked the Soft and Playful Design Direction
The dresser and wardrobe that Nicol brought over perfectly fit with the style they wanted to go with. “The white finish, rounded edges, and sherbet-pink details looked like they’d always belonged there,” Jackie explains.
Bringing those two pieces into the space sparked the design direction for the “new” space, which “felt soft, playful, chalky, and a little nostalgic.” The couple moved the glassware hutch to the kitchen and put the wardrobe in its place, subsequently making the kitchen “feel more legit, layered, and homey,” Jackie adds.
Jackie and Nicol also sold both of the couches and chairs that were originally in the space, and invested in a Herman Miller sofa for the new living room. The other half of the living room decor stayed the same — except the portion that had Jackie’s bed was replaced with the Herman Miller couch and the projector setup.
“We kept all of the curtains and added more low lighting and little door lights to make it feel like a real movie room,” Jackie says. “It’s become this cozy little cocktail/movie/meditation room that’s somehow both theatrical and relaxing at the same time.”
Once the Apartment Was Made for Celebrating Life, It Became More Welcoming and Peaceful
Switching the bedroom and living room reframed the apartment from being one made through grief and recovery, to one for living and celebrating love.
“We both really love the bedroom being big and open,” Jackie says. “We genuinely feel like kings and queens when we wake up.”
Plus, converting the dark middle space into a tiny luxe movie room worked better for the projector than the sunny front room did. “It feels a little smoky noir, a little theatrical, like a movie set hidden inside our apartment,” Jackie adds.
Now, the apartment feels even more welcoming and lived-in for Jackie and Nicol, and any guests they have over. While a lot of the furniture stayed the same, they simplified the decor and blended both of their collections to create a style unique to them.
“While it’s definitely been challenging finding our way in a New York apartment with two humans, a dog, a python, and a gecko, I feel like we fall more in love with each other inside this space every day,” Jackie shares.
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Shop This Before & After
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- Products
- Luva Modular Sofa from Herman Miller
- Kartell Componibili Orange 3-Tier Storage from MoMA
- USM Orange Haller Modern Side Table
- 2 Globe Table Lamp from Coming Soon
- Louis Poulsen PH 5 Pendant Light in “Hues of Green”
- ”Milano Green” Grand Plush Rug from Nordic Knots
- ”Pale Green” Grand Plush Rug from Nordic Knots
- Black Rattan Woven Round Basket from Crate & Barrel
- Half Circle Mirror from Acry Craft Mirror CO on Etsy
- Custom Yellow Curtain from Pink Unicorn Studio on Etsy
- ”Black and Olive” Striped Velvet Curtain Panel from Lulu and Georgia
- ”Black and Sand” Striped Velvet Curtain Panel from Lulu and Georgia
- ”Copper and Sand” Striped Velvet Curtain Panel from Lulu and Georgia