Wallpaper Designer Kimberly Lewis’ Brooklyn Alcove

Name: Kimberly Lewis of Kimberly Lewis Home
Location: Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, NY
Years lived in: 1

Kimberly’s line of wallpapers are absolutely stunning—their colors, repeats and scale are so fresh and inspiring—so when she agreed to a green tour, I was thrilled! After learning it was her move into her Brooklyn alcove studio that set the stage for her to launch her new business, it got me thinking: this well-organized, light-filled square footage she calls home is actually her design lab. She’s testing out colors, patterns and accents, and everything she has neatly displayed in her television-free home is a nod to her superior sense of style.

Walking into Kimberly’s light-filled studio, it was clear I was in the home of a designer. The walls were a cool gray color that softened the bright streaming light while balancing her collection of vintage furnishings and textile wall art. The space was so neatly organized that any personal organizer would have asked for tips. Within her alcove studio she had carved out a cozy bedroom, living area, dining area and office all within eyeshot of each other, a programming challenge not many could pull off.

Walking around her space, Kimberly toured me through her finds and bargain buys. The majority of her furniture was vintage and completely affordable. She told anecdotes of eBay wins and pieces so special her mom stored them for years before Kimberly had an apartment where they would all fit.

What I loved most about Kimberly’s home was spending time there. It was warm and welcoming, just like Kimberly herself. The space was so well decorated and put together. I was very impressed that she had collected most of her pieces over the years and was still able to create a cohesive look. That’s not an easy thing to do, especially as you move between New York City apartments and co-dwell with roommates.

If you’re not familiar with Kimberly Lewis Home, check it out, you’ll love her work.

Re-Nest Survey:

Style: Feminine, Eclectic, Playful

Inspiration: I’ve lived in Brooklyn for 7 years but I had always had roommates up until I moved into this apartment last year so this is my first place of my own. I was looking for an apartment that would be conducive to serving both as my apartment and studio/office for my business. Even though it is an open layout I really do feel like I have a dining area, office space, living room and bedroom. My decorating style used to be a bit more eclectic but since living on my own I’ve started to edit a bit more. I’ve also been drawn to adding more sophisticated classic pieces into the space such as my upholstered headboard and lucite lamps.

Favorite Element: The doors on my kitchen and walk through closet. They aren’t really necessary but I think that they add charm to the space.

Biggest Challenge: My bathroom is original to the building that was built in 1951. It came complete with a Pepto-Bismol pink sink, bathtub, tile floor and tile wall.

What Friends Say: When I first moved in I had a few friends comment on my “Carrie Bradshaw” walk through closet which made me laugh. I only wish mine were as big and organized!

Proudest DIY: Not the most original DIY but finally stretching my Marimekko fabric over a frame really helped give my “living room” a focal point.

Best Advice: Spend some time on craigslist, eBay or your city’s Freecycle group if you had a budget like I did. If you live in a big city like NYC people move all the time and sometimes are selling things that have only been used a few times or are sometimes still in the box. (This happened with my Expedit bookshelves!) I bought my Ikea/CB2 items on Craigslist in brand new condition at half the cost.

Green Elements/Initiatives: All the furniture was either second hand through craigslist, eBay, Brooklyn Freecycle, thrifted or found.

Furniture:

• Couch: Ligne & Roset Traversale sofa was the steal of a century. It was free! I found it on the Brooklyn Freecycle list when I was in college. The couple who gave it to me, their cat had scratched the arms a bit and they wanted to upgrade.
• Dining Table: Ikea
• Chairs: vintage and CB2
• Blue Faux Bamboo Furniture: Thrifted when I was a student at Pratt. I begged my mother to drive down from New Hampshire and store the pieces that didn’t fit in my dorm room in my parent’s basement. She said yes!
• Work Desk: Ikea
• Yellow Fiberglass Chair: eBay
• Piano Chair: vintage and it was given to me by my grandmother. She had it in her house when I was growing up.
• Bookcases: Ikea
• Sewing Desk: found
• Desk Chair: given to me by a friend who found it on the street
• Lucite Nesting Tables: CB2
• Bedside Lamp: I lugged this lamp all the way from Knoxville, TN. I found it at a flea market.
• Arching Lamp: craigslist

Accessories:

• Throw on Couch: Kirk Brummel vintage bedspread
• CatStudio NYC Pillow

Rugs and Carpets:

• ABC Carpet (if you are in NYC dig around the clearance basement, great finds at discounted prices)

Window Treatments:

• Ikea

Beds:

• West Elm Pintuck Duvet
• Bedframe: West Elm
• Headboard: eBay. I won this for 99 cents. No one ever believes me but it is true! Even with the cab ride it came to under $20.

Artwork:

• Marimekko fabric stretched over frames
• Screech Owl Design Notecards in Frames
• Kimberly Lewis Home wallpaper in frames

Paint:

• Benjamin Moore Feather Gray
• Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

Interested in sharing your home with Re-Nest? Contact our editors through our Green Tour Submission Form.

(Images: Landis Carey)