Before & After: Sterile New Construction Apartment Becomes One-of-a-Kind

Living in NYC comes with its own challenges. First, you have to find an apartment and then turn it into a home you love. The design pros at Homepolish, an NYC-based home and office interior design company that provides design services by the hour, show us how they made over their own NYC apartments. The best part? You can book a free consultation with a Homepolish designer to create your own dream space, too.

Designer: Luna Grey
Moved from: Philadelphia
Moved to: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Rent or buy? Rent

Space Challenges: Relocating from Philadelphia to NYC meant moving into a new apartment that was 500 sq ft smaller than her previous one.

Apartment Search Journey: “The search process from start to finish probably took 3 months. We moved to Brooklyn in March, where we were introduced to broker fees, alternate side parking, and apartments which were twice the price and half the square footage as our last place. (Welcome to New York!) As soon as I saw this apartment on StreetEasy, I knew it was the one.”

Luna’s Apartment BEFORE:

Luna’s Apartment AFTER:

OPPOSITES ATTRACT
As the apartment’s first tenants, Luna was presented with a blank new slate in which to design. “We love the concrete floors, white kitchen cabinetry, and steel windows, but it felt pretty cold and impersonal when we moved in.” So, Luna moved away from the clean, Scandaniavan design she is partial to and took an opposite approach to her new home’s design. A mid-century teak-plank dining table from Craigslist and a wire vintage lamp added much-needed history and character while sheepskin, linen textiles and a textured wool rug from West Elm softened the space. Incorporating natural raw materials and natural woods through her mango wood coffee table and acacia wood dresser was the perfect antidote to the apartment’s industrial style. “It was sterile and hard to imagine ever feeling cozy,” Luna says of the initial space, “but that’s what furniture and textiles are for!”

KEEP IT CONSISTENT
Even after selling much of her Philadelphia furniture on Craigslist, Luna arrived at her new home with “hundreds of fabric, tile, and stone samples” from her work as an interior designer. An unobtrusive but dedicated work space plus additional storage were required, but Luna was determined that any additions would not detract from the “serenity” of her space. “An easy way to not draw attention to something is to make it the same color.” So prior to move-in, an 8-foot tall media wall was added to the living room, while a desk, file boxes and cabinet to the bedroom. By keeping the additions all white they easily blended into the wall and helped Luna maintain the space as “lovely and bright” as it was upon move-in. The color consistency for larger purchases, including Eames dining room chairs from Design Within Reach and living room chairs by Crate & Barrel ensured that the pieces would be there for the long run. “I tend to stick to neutrals for bigger pieces so that I will not tire of them, and then let a great rug or another easier-to-change accessory inspire me with color,” she explains.

GET LOW
One of Luna’s favorite features of the apartment were the tall ceilings. “I had never lived in a place with 9-foot ceilings before.” To emphasize the room’s height she purposely selected furniture that was low to the ground including a headboard for the bedroom and lounge chairs in the living room. “Furniture that is on the low side emphasizes the ceiling height in a smaller space,” she said. Finally, the addition of hanging terrariums and a gallery wall featuring her own artwork alongside wall hangings from Brooklyn makers’ studios truly made the indistinguishable space a one-of-a-kind home.