Home is Where the Heart Is
I was recently asked to write about my favorite space in my apartment. The request was for research for an upcoming design website. They wanted me to speak about my emotional feelings about the space as well as the design elements.
My favorite space is our bedroom.
We live in a very typical Brooklyn Railroad apartment. This means that there aren't any doors separating the space and each room flows directly into the next in a straight line. I made a somewhat bold design choice by deciding to paint the bedroom a very dark navy (admiral navy by Benjamin Moore). The rest of the apartment is painted in lighter colors; either a soft white or a soft gray. Our sofa is charcoal gray and other pieces of furniture are natural wood tones. It has a bit of a Scandi vibe throughout the majority of our home. I wanted the bedroom to anchor the entire space, to draw you down the path past each room and into a cozy dreamland. Since the room has large bay windows I wasn't concerned about it feeling too dark and we painted the ceiling gold to reflect any light and give it some Parisian drama. The bed is from De La Espada, it is a low solid oak platform bed that I adore. We scooped up a chair at the Brooklyn Flea many years ago and I think it makes for a perfect little reading nook by the windows.
This bedroom really captures so much about who I am and about growing up. The bed was a pricey purchase but as a lover of furniture and solid wood, I really wanted something classic and modern. The bed was my first real furniture purchase, not a hand me down, not from IKEA or the flea market. Something I invested in and researched and picked out because I loved it not because it fit my budget and my space. I saved money for this bed. After I purchased the bed, I went on to get two bedside tables, they are Asian antiques from ABC and I felt so worldly when I chose them. They don't match with the bed, it isn't a set, it is a feeling I wanted. Afeeling of a well traveled, global woman, with an appreciation for well-designed pieces not a cookie cutter look. This is my version of grown up. It isn't super posh, it feels more eclectic and less refined than what some people define as "grown up" but for me this is it. It is Paris, it is New York, it is vintage, and Scandinavian and evokes drama and coziness. It reflects places I've been and places I want to go but I also think there is something inherently Brooklyn about it. When I moved to New York, I wanted to live in a classic railroad apartment - for some reason that seemed like NEW YORK to me, I have lived in NY for 14 years now. Finally 5 apartments and 13 years later I got the classic railroad and I love it. I think this bed also wanted a railroad apartment because, in this space, it is the best it has ever looked.
UPDATE: I moved the rooms around and now the living room is in the front room where the bedroom was. It looks great and it makes for easier dinner parties and gatherings.
