Sometimes a place just immediately feels like home. And for me, that happened  when I found my first rental apartment in Greenwich Village. I had lived in New York for seven years at that point, and was looking to make a move downtown. A Craig’s List search turned up a tiny photo of a studio apartment with “tall ceilings.” I sized it up and showed up first in line for the open house, with paperwork and deposit in hand. I walked in, looked around, turned to the broker and said “This is it! Let’s go sign papers.”

Fate intervened yet again when four years later, the apartment above me came for sale. It was a similar layout, but with the potential to be renovated to my own taste. Through a series of fortunate events I was able to make it mine very quickly, purchasing my first New York City apartment the same year I started BHDM. As a first time home owner, I was strapped for cash, so I set out to do the most judicious and impactful updates I could. 

Small space living calls for creative solutions and as much storage as possible. I also wanted to get as much light into the long, deep apartment as possible. I started with the most dramatic move, and relocated the front door. I made it on access with the windows, and in doing so created a long narrow galley kitchen with natural light. Because this was the first impression when you walked into the space, all appliances were hidden with panel fronts. A friendly vendor helped me with my custom cabinets, which combined open shelves with extra-tall closed cabinets that utilize every nook and cranny.