Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
How Long Have You Lived Here?: I've lived in my glorious apartment for 1 year. I searched high and low for this baby, and I could not love it more. It's a 4 story walk up. I've slowly recruited friends to move in, so 3 of the 4 units are now occupied by my friends and I.
Roommates? None. I rent out my spare room on Airbnb, so I constantly have one or more strangers living with me. It's a true love of mine to host people, so it has been really fun and fulfilling (as well as financially helpful) to host on Airbnb. You can see my listings here and here.
Occupation: Currently "funemployed" and blogging about it at mizstunja.com. I'm trying to write for 90 days straight! Previously I was a Product Manager for a software company called Percolate.
Favorite Room/Nook: Oh man, I love it all. I guess the living room. I have a little coffee bar, not pictured. When I make coffee and sit on my couch I am always like, "Wow, I love this apartment." I've even said this out loud when I'm the only one home. It warms my heart, since it's the first place that I've completely furnished on my own. It's all the things I love. The exposed bricks, high ceilings, and old wood floors really make it charming.
Design Inspiration: Pinterest! I would say my style is comfortable + modern. I am a big mid-century fan. I also have a good friend who is a design inspiration with an amazing eye and organizational skills. I never thought I could fill those floor to ceiling bookshelves. She proved me wrong, doing it with all things that I owned already (she even used tupperware to prop my hats up!).
Where do you like to find things for your home?: Hands-down, CRAIGSLIST. I'm serious. I really love to scour craigslist for furniture. I've scored some amazing deals on designer furniture (Bo Concept, CB2, Room and Board, Crate & Barrel, etc.). It's actually a hobby of mine. I would say 90% of my apartment decor is second-hand from Craigslist. It's a gold-mine in NYC if you are willing to do a lot of work coordinating movers or lugging things yourself. If I'm shopping, I love CB2. Sometimes I just like to walk through CB2 for fun and not buy anything. I also like antique pieces. I have a few antique chairs and an old asian chest that belonged to my great-grandmother.
What is one item you splurged on? My coffee table. It's an original Noguchi design, but is still second-hand from Craigslist. I spent a little more than I was planning because it just went with the rest of the decor so well. I love the glass top and rounded edges. It's on-point with my comfortable-modern vibe. I think it's stylish, unique, and inviting.
What is one item that you scored on? I actually scored on one person. I found a girl on Craigslist who was moving, and she needed to get rid of almost everything in her place. I originally went to look at her bed frame she had listed. We have a really similar sense of style, and I ended up taking almost everything she owned (well, furniture and house-ware). It was a huge score. I even have a framed picture of her mother's family because it looked so perfect in the frame (she had an extra copy). We actually became friends, and I sometimes go to her yoga classes now.
Anything you are currently on the hunt for? I am trying to replace a few things, including the over-sized chair in the reading nook. I love that chair for it's comfort, but I need more space for my guests to put their bags. I imagine a cozy meditation nook with large oversized floor pillows and a bench for people to put their suitcases on. I'm hunting slowly for anything to fill out my meditation nook dreams. The pinning has begun! I am also planning to work on adding art to my bedroom and the entry hall. I have some things in mind (I love Minted.com for art).
Any upcoming projects? Always! I actually help a lot of my friends decorate their places. So between that and redesigning my reading nook, I have plenty coming up. I will be traveling through the summer, but am constantly on the search for new pieces to update my apartment. I may even find a few things on my travels. I am also considering trying to repurpose some pieces that I find on Craigslist for resale. This has been on my mind for a while. Since it's such an odd hobby of mine, I might as well capitalize on it!