10 planting Room window ideas
A Brooklyn, NY Apartment Layered with Texture and Color
Having extra space in New York is hard to come by for a reasonable price. Elizabeth Scherle, co-founder and president of Influenster, grew tired of the cramped space in her previous Brooklyn apartment of seven years and started looking for a place that could keep her close to Manhattan — but would add some extra amenities like a dishwasher, laundry room, terrace and a spare room. She found her current place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn almost two years ago and immediately started to make it fee… Having extra space in New York is hard to come by for a reasonable price. Elizabeth Scherle, co-founder and president of Influenster, outgrew her previous Greenwich Village apartment of seven years and started looking for a place that could keep her close to Manhattan — but would add some extra amenities like a dishwasher, laundry room, terrace and a spare room. She found her current place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn almost two years ago and immediately started to make it feel like her own.Elizabeth enlisted the help of designer Luca Shapiro to bring color, texture and global inspiration to her empty space. ‘While I had a vision of what I wanted, I just didn’t have the time to bring that vision to life. It was super helpful to have a designer to execute the plan and help with the layout process. When I first moved in I attempted to do it myself with a program online, but even so, I found it time-consuming and was still unsure of my ability to maximize the space to its fullest potential,’ Elizabeth explains. ‘With my last apartment, I didn’t put as much planning into it (and it showed!), so this time I wanted to be certain I did everything in my power to ensure the apartment would feel even bigger than what it is (by NYC standards, of course).’ Luca and Elizabeth worked together to source vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces for each room of the home.Elizabeth’s spare room was easy to find a purpose for. Before Elizabeth moved from Iowa to New York several years ago, she was very active as a studio artist but the lack of space from her first apartment didn’t allow her to have a designated creative space. Luca and Elizabeth agreed that a bold, colorful wall treatment would increase Elizabeth’s creativity and desire to draw and paint in her downtime. ‘The wall covering in the art room is actually removable triangular decals. We handpicked the colors and placement. Elizabeth wanted something whimsical and colorful,’ Luca shares.Elizabeth’s apartment finally feels like her, which makes New York feel more like home than ever before. ‘After 10+ years of living all over NYC in an array of neighborhoods and living conditions (some good, some pretty bad in the early years), I am thankful that I am able to build a life where I have the resources to invest in a nice home that really reflects my personality, in a neighborhood that I truly love,’ Elizabeth says. ‘I get to live close to my sister in South Williamsburg, right next door to Manhattan, in an apartment that really feels like home. When I look around, I feel proud because it reminds me of how far I’ve come.’ –Lauren Photography by Luca Shapiro