Cookbook creator Stacey Mei Yan Fong has lived in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong—and that’s solely naming a number of. Rising up, she moved consistently, hopping between residences, neighborhoods, and nations. So when she discovered a rent-stabilized Brooklyn house on Craigslist in 2011, she knew she was staying put. “I feel that is the rationale why I have not left—it is so good as a result of this area is mine,” she mentioned. Fourteen years later, she’s nonetheless there, and if she has her approach, she’s retaining it within the household for so long as attainable.
The recipe developer and design obsessive describes her aesthetic as a contemporary tackle a ’70s basement, balancing classic finds with contemporary, up to date touches. Her partitions are an ever-changing gallery of posters, a set she’s constructed over time. “If a live performance has a screen-printed poster, I purchase it,” she mentioned.
Stacey has regularly reinvented her house, swapping out artwork, furnishings, and decor to match her evolving tastes. Most lately, after a rest room ceiling collapse led to a full renovation, she noticed a chance slightly than an inconvenience. She enlisted her buddy Kate Zaremba, a wallpaper designer, and collectively, they coated the brand new partitions in a daring wavy black-and-white sample. A number of easy swaps later, and in lower than every week, her rest room felt model new.
Curious how she makes a rental really feel like house? We caught up with Stacey to dive into the venture and get her greatest suggestions for refreshing an area with out ranging from scratch.
Picture by Kate Zaremba
The very first thing Stacey did when she moved in was paint the partitions. “Inventory white simply wasn’t for me,” she mentioned. However extra lately, she’s sworn by wallpaper. “It utterly reworked the area. Usually, you possibly can solely change issues up by portray, however wallpaper felt like the way in which to go.”
Whereas wallpaper would possibly appear to be a giant endeavor, Stacey insists it’s truly simpler—and far cleaner than grabbing a gallon of eggshell. “I feel persons are intimidated by it, however you simply need to be affected person and set the time apart. And if you happen to’re renting (like Stacey)? No worries—she notes that wallpaper can all the time be steamed off and even painted over.
Stacey’s strategy to design is straightforward: nothing in your house needs to be everlasting. “Since I’ve been in my house so lengthy, I redo the area each few years—simply to maintain it contemporary.” Whether or not it’s wallpaper, paint, or via rearranging furnishings, she believes in altering issues up as typically as you want. “For those who don’t find yourself loving it, take a beat and swap it out. It’s an extended venture, and that’s what’s beautiful about it,” she mentioned.
For those who’re renting, she really helpful retaining unique fixtures saved in labeled luggage for simple swaps as soon as you progress out. As for paint, “Simply don’t go along with black,” she warned.
One other tremendous easy solution to replace your area is altering out gentle swap covers. “Those in leases are often painted over a thousand instances,” Stacey mentioned. She discovered distinctive ones on Etsy and has her eye on designs by artist Lorien Stern—particularly, these ghost-like figures that add a playful contact.
She additionally suggests centering a design round a favourite object or piece of artwork. “Pulling colours and inspiration from one standout piece can assist create a cohesive look,” she mentioned. Whether or not it’s a live performance poster or a classic print, begin small, and construct from there.
Picture by Kate Zaremba
Though putting in the wallpaper took only a few hours, it was made even simpler—and far more enjoyable—with some additional palms. “When the concept of wallpapering the toilet felt intimidating, Kate [Zaremba] mentioned she’d assist us set up it,” Stacey mentioned.
Her roommate had labored with Kate earlier than, and was in on the venture from the beginning. “That’s type of the New York, Brooklyn approach—you recognize somebody who is aware of somebody,” she mentioned. That mentioned, Stacey and her roommate, each design college grads, might have managed on their very own. They mapped the whole lot out to scale on paper first, arrange slicing and wetting stations, and used an X-Acto knife to get each seam excellent.
Over time, Stacey has embraced a slower, extra intentional strategy to adorning. “I mull over issues, and I feel that makes the top consequence a lot extra satisfying,” she mentioned.
The identical went for selecting wallpaper—she and Kate sifted via completely different prints earlier than discovering the right one. “We needed one thing enjoyable, daring, and graphic, however not only a typical stripe—so the wiggle design was good.”
“Individuals attempt to do the whole lot directly—they cling all their artwork in at some point,” she mentioned. “However as somebody who’s been in her area a very long time, there are nonetheless issues I haven’t hung as a result of I’m nonetheless interested by them.” However the wallpaper is up—for now no less than.
We need to know: What’s one small change you’ve made that made your area really feel extra like house?
