Cookbook writer Stacey Mei Yan Fong has lived in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong—and that’s solely naming a number of. Rising up, she moved always, hopping between residences, neighborhoods, and international locations. So when she discovered a rent-stabilized Brooklyn house on Craigslist in 2011, she knew she was staying put. “I feel that is the explanation why I have never 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 manner, she’s protecting it within the household for so long as doable.
The recipe developer and design obsessive describes her aesthetic as a contemporary tackle a ’70s basement, balancing classic finds with contemporary, modern touches. Her partitions are an ever-changing gallery of posters, a group 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 not too long ago, after a toilet 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. Just a few easy swaps later, and in lower than every week, her rest room felt model new.
Curious how she makes a rental really feel like dwelling? We caught up with Stacey to dive into the undertaking and get her finest ideas 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 not too long ago, she’s sworn by wallpaper. “It utterly remodeled the area. Sometimes, you may solely change issues up by portray, however wallpaper felt like the best way to go.”
Whereas wallpaper would possibly seem to be an enormous enterprise, Stacey insists it’s truly simpler—and far cleaner than grabbing a gallon of eggshell. “I feel individuals are intimidated by it, however you simply must be affected person and set the time apart. And in case you’re renting (like Stacey)? No worries—she notes that wallpaper can all the time be steamed off and even painted over.
Stacey’s method to design is straightforward: nothing in your house must 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 by means of rearranging furnishings, she believes in altering issues up as typically as you want. “When you don’t find yourself loving it, take a beat and change it out. It’s a protracted undertaking, and that’s what’s beautiful about it,” she mentioned.
When you’re renting, she advisable protecting unique fixtures saved in labeled luggage for straightforward swaps as soon as you progress out. As for paint, “Simply don’t go along with black,” she warned.
One other tremendous easy approach to replace your area is altering out gentle change 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 may also help 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 just some hours, it was made even simpler—and far more enjoyable—with some additional fingers. “When the concept of wallpapering the lavatory 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 undertaking from the beginning. “That’s form of the New York, Brooklyn manner—you understand somebody who is aware of somebody,” she mentioned. That mentioned, Stacey and her roommate, each design faculty grads, may have managed on their very own. They mapped every thing out to scale on paper first, arrange slicing and wetting stations, and used an X-Acto knife to get each seam excellent.
Through the years, Stacey has embraced a slower, extra intentional method to adorning. “I mull over issues, and I feel that makes the top outcome a lot extra satisfying,” she mentioned.
The identical went for selecting wallpaper—she and Kate sifted by means of totally different prints earlier than discovering the proper one. “We needed one thing enjoyable, daring, and graphic, however not only a typical stripe—so the wiggle design was excellent.”
“Folks attempt to do every thing without delay—they dangle 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 serious about them.” However the wallpaper is up—for now a minimum of.
We wish to know: What’s one small change you’ve made that made your area really feel extra like dwelling?
