My Houzz: Check Out a 'Project Runway' Winner's Brooklyn Studio
Does success in clothing design translate to a fashionable apartment? See for yourself in Gretchen Jones' New York City rental
Rikki Snyder
June 5, 2013
Houzz Contributor. Professional photographer and stylist specializing in food, products, still life and interiors. Contributing home tour photographer and writer for Houzz.
Houzz Contributor. Professional photographer and stylist specializing in food, products,... More
Gretchen Jones admits that her 550-square-foot double studio apartment in New York City was not exactly love at first sight when she moved there from Portland, Oregon, but she saw its potential. "My mother always likes to say I know how to 'polish a turd' when it comes to apartments," Jones says. Using her background in fashion design — she won season 8 of Project Runway — as style inspiration, she latched on to the space's promising details, including its pressed-tin ceiling, hardwood floors, molding and fireplace, and got to work shining.
"I painted every single inch of the space," she says, "put up some wallpaper and filled my tiny space with all my collected mementos from years living out West."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gretchen Jones
Location: Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: About 550 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
"I painted every single inch of the space," she says, "put up some wallpaper and filled my tiny space with all my collected mementos from years living out West."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gretchen Jones
Location: Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: About 550 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
"I had a much bigger home before moving here, so what filled a two-bedroom home now has consumed my two-room studio," she says. "It feels like a Southwestern reprieve from the concrete jungle right outside."
This combined living, dining and home office area is blessed with high ceilings and plenty of natural light and is where Jones spends most of her time. "Flexibility is of the utmost importance in small spaces, and this room works overtime," she says.
By filling her space with meaningful pieces, Jones has created an oasis that incorporates all of her favorite things. Her father passed away about a year and a half ago, and she keeps his lasso, field knife and veteran's flag on her mantel. "Having those pieces out where I can see them daily makes me feel like he's still with me," she says.
"If you collect things you love, they will inevitably work together, because they speak to you," Jones says. She also likes to use color as a way to pull together many ideas into a consistent aesthetic, and has used mostly shades of brown, red and blue here.
"If you collect things you love, they will inevitably work together, because they speak to you," Jones says. She also likes to use color as a way to pull together many ideas into a consistent aesthetic, and has used mostly shades of brown, red and blue here.
Jones is always inspired by the bones of a space, the light and the architectural elements and flow of a room. These all inspire her to think about how to create a warm, eclectic and inviting space that will inspire relaxation and creativity at the same time.
"I look through interior magazines, websites and friends’ homes for quirky ideas that make huge differences in living. And then somehow, that all mashes up in my head and is spit out in a new and organic way that’s fitting for just me and my spaces," she says.
"I look through interior magazines, websites and friends’ homes for quirky ideas that make huge differences in living. And then somehow, that all mashes up in my head and is spit out in a new and organic way that’s fitting for just me and my spaces," she says.
Along with tapestries and trinkets, Jones likes to collect art. She's designated this matte green wall a personal gallery that includes two pieces created by her best friend, Ian Kennedy. "They are images taken at a powwow of Indians dancing in full costume, but the shots are in movement, so they create these watercolor abstract images that are breathtaking," she says. "They also somehow become the glue, aesthetically speaking, that ties in all the wild color and texture filling my space."
Print: Red Feather, Ian Kennedy
Print: Red Feather, Ian Kennedy
To deal with the tiny kitchen and cherrywood cabinets, Jones painted the walls a contrasting color. She describes the hue as "a spectacular acid green to create a warmer and more inviting feel."
The absence of windows in the bedroom created the biggest design challenge for Jones. She painted the space a very light gray to make it feel bigger and then reevaluated the layout.
"I created a closet on one side of the space, allowing the actual closets to become long-term storage that is now blocked by my bed ... a luxury in New York, I must say," she points out.
Now the bed sits in front of the French doors, overlooking the living space so it gets some of the natural light trickling in through the windows.
"I created a closet on one side of the space, allowing the actual closets to become long-term storage that is now blocked by my bed ... a luxury in New York, I must say," she points out.
Now the bed sits in front of the French doors, overlooking the living space so it gets some of the natural light trickling in through the windows.
At any angle in her space, you are able to view into the other rooms, so Jones found it important to "create a symbiotic flow from one area to the next," she says. She made sure that the colors of each room complemented and contrasted to give each area its own importance while also fitting in with the overall feel.
Since she's tight on space, displaying her possessions in a creative way also was a challenge. Here Jones combined her books and sunglasses for a fun display on top of her dresser.
When it comes to finding items for her home, Jones says she is "addicted to the treasure hunt." She likes to find unique repurposed items rather than buying new, mass-produced ones. She enjoys shopping at the Brooklyn Flea and traveling out of the city to antiques stores along the Hudson River.
When it comes to finding items for her home, Jones says she is "addicted to the treasure hunt." She likes to find unique repurposed items rather than buying new, mass-produced ones. She enjoys shopping at the Brooklyn Flea and traveling out of the city to antiques stores along the Hudson River.
"Found objects from all of my travels [and] textiles and trinkets from my beloved Southwestern roots seem to always have a place in my home and remind me of where I come from," Jones says.
Jones, shown here, likes to tie her rural Western roots into her work. She enjoys working with natural materials and is involved with the Save the Garment Center, an organization devoted to saving and preserving New York City as the fashion capital of the world. "I think being a fashion designer has helped me think of my spaces as extensions of my overall way of looking at the world aesthetically, and they will always complement and inspire each other," she says.
See more photos of this studio
Show us your creative home
See more photos of this studio
Show us your creative home
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This small cocoon of a place is an exuberant mix of all that Gretchen loves. It's her safe place, right now, in the "big-bad-world-out-there, so why can't she have it just the way she wants it? Later on, with more space and security, her home will reflect that too. Our homes invariably who we are, so I say, have at it Gretchen!
we have so many of the same books on our shelf <3
I had to go back and look, there is a (hidden) dog ! Too much stuff. I would like to find that deer head print however.