Noah Venezia (left) and Megan Hershman in their Brooklyn apartment.MELANIE LANDSMAN
When Megan Hershman, a design director at Common Living, and her husband Noah Venezia, a graphic designer and adjunct professor at Pratt Institute, stumbled upon the top floor of this two-story townhouse in Carroll Gardens, it was the abundance of natural light that instantly hooked them. “The unit is north and south-facing and gets direct sun for most of the day,” says Megan. “We immediately knew it was right for us.” In addition to good lighting, the couple appreciated the old world charms of the building, like the tin ceilings, cast iron built-in kitchen sink, and original hardwood floors. “We also loved the old-school charm of the pink bathroom, which felt so playful and one-of-a-kind,” Megan adds.
Though small, the couple loves how bright the kitchen feels. “We are in love with the pre-war cast iron sink,” says Megan. “It gives the apartment that old New York charm.” The couple added plants with eccentric planters in this space for a pop of color, along with Mamo glasses, Heath ceramic dishware, and Dansk pots.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
Utilizing wall space was important to Megan and Noah, who wanted the dining area to be functional, yet fun and eclectic as it’s the central hub of their home and where they spend most of their time. “This area features items we have collected from our time together as a couple, like decor and photos from time spent abroad, artwork, and special gifts from our wedding,” Megan says. The Artek stools (not pictured) help keep seating flexible if they are hosting friends.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
But their dream apartment did have some pain points—one of which was storage. “Living in New York City, we’re not strangers to limited storage, but when we moved in we realized we only had one closet, which is obviously not ideal,” Megan says. To solve this, they added custom shelving from Rakks in the dining area so they could store and display all of their dishes, books, photos, and design objects. “We like to rearrange this shelf every couple of months with new objects and photos,” says Megan. “It helps to freshen up the space and give it personality.” The kitchen also had limited storage options and was quite compact, so the pair made use of the wall space again, by adding hooks, rods, and magnets to hold their pots, utensils and knives.
The bedroom is the most neutral room in the apartment as the couple wanted this space to feel more serene, so there are fewer accent colors here. That said, they did feel that it was important to bring in plants to tie together the space.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
The window houses their cactus garden because it gets so much light.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
The office features a custom desk and chair the couple built themselves that was inspired by a trip they took to the Judd House. They also wanted to display their books so they opted again for a Rakks wall system—however this time, they chose to bring in more warmth by making the shelves wood rather than white. A Karl Martens print hangs beside it.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
It was important for them to ensure the space was comfortable, bright, and playful. As the apartment is small, they needed to maximize every square inch of space. They achieved this by keeping the furniture neutral and clean, expanding their storage solutions to the walls and keeping focus on the key accessories and artwork in the space. “We are both very creative, so we wanted to ensure our home was infused with both of our personalities, without taking itself so seriously,” says Megan. Noah is an avid collector of books and records and Megan has a love for design objects, art, and furniture. Early on, they decided that rather than hiding all of their items away, they would put the items on display to honor their respective interests. “We feel it gives the apartment tons of character and it’s a great reflection of who we are as designers and creatives,” they say.
While the furniture is pared down and neutral, they layered the space with vintage wool Hudson Bay blankets and patterned pillows to elevate things a bit. This area is comfortable with a mix of neutral tones and natural textures.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
They wanted their living space to feel like a listening lounge for music. Noah is a big fan of music and has a great stereo system where he spends hours listening to records.
MELANIE LANDSMAN
Clearly, a colorful, but balanced home was essential. “To that end, we made sure that the furniture itself was pared back—everything we need, but nothing more,” Megan says. They wanted their art, decor, and accessories to be the focal point of the space, so they agreed not to paint any of the walls a specific color, and instead opted for white walls to ensure the interiors felt bright and airy. “This made our home feel like a blank canvas for us to bring in a mutual accent color—in our case, we love yellow—and keep that theme throughout our home decor objects and accessories.”
The couple fell in love with how nostalgic the bathroom felt. They added a reclaimed door here with a textured glass to maintain privacy and allow ample light to flow through to the rest of the space. There is also a skylight that brings in a soft glow of light perfect for the mornings.
