Cookbook creator Stacey Mei Yan Fong has lived in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong—and that’s solely naming just a few. Rising up, she moved consistently, hopping between flats, neighborhoods, and nations. So when she discovered a rent-stabilized Brooklyn condo on Craigslist in 2011, she knew she was staying put. “I believe that is the explanation why I have never left—it is so good as a result of this area is mine,” she stated. Fourteen years later, she’s nonetheless there, and if she has her manner, she’s protecting 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, 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 stated.

Stacey has frequently reinvented her condo, swapping out artwork, furnishings, and decor to match her evolving tastes. Most not too long ago, after a rest room ceiling collapse led to a full renovation, she noticed a possibility moderately than an inconvenience. She enlisted her buddy Kate Zaremba, a wallpaper designer, and collectively, they lined the brand new partitions in a daring wavy black-and-white sample. Just a few easy swaps later, and in lower than per week, her lavatory felt model new.

Curious how she makes a rental really feel like residence? We caught up with Stacey to dive into the challenge and get her finest suggestions for refreshing an area with out ranging from scratch.

The very first thing Stacey did when she moved in was paint the partitions. “Inventory white simply wasn’t for me,” she stated. However extra not too long ago, she’s sworn by wallpaper. “It utterly reworked the area. Usually, you’ll be able to solely change issues up by portray, however wallpaper felt like the way in which to go.”

Whereas wallpaper would possibly look like an enormous endeavor, Stacey insists it’s really simpler—and far cleaner than grabbing a gallon of eggshell. “I believe 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 at all times be steamed off and even painted over.

Stacey’s strategy to design is easy: nothing in your house needs to be everlasting. “Since I’ve been in my condo 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. “Should you don’t find yourself loving it, take a beat and change it out. It’s a protracted challenge, and that’s what’s pretty about it,” she stated.

Should you’re renting, she really useful protecting authentic fixtures saved in labeled baggage for simple swaps as soon as you progress out. As for paint, “Simply don’t go together with black,” she warned.

One other tremendous easy method to replace your area is altering out mild change covers. “Those in leases are normally painted over a thousand occasions,” Stacey stated. 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 will help create a cohesive look,” she stated. Whether or not it’s a live performance poster or a classic print, begin small, and construct from there.

Though putting in the wallpaper took just some hours, it was made even simpler—and far more enjoyable—with some additional palms. “When the concept of wallpapering the lavatory felt intimidating, Kate [Zaremba] stated she’d assist us set up it,” Stacey stated.

Her roommate had labored with Kate earlier than, and was in on the challenge from the beginning. “That’s type of the New York, Brooklyn manner—you realize somebody who is aware of somebody,” she stated. That stated, Stacey and her roommate, each design faculty grads, might have managed on their very own. They mapped all the pieces 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 believe that makes the tip consequence a lot extra satisfying,” she stated.

The identical went for selecting wallpaper—she and Kate sifted by means of completely different prints earlier than discovering the right one. “We wished one thing enjoyable, daring, and graphic, however not only a typical stripe—so the wiggle design was good.”

“Individuals attempt to do all the pieces without delay—they dangle all their artwork in at some point,” she stated. “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.