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ABOUT THIS TOUR
HOME TYPE: Apartment
LOCATION: Astoria, Queens, New York
STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic, Maximalist
BEDROOMS: 1
SQUARE FEET: 300
After surviving multiple bedbug and mouse infestions, enduring the live-in boyfriends of roommates, suffering through winters without heat (due to both money and landlord woes), falling pray to package thieves, tolerating years of five floor walk-ups, and applying to the NYC Housing Lottery every three months for seven years, freelance art director, graphic designer, and artist Olivia Konys FINALLY won.
“I like to think that my literal 1-in-8 million chance of winning the housing lottery was due to good karma,” begins Olivia, whose years of NYC renting hell ended three and half years ago when she moved into this 300-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Queens’ Astoria neighborhood.
Olivia chooses her mural wall and projector as her proudest DIYs in the space. “The mural wall is blue, because it was inspired by my blue velvet couch. I wanted it to look seamless. It reflects the curves of the couch and helps create a defined living space separate from the kitchen,” she writes. “I taped off the ceiling for a nice edge and stood on my chairs while using a paint roller to do so many coats of paint until the color was solid. It was a core workout. The white arch is the original wall color – it is negative space from the ceiling and bookshelf painted around it. I measured and drew off the arch just so that when you pull the projector screen down, it’s the same width.”
“There is a lot more work that goes into installing a projector setup than you’d think,” she admits. “The screen has to hang the perfect distance away from the projector, and they have to line up. The projector screen has to be the right width and length, too. That meant hanging the shelf the projector sits on at the right height and getting hooks of a certain size to hang the screen at the same height. I have an Apple TV hooked up to it so the projector can even act as my second monitor. But to do that, I had to get a unique short range, 1-to-1 very small Bluetooth transmitter that is also HDMI compatible from a random warehouse overseas. Otherwise, you’d have to turn around and point the remote at the projector above the couch, instead of at the screen in front of you. The signal is similar to a Wii remote. And my Wii does work with the projector, too!” Credit: Erin Derby
Olivia has been the first tenant to rent this newly built, surprisingly luxurious space — the unit came with heated floors, including the shower. “I never would imagine I’d live in a place with heated floors; they make up for all the hours I’ve lost sleep to a radiator clanging,” she quips.
While the market rate for an apartment like this is around $3,400 a month, Olivia’s rent is stabilized at $2,550. “As a single freelance artist in my 30s, my passion is also my career and life, which can become a very expensive gamble in NYC. I believe affordable housing should be an option for any life stage or profession,” Oliva writes.
The custom bookshelves cost around $500 in supplies and took Olivia 30 hours of labor to make herself. “And yes I have actually read the majority of the books on my bookshelves,” she writes, also explaining that she painted both the living room and bedroom in the same month, “because if the place was going to be a mess it was going to an all-or-nothing thing. And then halfway through the project I ended up in a neck brace after trying to golf at a wedding. But I finished painting the walls anyway, since I could only look directly in front of me for two weeks.” Credit: Erin Derby
This is still the highest rent Olivia has ever paid, (she says she was selected because she’s never earned a high salary), but admits that “eliminating the ‘what-ifs’ of city life caused by a revolving door of roommates and the time and cost of moving every year has finally given me the time, peace of mind, and savings to make a place my own.”
Olivia’s favorite element in the space (other than perhaps her art and DIYs) is that “both rooms face the street with windows that cover the largest wall, and there’s a lot of natural sunlight. Every day between 4-5 p.m., the sun hits my three disco balls just right, which I have dubbed “disco hour,” and it reminds me to stop working and take in the light. My view reminds me of the movie Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock. I have been told my apartment feels like a movie set!”
Credit: Erin Derby
In just three and half years, Olivia has completely transformed the apartment, which was handed to her in a “completely millennial gray” state. She DIYed to personalize the space, including painting the living room and bedroom, building custom bookshelves, removing some baseboards to install cabinets, and a little drilling into the ceiling. And she’s added so, so much art.
Olivia has been a volunteer with Housing Works for over four years. “I love seeing the range of donated items in different neighborhoods. Every item is so different and has a story and a life before you. I think it’s important to decorate your space with items that aren’t mass produced. I don’t want to see the same art on your walls as I do in a dentist’s office or in a hotel room,” she admits. “We need weird stuff. Get something simple from a store or a friend and customize it. Spray-paint it. Turn it into a lamp. Hang it upside down. Collage it. If I go to your house and see a Tom Ford Coffee Table Book + Hermes Blanket, I’m leaving your party early.” Credit: Erin Derby
“I live and create art in this space. I am a landlord’s worst nightmare because I love to customize everything,” Olivia admits. Nearly all of the art in the apartment is Olivia’s own, and everything in the space serves a purpose.
Related: House Tour: Olivia Konys’ Maximalist 300-Square-Foot Artist’s Apartment
“The space is not very big, so all of the decor has a story or intention behind it. Some say it’s cluttered, but it is crazy to think that this is honestly everything I own. I like being able to see my tools — books, paint, and brushes, novelties that keep me creative and grant me ideas in passing.”
Though most of the art in the apartment is by Olivia, her favorite art piece is a “gift from NYC artist Danny Cole. It’s made out to me and signed, only a few were made. It’s probably 50 pounds, and I also carried that home by hand on the subway. It’s a screenprint on wood from an art show, where Danny personally interviewed everyone at the show who was interested in buying his work. I was chosen because he liked the idea of selling to another artist with a print background. I think that’s so cool.” Credit: Olivia Konys
Before Olivia moved into this apartment — during those many trials and tribulations of renting in NYC — she used to joke that she was “the last roommate you will ever have — because if you live with me, you’ll statistically meet the love of your life and also move in with them in under a year.” She claims this happened with five consecutive roommates. “Now, I joke that if a future spouse moves in with me someday, hopefully they don’t own any furniture — but I have plenty of closet space to share!”
Resources
ENTRY
Peg Board Organizer — Target
Mirrors — All salvaged from Trash
Candlesticks — Housing Works
Perforate Brass Wall Lamp — Article
LIVING ROOM
Record Player and SONOS Speakers — Big Reuse Thrift in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Nickelodeon Alarm Clock — eBay
Custom Oblong Coffee Table — Housing Works
Deer Head Sculpture — Housing Works
Colorful Rug — Urban Outfitters
Blue Velvet Curved Sofa — Wayfair
Sheer Curtains — T.J. Maxx
Corduroy Reading Pillow — Urban Outfitters
Barbell Brass Floor Lamp — Article
Paint — Sherwin Williams “6510 Loyal Blue”
DINING ROOM/KITCHEN
Marble Cutting Board — T.J. Maxx
Vintage Kitchenaid Coffee Grinder — Housing Works
Vintage Kitchenaid Teapot — eBay
Expandable Dining Table — Amazon
Aztec Print Rug — Urban Outfitters
Hanging Stained Glass Lampshade — Amazon
BEDROOM
BATHROOM
1980s NYC Lithograph — Housing Works
Floating Glass Shelves — Temu of all places
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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Further Reading
I Tried My Mom’s Technique for Keeping Baseboards Clean and I’m Never Going Back
6 IKEA Hacks for the Most Disorganized Among Us