This “Dingy” 450-Square-Foot NYC Apartment Is Warm and Inviting After Some TLC
Adrienne Breaux
·7-min read
"My biggest challenge was my budget and the bones of the apartment. My jobs are always freelance, so anything I was going to do to the apartment had to be as cost-effective as possible," begins actor and modelJillian Marie Sayegh. "If I could do it myself, I would, and did." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"The bones of the apartment were in bad shape, there were lots of renter DIYs to make the space look fresh, while concealing the many imperfections in the apartment." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Something unique about Jillian's home is that her living room is also her "personal filming studio! The pandemic shifted the way actors audition for television, commercials, film etc." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"We now need a self-tape setup. This includes lights, backdrops, and stands. Luckily, all of these items collapse and I have them in my living room closet." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"When I have an audition, my living room furniture and decor turn into a game of Jenga, pushed out of the way on top of each other. Casting directors would never know the chaos of vintage decor surrounding me in my audition tape!" Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
When asked about what the oldest thing in the apartment is, she mentions a family vintage piece, "a large mirror that is hung in my living room. My grandparents found it hanging in a very old house they moved into right outside DC. All my life it was hanging in their dining room; they brought it from DC to Westchester, New York" she writes. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Jillian says "there is hidden storage everywhere. I love decor, and have so much that I have found for cheap at flea markets, Goodwill, and even on the NYC streets. I have to hide it away to not have the apartment look like a cluttered museum." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
A Samsung Frame TV hangs on the wall. "I love the gallery wall around the TV of paintings I have thrifted and family photos," Jillian describes. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Jillian says her kitchen has "undergone the most transformation in the apartment. I did all the renter DIY hacks: peel-and-stick floor, peel-and-stick backsplash tile, and contact paper on the cabinets." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"It is a completely new space. All the DIY materials I found on Amazon, and my mom and I spent so many hours perfecting the techniques to apply the materials to last and look good." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"The contact paper on the cabinets was the hardest to install, but made a huge impact from the beige '80s finish that's underneath them. The MacKenzie Childs tea pot was a gift from a dear friend that inspired the decor for this room. My favorite part of this room are the two oil paintings over the sink and stove. It's very unexpected for a kitchen, and makes me smile!" Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Jillian says that everything in her home has a story, and that's something she loves about her home. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"Everything in my home has been found, and carefully selected. I remember where I found it, with whom and how excited I was to bring it home." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"Because over 90% of my home decor is thrifted and secondhand, visually the apartment is a box of treasures!" Jillian writes. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Jillian wrote that it's the "most color I have ever used in a space, but I love the contrast with the brass and white accents." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Jillian explains that everything except the bedding is secondhand in the bedroom. "The floor lamp is from a film set I worked on!" Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
"I used cut glass jars to hold everyday items, to make it special, vintage rugs, and the most beautiful vintage lights that hangs from the high ceilings," Jillian wrote. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Credit: Courtesy of Jillian-Marie SayeghCredit: Courtesy of Jillian-Marie Sayegh
Actor and modelJillian Marie Sayegh was raised just outside of New York City, and says she’s “always loved interior design, and everything about NYC. I grew up shopping secondhand with my mom, and together we loved finding vintage gems and using them in our home decor.” Jillian firmly believes that a “rental apartment can be beautiful — especially when decorated on a budget.”
"I love using vintage trunks in the space; they give me so much storage and function," Jillian explains. Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Three years ago when she was apartment hunting after the “post-Covid deals,” she describes it as a horrible time to look for rentals, with the market “oversaturated with everyone moving back to the city. I was using StreetEasy for listings, and every open house had a long line of people all fighting to look at an overpriced studio, the remnants of what was left to rent after the post-Covid deals.”
This apartment — a 450-square-foot unit on the Upper East Side — had been on the market for 33 days, and Jillian says “the pictures were kinda sketchy looking, but the price was great.” After a having to deal with a too-eager agent and the listing being removed for repairs, Jillian took the chance and has rented this space for $2000 a month for three years.
Jillian says she leaned into the moody vibes when decorating the space. "My living room, for example, gets virtually no natural light, and most people would try to make the space seem bright and airy. I have leaned into the dark greens, and made it super cozy. The space will never be bright, so I will not fight it." Credit: Sandra RegaladoCredit: Sandra Regalado
Before moving in, Jillian describes the space as “so sad. It was dark, cold, many things were broken, the vibe was off, this place needed TLC.” And she gave it TLC with a slight renovation. “The ceiling in my tiny bathroom was crumbling when I moved in. My super is amazing; we tackled it together.”
“I also demoed shelves on my first day in the apartment that were blocking my living room window. These were clearly built by someone very skilled — it took hours! With the help of my boyfriend, we also changed all the lighting fixtures, which were all broken, to vintage brass and crystal ones!”
“I would like to believe that my home has warmth now! There was a lot of love and effort that has gone into making this dingy rental my oasis. I think the antique decor and rich green tones make the space elevated, inviting, and unique,” Jillian describes of the home now.
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