I’m Amazed by How This Apartment’s Small Office Transforms into a Guest Room

Adrienne Breaux
·5-min read
Striped coffee table in center of living room with matching blue sofas.
Black and white striped coffee table/ottoman in living room.
View into living area of Jersey city apartment.
Spiral stair case in eclectic living room.
Artwork behind home bar cart in living area.
Sunburst pendant in green painted hallway.
Artwork line green painted hallway.
Blue and silver graphic wallpaper in cozy bedroom.
Airy, open bedroom with large closet doors.
Blue and silver graphic wallpaper in bedroom with large, neatly made bed.
Blue and silver metallic graphic wallpaper in bedroom with candle sconces mounted on wall.
Framed drawings around desk in dark painted workspace.
Upright piano in office/den with seating bench along window.
Blue painted home office with glass writing desk.
small guest room with blue bookshelves and murphy bed
Leather office chair behind glass desk in blue painted office.
Blue painted built in bookshelf in home office.
small guest room with blue bookshelves and murphy bed
Striped sun umbrella in rooftop garden.
Plants in apartment window.

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Apartment

LOCATION: Jersey City, New Jersey

STYLE: Colorful, Contemporary

BEDROOMS: 2

SQUARE FEET: 1200

Gerardo Tiscareño Castro was born and raised in Mexico, but currently shares this 1200-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his husband, Timothy, who was born and raised in Cornwall, New York.

Blue and silver metallic graphic wallpaper in bedroom with candle sconces mounted on wall.

“We have been together for 10 years, and this the first apartment we own, but the fourth we’ve lived in (we used to move a lot). We love turning the places where we live into a space where we feel relaxed, safe, and are able to forget the outer worlds exists,” Gerardo writes.

Vanity mirror in bathroom with green tropical wallpaper.

“We are both a little silly and quirky, and we like to have that reflected in our spaces. I (Gerardo) also gravitate towards a more sophisticated approach when it comes to aesthetic. Having said that, I do not ever want a space to feel stuffy, pretentious, or unapproachable.”

Framed artwork mounted on wall behind bar cart.

“Decorating our apartment has been a very organic process, which is the result of 10 years of collecting different items,” Gerardo explains. “We do not overthink when we get a piece for the apartment; it is always a very visceral reaction to each item, and somehow it all just fits together very harmoniously. We like to keep different feels in different rooms. Some are very colorful and impactful; others are more restrained and neutral. It all depends on the purpose the room serves.”

Orchid in room with blue painted built in bookshelves.

Gerardo describes his and his husband’s home style as “fabulously colorful and unapologetically us.” And his design advice for getting a home that is boldly your own personality? “Always follow your gut.”

Thanks, Gerardo and Timothy!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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