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When Seth Caplan and his boyfriend, Joe D’Espinosa, first toured their Crown Heights apartment in 2018, you could say they “saw the light.” Natural light that is, streaming in from both east- and south-facing windows. As a photographer, Seth knows the value of good exposure. “One of my favorite things about the space is how much direct sun it gets all day, and how the quality of light changes in the space throughout the day and seasons,” Seth shared.
While the windows were a big selling point, figuring out the right coverings for them turned out to be a real chore. The huge size meant standard options wouldn’t work, and going custom can be pricey. After getting some discouraging quotes from a couple of major window-treatment companies, a photographer friend of Seth’s had a tip for him. Turns out she had just done a brand shoot for Mesken, a new smaller custom drapes company with great colors and material options that were actually affordable. “I was so excited to take down the black paper shades I taped over the windows so we could sleep in the bedroom, after we ended the monthslong search for window treatments,” Seth shared.
When it came to decor, the couple wanted to create a space that “felt fun and joyful, but cozy at the same time,” Seth says. To do so, Seth drew inspiration from his work as an interiors photographer and an art educator at the Guggenheim. “This was my first opportunity to have a real adult apartment that I had creative control over, after having lived with roommates throughout my 20s,” he says.
Embracing wall color was “a journey,” Seth says, one that led to a blush pink accent wall in his office area and a deep moody blue in the bedroom. In furnishing the apartment, they relied on a mix of clean-lined modern basics interspersed with some vintage gems, treasured family heirlooms, and art everywhere. The result is a study in the mood-elevating power of good natural light, bold color, and an artful eye.
The power of paint Wall color can add instant interest, depth, and mood to an interior. It’s also a super effective strategy for defining a zone or drawing attention to a feature. “It was Joe’s idea to delineate my office area of the living space with the pink wall,” Seth noted, and they couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
Embrace the art of objects Look for opportunities to use artful everyday objects as decor. Whether it’s the gorgeous hot pink art book used as a backdrop under glassware, or one of the orange planters Seth picked up in Mexico City casually gracing a corner of the bedroom, Seth and Joe’s apartment is a master lesson in creating visual interest, and the art of display.
Balance the room Incorporating oval, round, or curved furniture is a great way to offset the rectilinear feel of a room, particularly if the space is long and narrow. In the living room, a set of round Blu Dot tables from the Turn Collection softens the right angles and brings balance to the space.
Mix it up Mixing new and modern with vintage pieces, plus travel finds as Seth and Joe have done, makes a home feel personal and completely original—like a great playlist, something Joe, formerly a full-time DJ, knows a thing or two about.
Grid-Tufted Upholstered Tapered Leg Bed by West Elm, from $959, westelm.com
Matin Table Lamp by Inga Sempé for HAY, $165, us.hay.com
Turn Coffee Table by Blu Dot, $799, bludot.com
Mitzi Nightstand by West Elm, from $103, westelm.com
