My Houzz: Patterns and Collections at Play in an NYC Apartment
A professional organizer adds bright bursts of color to her 775-square-foot live-work home
“I used to say my 9-year-old self dictated my design style — cartoons, comics and candy. However, I like to think it has evolved, or perhaps the execution of those same influences has matured,” says professional organizer Jeanie Engelbach. The collection enthusiast moved in to her 775-square-foot New York City apartment after 25 years of living in an 975-square-foot apartment. “I still love candy colors, sparkles and glitter, but there is more restraint in their application,” she says about how she decorated her new rental home.
“One of my strongest work skills is my ability to creatively repurpose,” says Engelbach, pictured with Tater Tot. “I made a decision to only bring two of the dining chairs with me in the move, as I expected to have the table against a wall. I spend most of the day working from the table when not on-site at a client’s.”
Engelbach uses Houzz ideabooks to gather photos for inspiration and to share resources with her clients when in the planning phase of an organizing project. “I love when a client comes prepared with their own Houzz ideabooks,” she says. “We might not end up where they started, but it’s always insightful to see what attracts them and how they perceive their dream space.”
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
Engelbach uses Houzz ideabooks to gather photos for inspiration and to share resources with her clients when in the planning phase of an organizing project. “I love when a client comes prepared with their own Houzz ideabooks,” she says. “We might not end up where they started, but it’s always insightful to see what attracts them and how they perceive their dream space.”
New to Houzz? Here’s How to Create and Use Ideabooks
“I realized that I can’t live in a home that doesn’t have at least one wall painted in sunshine yellow,” Engelbach says. “Given the limited wall options, I went with the low kitchen ceiling. It adds an unexpected punch and brightens the darkest part of the apartment.”
She also had to be extremely selective with the art and wall hangings. The commissioned portrait of her first bulldog, Little Bit, was painted by a friend, and its frame was once a prop in a window display. “The portrait of Little Bit is hung low and close to the table to anchor the whole space and act as a bridge between kitchen collectibles and dining,” she says.
Ceiling paint: Sunbeam, Benjamin Moore
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She also had to be extremely selective with the art and wall hangings. The commissioned portrait of her first bulldog, Little Bit, was painted by a friend, and its frame was once a prop in a window display. “The portrait of Little Bit is hung low and close to the table to anchor the whole space and act as a bridge between kitchen collectibles and dining,” she says.
Ceiling paint: Sunbeam, Benjamin Moore
Find a professional organizer near you in the Houzz pro directory
The homeowner displays her bobblehead collection in a dedicated cabinet in the kitchen, which doesn’t have much counter space. “I wanted to keep the entire counter left of the sink cleared, so the area to the right of the sink was allocated for food theme vignettes,” Engelbach says.
1950s-style pink toaster: Smeg
1950s-style pink toaster: Smeg
This food vignette purposefully camouflages the faucet from the living room to help the room feel distinct from the kitchen.
The yellow soda crate with the vintage glass bottles came from the Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market in Lambertville, New Jersey.
Houzz TV: See how Engelbach displayed her collections in her previous apartment
The yellow soda crate with the vintage glass bottles came from the Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market in Lambertville, New Jersey.
Houzz TV: See how Engelbach displayed her collections in her previous apartment
Engelbach had been eyeing this neon pink wallpaper by Flavor Paper for years. “It’s perfect — filled with interiors of private planes, rainbows, diamonds and hot rods,” she says. “When I moved to this rental apartment, I decided to fully commit and cover as much as I could, yet still allow space for my large art collection.”
The wall mirror is a street-side find from the Dumbo area of Brooklyn, New York, and the side table was used as a bedroom nightstand in Engelbach’s previous apartment. She describes it as “a little ode” to her rock ’n’ roll years. “I like the unexpected hot rod pop in the confines of the girlie glam-y living room,” she adds.
Shop for removable wallpaper on Houzz
The wall mirror is a street-side find from the Dumbo area of Brooklyn, New York, and the side table was used as a bedroom nightstand in Engelbach’s previous apartment. She describes it as “a little ode” to her rock ’n’ roll years. “I like the unexpected hot rod pop in the confines of the girlie glam-y living room,” she adds.
Shop for removable wallpaper on Houzz
“I moved into my previous apartment in my mid-20s, and the truth is, I don’t have the same type of lifestyle as I did throughout my 30s and 40s,” Engelbach says. “I’m not entertaining like I once did, so having less seating options may be a little crushing to my ego but quite practical.” The custom pink tufted velvet sofa is from Interior Define.
“Should I choose to host a dinner party, the table can be pulled away from the wall, and the yellow bench that serves as a coffee table for the sofa will provide additional seating.”
“Should I choose to host a dinner party, the table can be pulled away from the wall, and the yellow bench that serves as a coffee table for the sofa will provide additional seating.”
As with her art, Engelbach had to scale back on her collections. “Not all of the lunchboxes are on display, including some of my favorites, but I thought the color blocking would be unifying and visually seamless. I thought clear Plexiglas shelves would add to the lightness that I was hoping to achieve,” she says.
“When I decided to move to the smaller apartment, I made peace with letting go of the majority of my well-publicized and beloved globe collection,” Engelbach says. “The ones I kept were among my favorites, including the illuminated one that was a gift from a local collectibles store, A Repeat Performance.”
Knowing that this wall would be where most of her artwork and wall hangings would go, Engelbach was strategic in how she organized it. “Fortunately the tall ceiling would allow me to hang the carousel railing above the TV and include other artwork without compromising negative space,” she says. The vintage railing originally had been part of a carnival carousel in the U.K. and used to be displayed in her bedroom. The rest of her artwork collection is temporarily stored in the basement of her father’s house.
Knowing that this wall would be where most of her artwork and wall hangings would go, Engelbach was strategic in how she organized it. “Fortunately the tall ceiling would allow me to hang the carousel railing above the TV and include other artwork without compromising negative space,” she says. The vintage railing originally had been part of a carnival carousel in the U.K. and used to be displayed in her bedroom. The rest of her artwork collection is temporarily stored in the basement of her father’s house.
This coral trellis-patterned credenza from ModShop is one Engelbach’s favorite pieces. “Since surface space is at a premium in my home and I didn’t want to hang shelves for anything other than the lunchboxes, I clustered the carnival chalkware on a Wayne White tray from Fishs Eddy,” Engelbach says. “The tray serves a dual purpose: It contains the chalkware and creates a sense of an intentional display, and it allowed me to store an oversize tray out in the open.
“Color and size dictated what was to be hung on the TV wall,” she says. The wall art includes a redhead pinup print by Claudette Barjoud of Miss Fluff. The felt New York Post art is by British artist Lucy Sparrow of Sew Your Soul from her NYC installation. Engelbach had a local framer build a Plexiglas box to preserve the art.
Shop for a credenza or sideboard
“Color and size dictated what was to be hung on the TV wall,” she says. The wall art includes a redhead pinup print by Claudette Barjoud of Miss Fluff. The felt New York Post art is by British artist Lucy Sparrow of Sew Your Soul from her NYC installation. Engelbach had a local framer build a Plexiglas box to preserve the art.
Shop for a credenza or sideboard
The nearly floor-to-ceiling window wall of the living room is one of Englebach’s favorite features in her new apartment. “It’s what sold me on this unit initially. They frame the trees from the building across the street perfectly — like having a daily dose of nature.”
This part of the wall features two framed photographs by Richard Heeps. “Mixing the framed artwork with the Pez display and curio cupboard added depth to the gallery wall, which draws you in,” Engelbach says.
Shop for picture frames
Shop for picture frames
“I had to work around the building’s intercom system, which was placed in the dead center of the wall, so the space naturally lent its self for being strictly art,” Engelbach says. “I wanted to do a mix of shapes, sizes and depths to keep it interesting.”
Engelbach has been collecting Pez dispensers since she was a teenager and usually kept them grouped in categories. “I was concerned the lack of collection cohesion would drive me mad, but the gradient color palette is super soothing,” she says. “I added thin wood shelves to the Steve Keene-painted desk drawers as a display for the Pez. The remainder of the collection is stored inside my lunchboxes.”
Engelbach has been collecting Pez dispensers since she was a teenager and usually kept them grouped in categories. “I was concerned the lack of collection cohesion would drive me mad, but the gradient color palette is super soothing,” she says. “I added thin wood shelves to the Steve Keene-painted desk drawers as a display for the Pez. The remainder of the collection is stored inside my lunchboxes.”
The little whitewashed cabinet acted as a medicine cabinet in Engelbach’s previous bathroom. It now holds part of her vintage soda bottle collection and an assortment of felt cans of soda from Sparrow. “I tend to collect things based on childhood nostalgia or relatable interest — like soda,” she says.
“The entry is a critical space that can set the tone for your whole day and warmly welcome you when you return home,” Engelbach says. She hung colorful art and a green-framed mirror that would pop against her peachy-pink painted walls.
“I am a strong advocate of paper recycling near the door — easy to take out and more importantly accessibly located to dispose of catalogs, mail and extraneous papers that you accumulate throughout the day but really don’t need to bring into the home. I use an apple crate I found left over from a farmers market 25 years ago,” she says.
Houzz TV: Discover the key elements of an organized entryway
“I am a strong advocate of paper recycling near the door — easy to take out and more importantly accessibly located to dispose of catalogs, mail and extraneous papers that you accumulate throughout the day but really don’t need to bring into the home. I use an apple crate I found left over from a farmers market 25 years ago,” she says.
Houzz TV: Discover the key elements of an organized entryway
The bathroom features floor-to-ceiling white tile for a modern feel. Engelbach is enjoying how much more spacious it is than her previous apartment.
Find a bathroom designer near you
Find a bathroom designer near you
Engelbach hung three favorite pieces of art in her bedroom. “The Bozo the Clown piece was in my previous bedroom, but the Warhol pandas and Greg Gossel print over the desk were in different rooms,” she says. “I had expected to sell the Warhol, knowing there wasn’t room for it, but when the sale fell through, I decided to keep it and had the height [to] easily accommodate it over the bed.
“I had a similar shade of this pale aqua in my previous bedroom, and it’s soothing yet bright and cheery, so I kept it consistent with the last apartment,” she says. She repurposed a vintage red tool chest as a nightstand.
Browse pink bedding on Houzz
“I had a similar shade of this pale aqua in my previous bedroom, and it’s soothing yet bright and cheery, so I kept it consistent with the last apartment,” she says. She repurposed a vintage red tool chest as a nightstand.
Browse pink bedding on Houzz
Engelbach started her antique bottle collection after receiving several as a Christmas gift from a store in Connecticut over 25 years ago. “I’ve been told they’re shipwrecked bottles. Over the years, I added six glass seltzer bottles and two commemorative liquor bottles,” she says. “This collection has to stop because there isn’t any more space on the salvaged mantel. The collection was part of my dining room, and I hadn’t planned to keep them in the bedroom, but living room wall space was limited and I also didn’t want them to be in a high-trafficked location. The bottles look great above the closet door and match the wall color beautifully.”
Houzz TV: Try a cool way to fold and stack T-shirts
Houzz TV: Try a cool way to fold and stack T-shirts
A secondhand desk serves as a workspace in her bedroom. The framed art piece behind her computer monitor is by Gossel.
Houzz TV: Get solutions to your jewelry organization problems
Houzz TV: Get solutions to your jewelry organization problems
Engelbach credits her father for selecting the wallpaper in the bedroom. “When I was debating a full wall of pink and gold in the living room and kitchen and was considering this turquoise for that space, my father suggested that it was a better fit for the bedroom,” she says. “I hesitated, as I am dark-color averse. I thought having the same pattern of wallpaper in different colors was a tad lazy; however, I absolutely love it, and it matches the Chinese sideboard perfectly.”
Previously, the Chinese sideboard was used as a media console that housed ongoing client projects in the living room. She now uses it to store photo albums and mementos.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
How to Use Full-Scale Decor to Make a Small Space Feel Bigger
How to Work With a Professional Organizer
Find a professional organizer near you
Shop for storage products
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More on Houzz
How to Use Full-Scale Decor to Make a Small Space Feel Bigger
How to Work With a Professional Organizer
Find a professional organizer near you
Shop for storage products
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Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Jeanie Engelbach of apartmentjeanie and her English bulldog, Tater Tot
Location: New York City
Size: 775 square feet (72 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
“Upon seeing the apartment, I acknowledged that I would have to give up the majority of my furniture, so I made paper templates of all the furniture that I hoped I would be able to bring with me,” Engelbach says. “I had to make some hard decisions about what would serve the maximum purpose over purely a decorative one.”
As she mapped out what would fit in her new open-plan space, she wasn’t sure if it would accommodate her beloved dining table painted in leopard and floral patterns by a friend. “Initially I had planned to purchase two counter stools, but I had unpacked the books and stacked them temporarily in the space where the stools would be,” Engelbach says. “I’m pretty satisfied with the current setup, and it also created a little space for Tater Tot’s bed — he likes to be in the center of everything.
“I think the height difference between the kitchen counter and table creates a sense of separation and a distinct space,” she adds.