{"id":88290,"date":"2024-12-12T00:17:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T00:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/12\/erika-veurinks-apartment-is-full-of-thrifted-treasures\/"},"modified":"2024-12-12T00:17:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T00:17:54","slug":"erika-veurinks-apartment-is-full-of-thrifted-treasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/12\/erika-veurinks-apartment-is-full-of-thrifted-treasures\/","title":{"rendered":"Erika Veurink’s Apartment Is Full of Thrifted Treasures"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"Erika<\/a><\/div>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Writer Erika Veurink<\/a> pulled together her Brooklyn apartment like she did her wardrobe<\/a>: she peppered it with offbeat pieces (think: a foot candle and Greek column), and almost every piece was thrifted. \u201cI don\u2019t want our home to ever feel too serious,\u201d she says. Come take a tour\u2026<\/p>\n

ENTRYWAY<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On creating an oasis: <\/strong> I want our home to feel like a soothing inhale, exhale. We\u2019re in a quieter part of Brooklyn, and it\u2019s nice when people come from Manhattan and have their entire day on their face, and can just sit down and be like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m here now.\u2019 I always like to light candles before friends arrive and offer them a seat on the sofa, versus our chairs.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Bench: Restoration Hardware<\/a> via Craigslist. Screen, dining table and chair: Craiglist.<\/em><\/p>\n

On furniture worth fighting for:<\/strong> My husband, Christian, and I got into a massive argument the night we found this room screen on Craigslist, because we had to wait outside of the seller\u2019s apartment for an hour. My husband was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want to be here.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018I\u2019ve searched for a room screen like this for five years<\/em>. We\u2019re waiting.\u2019 Painted room screens don\u2019t come up that often, and this one was only $75. So, worth it. <\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Cloud painting: Rachel English<\/a>. Rain painting: Francesca Wade<\/a>. Dining table illustration: Julie Thomson Martin<\/a>. Brick wall photograph: taken by Erika. To Kill a Mockingbird quote: painted by Erika\u2019s sister. Flower painting: \u201cmy husband\u2019s grandmother painted it for our wedding.\u201d Italy photo: taken by Erika\u2019s mother-in-law. Embroidered wall hanging and Elvis bust: thrifted. <\/em><\/p>\n

On DIY shenanigans:<\/strong> I found this Elvis bust while thrifting with my best friend Ruby<\/a> in D.C. I\u2019m a big Elvis fan, and Ruby and I always egg each other on with ideas. The bust was originally colorful and sparkly, but when we saw it, we thought, We can spray paint it! Let\u2019s do it!<\/em><\/p>\n

LIVING\/DINING AREA<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore<\/a>. Mirror: Craigslist, similar<\/a>. Bookshelves: Ikea<\/a>. Chairs: Reuse America<\/a>. Coffee table and globe pendant: Craigslist. Wall clock: Umei<\/a>. Rug: eBay.<\/em><\/p>\n

On favorite reads:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been loving Didion & Babitz<\/a> by Lili Anolik, and I also like flipping through The House Book<\/a>, an old coffee-table book of interiors by Terence Conran. It\u2019s from the \u201990s, and I love how intentional each piece feels, back when putting together a home was a generally slower process. And then obviously I read Sarah Manguso\u2019s Liars<\/a> like everyone else.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Candlesticks: Tiffany<\/a>. Mirror: Craigslist, similar<\/a>. Bookshelves: Ikea<\/a>. Chair: Reuse America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On Euro inspiration:<\/strong> I like how our apartment feels cozy, warm, and bright. I was inspired by English countryside coziness; I like the idea that there are no rules when it comes to color. Also, all those girls out there in Copenhagen, their commitment to color, and how they boldly mash things together. <\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Candles: Hay<\/a>. Des Moines Map: Domestic<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On soulmates:<\/strong> My best friend Ruby and I met 10 years ago in Iowa, and we were both going to school in New York. She\u2019s my muse and like a second sister to me. I remember going to her parents\u2019 house for the first time, and they had all these framed photos of their friends<\/a> and extended family, and I found it so touching. I didn\u2019t have that in the house that I grew up in \u2014 we just had pictures of our nuclear family. So, I remember framing this picture almost immediately and displaying it with pride.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On the foot candle:<\/strong> My friend made this two years ago, and she was like, \u2018I\u2019m going to start a foot candle business.\u2019 I was like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m never going to burn this,\u2019 because I wanted to support her when she launched her business. She still hasn\u2019t started it, but I\u2019m just waiting. <\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

David Hockney poster: First Dibs<\/a>. Dining table and chairs: Craigslist.<\/em><\/p>\n

On pieces you learn to love:<\/strong> The Greek-style column used to be my father-in-law\u2019s; he had it in his bachelor pad. It was one of the three pieces of furniture that my husband brought into our apartment. At first I thought it was so ugly and tacky, but now I\u2019ve become so<\/em> endeared to it. Seeing it integrated into our space made me way more fond of it; sometimes I just need a little time to warm up to something. Now it means everything to me. So, moral of the story \u2014 people can grow and change. <\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Sofa and basket: Craigslist. Lamp: Etsy. Side table: vintage. Weighted blanket: Bearaby.<\/em><\/p>\n

On family heirlooms:<\/strong> My grandma made the quilt [pictured above, top] for me when I graduated with my MFA in non-fiction writing. She\u2019s a lifelong quilter living in Iowa, and she usually gives quilts for weddings. It meant a lot that she recognized my grad-school graduation as something to really celebrate.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Coffee table: Craigslist.<\/em><\/p>\n

On lucky finds:<\/strong> I like to randomly search for furniture on Craigslist within a three-mile radius, and one day a listing for this coffee table came up. It included a screenshot of its Chairish listing<\/a> that was priced at $16,000, but the owner was selling it on Craigslist for $350. When we went over to the seller\u2019s apartment, she was reluctant to give it up. She was worried it would go to someone who didn\u2019t appreciate it. So, when I couldn\u2019t stop gushing, we had this amazing moment where I was like, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, this is going to a good home.\u2019 It\u2019s one of my favorite thrifting memories.<\/p>\n

KITCHEN<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Star print: Alex Ry.<\/em><\/p>\n

On partnership roles:<\/strong> I don\u2019t cook any of the food in our family \u2014 I feel very uncomfortable in that space, and my husband used to be a private chef. When I have dinner parties with my girlfriends, he\u2019ll make the dinner, leave to go read at a bar, come back and then do the dishes. He shows up for me in that way all the time; he\u2019s the kindest person I know and is supportive in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On love languages:<\/strong> As for me, I always choose good movies for us, and find good podcasts to listen to when we\u2019re on road trips.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On useful plants:<\/strong> Christian grows herbs in our kitchen in the winter. Salade ni\u00e7oise and our morning cappuccinos are my favorite things he makes.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Race car photo: of Erika\u2019s grandfather.<\/em><\/p>\n

On surprising photos:<\/strong> This photo is of my grandad. He used to race cars, and when I saw this photo hanging in his garage, I made him to give it to me so I could make prints for my sister and myself. I love this picture so much.<\/p>\n

PRIMARY BEDROOM<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Oui print: Clare V x Framebridge<\/a>. Lamp: Craigslist. Yellow duvet: Pottery Barn, similar<\/a>. Yellow throw pillow: Mexico. Blue throw pillow: Matouk<\/a>. Euro shams: Restoration Hardware<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On a monochrome bedroom:<\/strong> We went to Copenhagen for our winter honeymoon \u2014 it was freezing cold and windy, so we spent lots of time in design stores. That, plus the romance on being on our honeymoon, sort of incited a confidence in colors that I\u2019d previously been intimidated by. When we came home, I said \u2018We needed a striped yellow duvet immediately.\u2019 Then the Clare V. print<\/a> came into the picture, and then it all came together.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On inside jokes:<\/strong> Above our bed, we framed the manila envelope we used to carry the papers for our marriage license. It says \u2018Pups Only\u2019 because \u2018Pup\u2019 is our nickname for each other. I brought it to Framebridge<\/a> and was ready to tell them the whole backstory. But then they were like, \u2018Ok, what kind of mat do you want?\u2019 In that moment, I realized they see the world\u2019s cutest stuff every day.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Dresser: Facebook Marketplace. Bag: thrifted. Eve Babitz photo: gift.<\/em><\/p>\n

On gift traditions:<\/strong> My mother-in-law and I started a ritual of always giving each other candle sticks; it\u2019s very sweet. She surprised me with the ones on my dresser because she knows I like a pop of red. I\u2019m obsessed with candles and always have backups on hand. If you\u2019re looking for taper candles, go with beeswax because it burns more slowly. For scented, I always do D.S. & Durga<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

Mobile: Mobiles Mobiles<\/a>. Chair: Reuse America<\/a>. Throw pillow: Salvesen Graham<\/a>. Heart and balloon lamp: vintage Ikea.<\/em><\/p>\n

On big realizations:<\/strong> For a while, Christian and I went back and forth over where to settle down and start a family, and considered looking for a house on the lake in Minnesota. I grew up in Iowa and always imagined raising my kids in the Midwest. But after many long conversations, we realized that our lives and people are here in Brooklyn. When I found this mobile, I was initially drawn to the color. But then I noticed it\u2019s also called \u2018Lake\u2019, and it felt symbolic to me. I realized that even though we are staying in New York, we can still bring that beautiful, calm Midwest energy to our home. <\/p>\n

\"Erika<\/a><\/p>\n

On recreating childhood memories:<\/strong> Growing up, I always had the freedom to be creative in my family home. There was a space in my basement where I produced a play, and if I wanted to take over the dining table to build a fort or put on a puppet show, my parents\u2019 attitude was \u2018Great, go ahead.\u2019 So, my hope is to cultivate that for my kids someday, and for myself now. <\/p>\n

Thank you so much, Erika<\/a>. We adore you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. Many more house tours<\/a>, including a Minnesota home with lots of collections<\/a> and a very colorful house in Connecticut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photos by Christine Han<\/a> for Cup of Jo.)<\/p>\n

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34<\/span> COMMENTS<\/p>\n

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