This 350

By Rachel Davies

Photography by Meghan Marin

A common problem in the world of renting is the inability to make one’s living space truly one’s own. If the landlord chose a weird tile in the bathroom, there’s little to be done. If one has the sense that the home could flow better if only a single dividing wall was knocked down, too bad. With so little control over the big defining elements, it’s easy for apathy to cloud the path to truly helpful and impactful solutions. Well, Grace Miceli and Margot DeMarco didn’t let that apathy take hold and that’s evident in their 350-square-foot Manhattan apartment.

Margot stands holding Tony while Grace sits on their bed underneath an artwork by Travis Meinolf.

Their creative prowess certainly helped overcome those mental obstacles. It’s the first space that Grace, an author and illustrator with an energetic eye for color, and Margot, an artist and designer who has a knack for furniture that’s abundantly practical and visually inventive, have shared. Naturally, Margot made a number of pieces for the apartment. “It was fun to lean into that. Here’s our constraints, let’s make it as good as we can,” Margot says. “Having my studio so close, it’s really easy for me to knock something out…. It’s a way for me to not feel as guilty by procrastinating. I’ll just make something and it makes me feel less guilty because it’s like, Oh, I’m helping my beautiful partner, I’m not just on my phone.” Grace took the lead on painting and color, something that came natural to her. “As a teen, every few months I would paint my room a different color,” she explains.

Margot made the Sunburst Console and its accompanying pull-out ottoman to add flexibility to the living room. The dog bowl is by Willy Reed, with a stand made by Margot. The hand painted batik flag is by Denise Fogleman, the portrait of Margot is by Austin Lee, and the drawing above is by Patrick Casey. The shoe rack/laptop shelf, papier-mâché vase, hand-carved black walnut bowl, and carved wood and milk crate are by Margot.

A stained glass by Grace hangs in the window above a stand and hand-carved bowl by Margot.

The hand shelf, made by Margot, is a handy spot for charging one’s phone. The portrait of Grace above the light switch is by Carly Jean Andrews and the Cap’n Crunch pillow was a collab between Grace and Aelfie.

Some of these pieces set the tone for the space at large (say, the commanding Sunburst console where the TV perches), while the power in other pieces (like the bedside writing desk, for instance) lie in their ability to disappear into the background even as they’re helping to make the space more livable. Overall, the home is an encouragement in finding compromises within your home rather than wallowing in despair over its perceived insufficiencies.

Margot’s fabrication prowess was employed for small amendments as well as the bigger solutions. A perfect example of this: The eyeball door knobs that add interest to the simple white bathroom door. The lips on the door are from Party City, the blanket is by Eighth Generation, and Margot made the couch shelf as well.

The living area is a cornucopia of artwork. Margot made the lamp above the desk custom to fit between the shelf brackets, allowing for proper above-the-desk lighting that doesn’t take up any additional space. Above the shelf are an artwork by Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland and an illustration by Haleigh Mun. Both the desk and the bookshelf are from IKEA, though Grace and Margot painted the shelf themselves.

The flexibility of Margot’s designs extends further to the openness of their process buying other furnishings. Moreover, it mirrors their lifestyle in the space. For the kitchen table, they found something perfect at IKEA that was in fact an outdoor dining set. “Our dining table is pushed against the wall. It’s hard to have a party here but it’s great to have a dinner party because we can move the dining table into the center of the kitchen and then it really feels like a restaurant, it feels very intimate, very old-world,” Margot explains. “When it’s done we push it back in the corner.”

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Margot’s Plastic Bottle and Fake Flower Clock hangs above a family portrait of Margot, Grace, and their dog Tony—all depicted as animals—by Alabaster Pizzo. Margot made the cast cement candle holders on the kitchen table. The table, chairs, and butcher block are all from IKEA. Couples, 1982, vitreograph by Ann Wolff.

In such a rich tapestry of an apartment, somehow even the small details manage to catch one’s eye. In the kitchen, that particular detail would be the Pinch Clip that Margot designed for Areaware, which is affixed to the hanging fruit basket set. The Peace print is by Liza Burke.

Working on the Manhattan apartment together has been a learning experience for both, with Margot developing small-space solutions (including the particularly ingenious lamp above Grace’s desk that slides into preexisting shelf brackets) and with Grace learning how interior design can ground a person after living in wackily colored apartments back when she was single. “I feel like, through Margot, her personality but also through her work, I’ve learned how a space can be so much more calming and relaxing,” Grace explains. “There can still be a lot of color and a lot going on, but it doesn’t need to be like pink-on-pink-on-neon. I love those colors but I think it almost has made it more special to use that in my work now. Before, when I was living alone, there was almost no separation between my work and my living space.” As Grace transitions into working as an art therapist and counselor—she’s currently in graduate school training—the soothing, inspiration-filled apartment is no doubt invaluable. For Margot, who’s launching a homeware company called Bella Garbaggio later this year, it’s clearly proven to be a productive lab for experimenting.

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The citrus bedding calls to the yellow of the trim. Each side table features a stand by Margot.

Though the small space can’t accommodate any booming parties, the apartment is filled with Grace and Margot’s family in the form of their artwork. In the kitchen, a painted canvas artwork that Grace’s mother Mari Miceli made in the ’90s serves as a floor mat. In the bedroom, a Give Peace A Dance poster hangs, reminding the couple of Margot’s mother who was an organizer for the 24-hour activist-led dance marathon in the ’80s. Throughout, pieces by their friends Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland (another collaborative couple) dot the walls, along with individual and group portraits of Grace, Margot, and their dog Tony made by artist friends including Alabaster Pizzo and Carly Jean Andrews. Walking from the bedroom through the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, the one-bedroom apartment is a marvel of friendship and creativity.

The wall sconce was made by Margot, as were the seltzer lanterns that rest on the dresser in front of a Susan Alexandra beaded purse. The shelf above the hanging storage is used for puzzles and books, and the area underneath the clothing was put to use for Tony’s crate. Artwork by Ann Wolff.

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The bedroom features a “mobile writing rig” and bedside writing desk that Margot made custom for the space. Above is a portrait of their dog Tony by artist Kelly Lyles and a carved wood clock also made by Margot. On the white brick wall is framed marbled paper made by Grace.

A copy of Lesbian Connection magazine sits atop the toilet underneath a Mosser Glass bathing lady dish and beside a lighter by Grace Miceli x Edie Parker Flower. The comic is by Grace and the print above the towels is by Emma Kohlman. Margot found the Matisse toilet seat cover on eBay and the print below it is by Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland. Margot made the towel rack and the window shelf custom for the bathroom.