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Published at 1:48pm
Published on 7/24/08
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Our own Elise Loehnen, Seek editor, uses her small Soho apartment as a design lab for the stories she runs in her section. You may not know it, but you’ve probably seen her pad photographed in our pages. Usually we’re envious of the cool perks she comes home to (we’d love a professional point-by-point guide to how to clean a toilet and bathtub, the actual cleaning included!), but occasionally, like when Elise invited graffiti artist Neck Face and his posse into her bathroom and let them have at it, we’re thankful for our own standard-issue fugly beige design scheme. Frankly, we’ve been wondering how she’s been dealing with her graffiti bathroom, so we made Lindsey Bezzina corner her by the copy machines and get the scoop.
It was in the summertime that you agreed to let these guys loose in your apartment, right?
Yeah, it was the beginning of the summer and it was for the Cheap issue. It was sort of cheating because—well, you know, Neck Face doesn't come cheap, and Rafeal [Cárdenas] came over and brought Neck Face, Simon Curtis and Eric Elms—so I felt very privileged to see what Neck Face looked like…
What did he look like?
I can't tell you. [Laughs]
Why? Oh, he's incognito the whole time?
He’s totally incognito, and he knows where I live, so I can't reveal anything.
So does your bathroom still look like how you described it in the article?
It does. I have since moved all of my products back in, but I didn't actually change anything. For the first few days I literally felt panicked whenever I was in there—it took me a while to adjust.
Was there any part of the makeover you were unsure about?
I actually thought about painting over the ceiling as it's really aggressive—they tagged it using lighters and it says stuff like 666, but I haven't even done that. I am totally used to it now.
Your mirror says “you look ugly” on it. Does that affect your confidence when you’re getting ready in the morning?
[Laughs] I don't even notice it anymore because it's actually very subtle. If anything it makes it harder to get ready because it slightly obscures the surface of the mirror. It's mean but I don't think he would have written it if he thought I was legitimately ugly. And he said, “Look, I don't think you’re ugly, I just really wanted to write that on your mirror.”
That ranks among the best backhanded compliments I have ever heard!
[Laughs] I know, it's like Neil Strauss's The Game played out in my bathroom.
Were there any other aspects of it that you didn't like?
My bathroom is one of the reasons that I was so willing to let them do it. Like most New Yorkers, my apartment at heart is ugly. It's not a gorgeous, it doesn't have amazing architecture, there is not a lot of sunlight, and my bathroom in particular is old and ugly—it really couldn't have got much worse and it definitely wasn't going to become pretty, so by taking it to the next extreme it looks so much better.
So it's here to stay?
Yeah, I think it's funny, and I have an incredibly original bathroom as a result. I had to laugh when I saw The Hills, an MTV reality show that I am obsessed with. In this one episode Spencer, who is this total cheesedick on the show, surprises Heidi by having one wall graffitied while she's out—and she hated it.
Do you find that your guests spend an unusually long time in your bathroom?
[Laughs] No. It’s an extremely small space—every surface is covered, but there aren't any large surfaces.
So you can pretty much take it all in as you have a quick pee?
Right, it's like a bar bathroom in that respect.
How do you feel about graffiti outside your apartment? Is it an art form you appreciate?
I appreciate it because I like every surface to be decorated, a design principle I abide by. Living in New York you can become impervious to graffiti. Now I look for Neck Face tags, but you don't really look up that much. I don't hate it by any means; I think a lot of it is incredibly artful.
I am getting the sense that you are not particularly moved by it…
I don't know if I have stopped to notice it enough to be moved by it.
Having lived with it, do you think it would be just as viable a project in another room?
No, it's perfect for the bathroom. In a bigger room it would be too much.
You are notorious at TONY for your interior-design stunts—so what's next?
[Laughs] Well, I have just done a story for the Home Design issue with Bob Vila's son, Chris Vila. He renovated his own apartment, putting in this really beautiful shelving, and he taught me how to do it, so that’s next. I have way too many books and I need more storage. Then I have big plans for my closet door; I am going to paint it and put a trellis over it. Then maybe rearrange the furniture, but my apartment is pretty much done.
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