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SIZING IT UP
WHERE: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
WHAT: 3 bedrooms, 3rd-floor walk-up
SIZE: 900 sq ft
TYPE: Home/company headquarters
VISIT: argington.com
How do you address your storage problems?
Argie Since we’re on the top floor, we’ve commandeered the hallwayoutside our apartment. First we hung one coat out there, and now it looks like amudroom. Also, we design for our family: The toy box and play table in our line holdtons of stuff—like all those little toy parts that seem to multiply likerabbits—and the bed and crib have trundle drawers for extra diapers andbedding.
You furnish your place with your own pieces?
Thornton We have a lot of our pieces in the house. In fact, when Davy was younger, if he saw our furniture outside our home, he’d think it was his. Argie One great thing about being designers is that we swap merchandise with our friends, so everything in the house is made by someone we know. I don’t think Davy realizes the whole world doesn’t work like that.
Does space ever feel tight?
Argie We work at home, so I think we feel the tightest squeeze in the office. Thornton The kids come in a lot and want to mess around with our work, so we tell them to “leave the office,” but the “office” is just an imaginary line.
Do situations like that ever make you miss the sprawl of the suburbs, where you both grew up?
Thornton They used to, but really, you get everything you need from small spaces. And both of our kids have their own rooms, which seems like a luxury in the city. Argie Our experience is really no different from what it would be if we lived in the suburbs. It just takes place in a fraction of the space. Especially during toothbrushing time—our bathroom is really small.
What tip would you offer new parents who are living in a tiny area?
Argie During the early years, kids are doing a lot of floor play, so it may be worth holding off on a regular-size twin bed and splurging on a toddler bed. That way, you can fit in one more activity area—an art table—with the space you’re saving.
The couple’s design picks “Boon’s products (booninc.com) make bathroom time fun. They have a great-looking potty bench,” says Argie.
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