When 31-year-old graphic novelist and scenic painter Laura Lee Gulledge (whoislauralee.com) met New York Daily News photo editor and comic-book creator Kurt Christenson (powerplaycomic.com), 34, they clicked instantly and shacked up five months later, in February 2010. Not ones to waste any time, the couple painted and decorated after a mere five days. "When we started going out, we just felt like kids," gushes Gulledge, who, along with Christenson, nicknamed their Dr. Seuss–colored rental the tree house. "It's on the top floor, so it's like our own little hideaway."

Apartment tour: 2BR in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

It always feels like Valentine's Day in this artsy couple's vibrant love nest, decked out with drawings, photos and sentimental souvenirs of their relationship.

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Desert Island (540 Metropolitan Ave between Union Ave and Lorimer St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-388-5087, desertislandbrooklyn.com)
"It's great for random artwork," enthuses Christenson. "It's a comic-book store, but they sell all sorts of prints from Adrian Tomine, Peter Bagge and Charles Burns."

Dick Blick Art Materials (1-5 Bond St between Broadway and Lafayette St; 212-533-2444, dickblick.com)
The artsy couple purchases the majority of their frames and art supplies from this bi-level resource. "Most art stores in this city let me down because I'm always looking for random supplies—from airbrush paint to cheap picture frames," says Gulledge. "But Dick Blick is always organized and always has what I'm looking for. Plus, the staff is lovely."

Junk (197 North 9th St between Bedford and Driggs Aves, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 212-260-1851, motherofjunk2.blogspot.com)
"The title says it all," states Christenson. "A lot of places would overcharge for something like a typewriter, but at Junk you could probably get it for $50, and it would look nice."

Pearl River Mart (477 Broadway between Broome and Grand Sts; 212-431-4770, pearlriver.com)
"You can get things to help fill up space for not a lot of money," notes Gulledge of this Soho staple for festive, stylish Asian decor. "It's the best bang for your buck."

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