This 900-Square-Foot Brooklyn Rental Feels Like a Family Album and Travel Diary in One
Most people moving into a 900-square-foot apartment start by figuring out what fits. Megan Gibbon began by deciding what matters.
The British-born interior designer spent five years settling into the Cobble Hill walk-up she shares with her husband Joss Craig and two young sons. What she describes as “one of those COVID gems”—a Craigslist rental the couple applied for after being captivated by the natural light—is now a peaceful antidote to city life. “Our senses are always being overstimulated,” Gibbon says. “I was trying to make a space that feels like a reprieve from all of that.”
Years spent designing hospitality spaces—including Soho Farmhouse, the cult-favorite Oxfordshire retreat that served as a formative project early in her career—taught Gibbon how to shape an experience through interior design. Unlike a hotel, where the atmosphere must be established instantly, her home would reveal itself piece by piece.
The result feels less like a collection of furniture and objects and more like a record of the people and places dear to the family. A wood bookshelf made by Gibbon’s brother, an architect based in Copenhagen. A vintage Kuba cloth sourced by another brother, who lives in the Republic of Congo. Artwork painted by her mother. Lighting and furnishings created by friends, like designer Anna Karlin. Even the ceramic tiles Gibbon made for the kitchen were inspired by flowers growing in her mother’s garden in West Sussex. “We’re really lucky that our home reflects our friendships and our family,” she says.
That personal history sits comfortably alongside Gibbon’s lifelong love of collecting. A 19th-century Japanese table anchors the living room, while carved masks from an English antiques market watch over the space. Moroccan rugs soften the floors. In one son’s room, a monumental antique textile found in Istanbul stretches up to a skylight, serving as both artwork and a practical curtain. “I love the patina and story that comes with old pieces,” the designer says. “That previous life really helps make a space feel unique.”
The apartment’s most compelling pieces, however, have a different provenance—they were made by Gibbon. Rather than resign herself to the standard white IKEA cabinetry that came with the rental, Gibbon transformed the space with bespoke ceramic tiles. On the building’s rooftop during an 80-degree summer afternoon, she mounted the tiles to a removable board for a renter-friendly solution. Combined with a deep oxblood ceiling and sculptural hand-shaped cabinet pulls, the kitchen intervention rewards anyone who rounds the corner with an unexpected moment of delight.
The ceramics began as a creative outlet during the pandemic. Instead of selling them at markets, Gibbon found herself making pieces for the apartment, gradually developing a visual language of organic forms and playful silhouettes inspired by the natural world. Today, the vessels appear throughout the apartment, creating what Gibbon describes as a “living gallery.”
Of course, the reality of life inside the serene apartment looks a little different from the photographs. “I do actually have two kids,” Gibbon laughs. Each evening, toys disappear into boxes, cupboards, and under-bed storage, restoring the calm she worked so carefully to create.
The effort has paid off. Despite (and perhaps even because of) the apartment’s modest footprint, her older son has no interest in moving. “He never ever wants to leave this apartment—it’s home,” she says.
