When prop stylist and interior designer John Dittrick first viewed his Carroll Gardens apartment, the roughly 850-square-foot rental was not an obvious choice. Located in a 1920 building, it has a quirky railroad layout, boarded-up windows, slanted floors, unusual fixtures and patches, and walls painted a dingy yellow at the time of the viewing.
Those challenges were balanced by the features Dittrick wanted in a home: pre-war New York character, space to host guests and plenty of storage. The one-bedroom apartment also includes a small flex room intended as an office. A nonfunctional fireplace became another defining feature, anchoring the living room and offering a prominent spot for styling.
Dittrick has rented the apartment for five years. He says his goal was to balance elegance and comfort while creating a home that felt design-focused but still cozy and lived-in. Influenced by his mother’s love of French country style, he added a more Parisian apartment sensibility and mixed newer pieces with vintage finds.
The result is an intentionally layered interior built around collected furniture, varied lighting and carefully chosen colors. The living room and bedroom use Benjamin Moore’s Silver Satin, darkened by 50 percent, while the dining room features Bedford Blue lightened by 25 percent. The office and guest room are painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Tradewind.
Vintage and secondhand pieces appear throughout the apartment. In the living room, a West Elm sofa is paired with a Nordic Knots wool rug, a CB2 coffee table, a Restoration Hardware wingback chair sourced through Facebook Marketplace and vintage lamps from Humble House in Boerum Hill. A desk repurposed as a console table came from Carroll Gardens shop Painted Swan.
The dining room combines a thrifted, refinished table from Big Re-Use with chairs bought from a restaurant remodeling project. A hutch from Humble House, an Etsy rug and pendant light, and a Wayfair console table complete the space.
In the bedroom, Dittrick used a West Elm floor-sample bed from 2018, Pottery Barn nightstands found through Facebook Marketplace, ceramic lamps by Notary Ceramics and a dresser from Awesome Brooklyn. Additional vintage and secondhand elements include a cafe table, dining chairs, a mirror and a thrifted lamp fitted with an Oka shade.
Together, the architectural quirks and curated mix of furnishings give the rental the character Dittrick envisioned: a home that feels timeless and fresh while remaining personal and comfortably lived in.
Sources: Apartment Therapy.