Cookie's home editor Kiera Coffee has the kind of whimsical apartment that kids (and kids-at-heart) dream about. With an Alice-in-Wonderland curiosity, Kiera has created a welcoming place for her nieces and nephew, who "can play with anything and everything," she says. Each corner has something to discover: Family heirlooms live happily next to modern furnishings. Plants cluster in a corner for reading. Shells spell out her name. And we love the way Kiera tweaks thrift-store finds--removing a shade here, adding fabric here--until they're just right. Let's take a look...

Where do you usually hang out in your house? "When I'm home, I spend most of the day in the dining room. My friend, a muralist, made the table, where I do everything: sew, work, eat. The four dining chairs were only $25 from the Salvation Army; then I reupholstered them in pink. The beautiful painting of a boat's shadow in the harbor is by Rex Lau." The desk chair is by Eames.

Your sofa is gorgeous. How did it come about? "My beige Roy McMakin sofa needed to be reupholstered. I fell in love with the 1940's fabric by Austrian designer Joseph Frank--but it was so expensive that I had to sell my couch! Instead, I found a vintage sofa and covered that instead." (Fabric available here and here.)

Were you initially nervous about the boldness of the fabric? "Interestingly, the man who reupholstered it wanted to repeat the same flower on each sofa cushion, and I said, 'Oh, my god, no!' I wanted to capture as much of the pattern as I could. Although he was dubious about my idea to keep it inconsistent, he ended up as excited as I was."

Who is the woman in the painting? "My mom--an artist--painted this portrait of my great aunt. She gave me the painting because I promised to frame it. Her boyfriend made the bookshelf; it was originally for his records. I love its old-fashioned feel."

Did your childhood home influence your design tastes? "My mother was very adventurous. She wasn't afraid to mix eras and was constantly redecorating--we moved the furniture around every month! When my sister was in junior-high, my mom painted an enormous rainbow around her bedroom. It was fantastic; she was really indulgent. I've been hugely inspired by her creativity."

What about that playful lamp? "I found it at a New Jersey thrift store. At the time, a silver Mylar shade covered the lamp. I took the shade off and thought, 'Now this is how I want it!'"

What a lovely nature corner! "I like sitting here and talking on the phone. The photo of a convict in the 1800's was part of an installation project by my boyfriend Michael Oatman." The chair is by George Nelson.

How did you decide upon the wall color? "I had an idea of the green that I wanted, but I looked at a million paint chips and none were right. Then I found a store that would reproduce a color if I gave them a sample, and I worked with my mom and her paints to get the color I really wanted. The cool thing is, the walls look different throughout the day. In the morning, they're leaf green; at night they're olive."

Where did you find shells to spell your name? "A friend brought them back from Miami. He had my house keys, so he left them on my radiator. He instructed, 'When you get home, before moving them, look at them very carefully!'" The photo of Kiera and her oldest sister is held up by an authentic chef's rack.

What's your favorite part of the house? "Since it's so eclectic, people feel like they can contribute. There's a constant flow. It's not just my stamp on it--it's a good, friendly space."

What's the story behind these not-so-tiny letters? "On my street corner, there was a lighting store called City Lighting for over fifty years. When it closed, I went to the construction site and stalked them for the letters. I thought it was funny to spell 'tiny' because the letters are so huge. I couldn't spell that many things with them. 'Light' seemed too new-agey."

As Cookie's home editor, you must have people constantly asking you for decorating tips. What advice do you give them? "I hesitate to give advice. We all have a different sense of what works. Look at my house: Most people would hate the green walls--and my couch, oh, my god! Each person should pay attention and see what feels right. I move things around really slowly, even little things, and just think about it."

See more photos of Kiera's apartment here.

Email your photos and home-design questions here.