Once upon a time, a photo director turned photo agent named Stacie McCormick lived happily with her boyfriend, film location manager Collin Smith, in a two bedroom duplex in Brooklyn, New York. They took extensive exotic trips to places like Buenos Aires, Warsaw, and Paris, collecting fantastic experiences, objects, and memories, which they spirited back to their Brooklyn HQ for safekeeping. Just under two years ago, the couple's adventures became even more profound with the birth of their adorable daughter, Tessa. They now find themselves collecting vintage children's books and handcrafted toys, along with their habitual art and furnishings, creating an oasis where the life and belongings of a toddler fit in seamlessly with that of her parents.

Let's start in the dining room. I love how Tessa's high chair fits right in with the table and chairs!

Ha! It does, doesn't it? That chair was a gift from the photo dept at Domino--[Stacie was the photo director at that fine magazine until, sigh, it folded] although Tessa has started refusing to sit in it anymore. I think she's over being a baby! We found the dining set at a store on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. It's midcentury Danish. The light comes from this great shop in Boston called Abodeon. They have such treasures there and at really great prices! The painting I bought on eBay as a birthday gift for Collin.

The light in your entryway has a midcentury feel as well.... Would you say you have a particular decorating style?

Hmm.... I really don't think I have a specific style, though I am definitely a shopper and a collector of vintage stuff, if that counts for anything. Generally I just see something, love it, and then buy it without much thought about where it's going to fit in. But it almost always does! In the past few years, I have become more particular about the vintage pieces that I buy, paying more attention to the condition, the designer, etc. I'm treating them more like investments, I guess. It's my mother's influence, really. She has such amazing taste.

Is your art mostly vintage as well?
 
It's really a combination of flea-market finds, some work by photographers that I love, and then just pictures we've taken. I actually shot the first photo in the entrance hall--it is of this great old car that was abandoned on the side of the road in the Andes mountains. It was so incredible looking!

You've really got a thing for ornate wallpaper patterns. I love the one you've chosen for Tessa's room.

Well, that room was originally our bedroom, but when Tessa came along, we moved downstairs and gave her this space. We figured we'd just keep the wallpaper up. It's not your typical nursery style, but I think it really works. We got both this pattern and the one in the hall online from Sweden. I loved the bedroom pattern so much that I bought 10 extra rolls and have them in storage for when we finally move into the place of our dreams. We got the sofa from Cosmo's, a store in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, and had it recovered--another prebaby purchase. We're going to have to cover it again at some point. Kids are not easy on upholstery, and it has really taken a beating!

All over your place you have these beautiful little vignettes of interesting objects, even here in Tessa's room. Do you think about what you're doing when you make these arrangements?

No, no, not at all! These are just things that I like ... things that I want to look at and that mean something to me. I'm really sentimental that way. The painting hung over my grandmother's bed her entire life, I wrapped a purple feather boa around that mirror when I realized feathers wouldn't be practical on a T-shirt; the butterflies seemed so cheerful. I just see little groupings in my mind that would make good pictures. Maybe it's from looking at so many photographer's portfolios. I see potential little pictures everywhere!

You have almost nothing in here that could be described as "typical kid's room," yet it all seems to work so well.

I don't think Tessa has to be surrounded by generic cartoon characters just because she's a kid, you know? She just needs to be inspired by cool things to have a good imagination. We brought this ink drawing back from Poland and draped it with a paper flower that an editor friend gave me. Together they look like something out of a fairy tale.

Even the back of your toilet looks like an art piece! And where'd you get that beautiful shower curtain?

The shower curtain is actually an old tablecloth that I found at yet another flea market. I just bought curtain hooks and attached it myself--it's really simple but it looks great. As for the toilet decor--it's just all the essentials: some reading material, some visual inspiration (in the form of a painting from an antique store on Cape Cod), and the best scented candle ever from Mrs Meyer's. I worship them and have them all over the house.

What unusual lamps for a kitchen!

We dragged those lights back with us from a trip to Poland! The kitchen is actually the destination for so many things I collect. The cabinets are full of old bowls and ceramic plates, the counters are covered with the glass jars that I started collecting after we had a mouse in the house, I started buying vintage linens almost 10 years ago when I lived in Europe--the one hanging from the stove is from Dresden. We use them all the time. It's so much better for the earth than using paper.

Another thing I collect are these old Danish Copenhagen glasses that we drink coffee out of every morning. They also make great containers for silverware!

The gigantic skylight over the stairs down to your bedroom--now, that's not a typical feature of a New York apartment.

That was the feature that sold us on the apartment in the first place! But then, of course, it started leaking and we had to replace the entire thing. It cost a fortune! But it was worth it because it's so great to have all of that light. Living on two levels makes the space feel much larger.

Your bedroom is so serene, with just a few splashes of color from the paintings on the walls.

Yeah it makes everything look neater down here if it's all one color. The curtains are simple linen panels from West Elm and they hide all of our clothes! Funny thing about the painting over the bed--I found it at a shop in Boston. It's by Robert De Niro's dad! I didn't even know he was a painter.

Are those National Geographic magazines on that shelf?

Yep! I keep saying that I'm saving them for Tessa, but they are probably more for me, at the end of the day. We love to travel so much and are always interested in checking out new places--it's really the way we spend all of our free time. And then we find ourselves lugging things home from everywhere. For example, that hat is from Peru and the painting of the Mexican woman beside it is from Chapel Hill! You can find great stuff anywhere, you just have to keep your eyes open.

Speaking of finding things anywhere, did you say you found the door to Tessa's room on the street?

You would not believe the things people throw away around here. This came from a beautiful brownstone that was being renovated. They left all kinds of stuff on the street. It was in perfect condition, too ... with a working doorknob and everything. I bought the fabric in Belize with my Mom and just threw it up there so Tessa can have some privacy.

Well, I will never just pass by a dumpster without checking out the contents again! Thanks, Stacie, for inspiring us to go out exploring and bring back treasures of our own. May you live happily ever after!

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And see more from Nesting contributor Brooke Williams at her blog, this is authentic.