Photograph: Alex Strada
| Photograph: Alex Strada |

It has taken art professional Jan Endlich Jr. and his girlfriend Vanessa Carreras, a store developer for Ralph Lauren (locations throughout the city; visit ralphlauren.com), nearly 12 years to fully decorate their 440-square-foot space. Endlich, who works for a private collector in Stamford, Connecticut, and Swiss transplant Carreras moved into their cozy rental in 2000, but lacked the disposable cash to focus on interior design. “We had a cardboard box with a sheet draped over it for a table,” admits Endlich. After years of accumulating art and various objects from cross-country road trips, the couple’s pad has become a true amalgam of their creative sensibilities and a nod to their native roots. “We like to think of the apartment as one-part cabinet of curiosities and one-part scrapbook,” says Endlich. 

Apartment tour: 2BR railroad in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Artsy couple Jan Endlich Jr. and Vanessa Carreras use found nature objects, travel souvenirs, gifted artwork and furniture discovered on the street to decorate their abode on a budget.

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Art professional Jan Endlich Jr. and his girlfriend Vanessa Carreras, a store developer for Ralph Lauren, incorporate street finds, travel souvenirs and gifted artwork into their budget-friendly home decor. The avid collectors also shop at NYC stores such as Pearl River Mart, Fuego 718, Sprout and Moon River Chattel for even more decorative objects.

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The Evolution Store 120 Spring St between Greene and Mercer Sts (212-343-1114, theevolutionstore.com)
“It’s a cabinet of curiosities and a natural-history museum all wrapped into one,” says Endlich of this collectibles shop, which stocks an array of oddities, such as animal skulls, fossils, preserved butterflies and Chinese dream stones.

Hollander & Lexer 369 Atlantic Ave between Bond and Hoyt Sts, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-797-9733) • 101 Metropolitan Ave at Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-387-8887) • 103 Metropolitan Ave at Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-797-9117) •  hollanderandlexer.com
Endlich and Carreras like the old-timey feel of this shop, and often browse for unique vintage finds and clothing. “We’re probably drawn to their turn-of-the-century Brooklyn aesthetic, since we live in an old tenement building,” says Endlich.

Kiosk 95 Spring St between Broadway and Mercer St (212-226-8601, kioskkiosk.com)
“It’s curated as well as any museum,” enthuses Endlich, who loves this shop’s eclectic assortment of gifts, art and tchotchkes sourced from around the world. “It provides little thoughtful descriptions for each object, and the pieces are fun and affordable.”
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