Small Takes with Merie Subryan
How a family of four makes their 850-square-foot Brooklyn apartment work.
Last week, I announced that 10% of the profits for each month’s paid subscriptions will be donated to a different charitable cause. My first donation went to EarthJustice.
In Small Takes, I ask people who are living small how they make it work. This month, I’m introducing you to Merie Subryan, an interior stylist and design consultant, who lives with her husband Alex and two children in a 850-square-foot one bedroom that the family recently converted to two. A lifelong New Yorker, Merie resides in my old neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, but we “met” online after my friend Alison Mazurek profiled Merie’s home on her blog. Then, last year when I was writing about New York City families living in one-bedroom apartments, Merie volunteered to be interviewed for the story and we got to connect further.
What I love most about Merie’s home is how it has changed so much since I first saw it just two and a half years ago. Merie is constantly rejiggering their space to make it work for their needs, buying and selling furniture, moving things around. The latest update was a big one: She had a wall built to divide the large bedroom into two halves. On one side her seven-year-old daughter has a bedroom and on the other side, she created a nursery/office where her two-year-old son sleeps (Merie and Alex sleep in a corner of the living room). Not only is she a clever space planner, Merie’s interior style is just plain cool. All photos by Ben DeHaan courtesy of Studio Subryan.
Here’s how Merie makes her small space work:
Why do you live small?
Our family values sustainability, and a small home has a smaller carbon footprint. We also choose to live small for a better quality of life. Being able to walk out our front door and find everything we need within walking distance is also very important to us. Our small space offers opportunities to cultivate meaningful human connections and experience quality public realms.
Do you have any tips for living small with a family?
Be thoughtful, intentional, and adaptable. The limitations of living in a small space will continue to spark creative reconfigurations. Our homes are an extension of ourselves, and changes—big and small—will occur every few months or years, reflecting your ever-evolving needs and interests as a family.
What helps you stay organized in your small home?
After converting our large bedroom into two bedrooms for the kids (each ended up with a 9' x 11' bedroom), I bought Susan Bijl’s “Trash and Stash" laundry bags to hide the most unsightly toys—stuffies, hobby horses, and remote-controlled cars. At the end of each day, this is an easy way to store all their toys and it looks beautiful.
Every four months I’ll sort through the kids' toys and clothing. I'll donate them, pass them along to friends, or if the weather’s warm, we'll join one of our friends' stoop sales. It's a fun opportunity for the kids to earn some money, make some new friends, and know that their old toys have found a new home that will cherish them as much as they once did.
Any favorite resources for living small?
Sloft magazine is one of my favorite interior design magazines. It’s a relatively new French publication that curates the most swoon-worthy small spaces in Paris. They celebrate compact interiors and an eco-conscious lifestyle. Others on my list are the New York Times Living Small column, Never Too Small, Domino’s Small Spaces, and Dwell.
What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?
Loft beds! I've been mulling over the idea of building a loft bed that would maximize vertical space and create a cozy alcove with an office below. Finally, after a lot of research and sketches, I have developed a design that would maximize our square footage and follow the same design language as the rest of the house. We are very excited to begin this new project.
Is there a home design book you love?
When I design a space, I consider Peter Zumthor's design principles of emotions, sensory experiences, and simplicity. In his book Thinking Architecture, he writes, “The strength of good design is in being able to perceive the world with feeling and reason.” I aim to create spaces that excite our senses–to have comfort, memories, and stories.
The World of Apartmento, Inspiring Family Homes from Milk Magazine, Freunde von Freunden’s Friends of Friends, The Socialite Family, and Charlotte Perriand are among my other favorite home design books. During a recent stop at the Rizzoli Bookstore, I came across U-Joints A Taxonomy of Connections by Andrea Caputo and Anniina Koivu, which explores design through appreciating the small details we overlook in everyday objects.
What’s on your home wish list right now?
Reupholstering my sofa in Maharam Inlay by Hella Jongerius fabric. And I’ve got my eye on a vintage Florence Knoll for Herman Miller 'Trace' coffee table in green metal and glass and Ryan Chang’s ceramic vases at Salter House.
What’s one way that your home is sustainable?
When it comes to sourcing furniture for our home, we are very intentional. We live in a small space, so sometimes finding furniture that fits our exact dimensions without being overwhelming can be difficult. As a result, I have reused scrap plywood from previous projects to create many pieces of furniture throughout our home. If I'm buying new furniture, I tend to search for high-quality pieces with impeccable craftsmanship that will stand the test of time, such as our Ekstrem chair or Alvar Aalto pieces. There’s something wonderful about the idea of these pieces becoming heirlooms and preserving generations of family stories.
What’s one thing every small home needs?
Negative space. You should choose furniture that allows your eyes to travel through and around it. It makes a huge difference!
What’s an organization you are proud to support?
I support One Love Community Fridge, which has refrigerators located around different neighborhoods in the city. Their goal is to combat food insecurity, provide healthy food to anyone who is struggling, and reduce food waste through partnerships with local businesses and farms.
Thank you so much for being a part of Small Takes, Merie. You can follow along with Merie’s work @merie_subryan and on her site StudioSubryan.com.
Read past editions of Small Takes:
3 More Things
The best small space I saw last week was a 375 square-foot apartment by French interior designer Marianne Evennou. Marianne is a masterful space planner and not afraid to use color in a small space.
Shopping: In recognition of Costco’s shareholders rejecting challenges to their DEI initiatives and raising wages for most workers to more than $30 per hour, I thought I’d reshare my this story from earlier this year: How I Shop at Costco While Living Small.
Reading: Right now I’m loving
and everything that has been writing. I also just subscribed to Hell Gate, an online worker-owned publication focused on local New York City news.One last thing: Happy news.
Such a huge fan of Merie….I’m so inspired by the Hay crates, too…can’t wait to test them out myself! Thanks Laura!❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful! Thank you! I've moved three times in three years - from a 1,750 square foot, three bedroom, two bathroom home with a full basement and attic, to a 1,200 square foot two bedroom, two bathroom apartment, to a two bedroom, one bathroom 995 square foot condo, and I've loved going smaller and smaller. Only thing I'd like is an additional quarter or half bath, and it's just right for me and my teenager.