Anne Li & Nick Lowry

Written By Lale Boz

Long Island City, NY

Nick and Anne’s Long Island City apartment is true to everything Normal represents. A modernist approach on interiors meets mid-century furniture, and so many plants, every corner is alive with a touch of their personalities. This was my first ever interview a year ago, and it only makes sense to reintroduce Normal with them again. Their style is so timeless that every recommendation can stay in the minds of our readers forever. Their love for each other makes this home a better place, with Anne’s countless plants and Nick’s love for beautiful decor pieces, this home is one of my biggest inspirations. Enjoy!

You can find them on @nikl0w & @ _sanct_ :)

 
 

What made you decide on this particular home? How did you choose this home together? I've been seeing more people moving to Long Island City recently and want to learn a bit about your insights of living there, maybe you could share a favorite coffee shop etc?

When we were apartment hunting we were debating between Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City because both had more apartments that were the vibe we were looking for - loft style, newer build, but not too cookie-cutter, while being close to the water and trains. This one checked all our boxes and more as a renovated historical building with usable space, a lot of natural light, a great kitchen, and the amenities we wanted.  Especially because we moved during the pandemic and were both working long days from home, having a lot of natural light was a huge deciding factor, and we’re definitely spoiled by our south-facing windows looking out to Greenpoint.

We really love the vibe of LIC (specifically Hunters Point) and will likely stay in the future as well. Having the waterfront at the Gantry close by is a huge plus - it’s grown to be one of our favorite spots to run or walk around and relax. Hunter’s Point is a bit more on the quiet side, while still being conveniently close to the city with a lot of great restaurants in the neighborhood such as Takumen, Hibino LIC, Top Quality, and Casa Enrique.  On weekend mornings we love to sit in the back garden of 51st Street Bakery & Cafe (our favorite local coffee shop, their breakfast sandwich is to die for), or grab a palmier or croissant from Cannelle which is a wonderful patisserie

 
 

Also I always love when you share the coffee station in the kitchen with the chemex and everything...that brings the question of do you guys have a routine you like to do at home together? Doesn't necessarily need to be a "morning routine", just things that make you happy within the home?

Most mornings we’ll try to get up early to spend a little time together before the day starts - usually Nick will make pour-over coffee while Anne gets ready to head out and fiddles with the plants (she works in the office while Nick is still working from home). Often when we’re cleaning the apartment we’ll take the opportunity to rearrange some of the bookshelf items or the furniture, and we choose a new coffee table book together every weekend.

 
 

Can you give some information on both of your backgrounds for those who are getting to know you?

We’re Nick and Anne, we’ve been together for a bit over six years now. We currently live in Long Island City, Queens but were in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn before moving into our current apartment about a year ago. Outside of work we love biking on the weekends, trying good restaurants, or spending time at museums.

Anne is a menswear designer currently working at Kith and she loves plants, sour candy, and our betta fish Yuzu. Nick is currently head of growth at telecom start-up, Wing, and also does freelance design and branding work on the side.

What I wonder the most is how do you come up with ideas and pick pieces while living together? What are your biggest inspirations for this home and decoration?

Throughout the years we’ve been dating we’ve always been interested in very similar things aesthetic-wise - from clothing to furniture to architecture, and have always sent each other inspiration. When we first moved in together and were starting to look into pieces for our home we focused more on how things would fit into the space more than specific grail pieces.

How did you start decorating the place, like what was the first piece, did it happen organically, or did you guys have a moodboard in mind?

We definitely didn’t start with a formal mood board in mind but from talking about furniture and design over the years, we had a pretty good idea of where we wanted to start. Our first big purchase was our sofa that we found on Craigslist, and the rest of our home came together pretty organically. At our old space we had one of the ladder bookshelves, and added two more to complete the wall at our current apartment. Now that we’ve been living together for a while and have a little more space, we have more freedom to shop around for things we’d like to keep forever whether that’s art, books, or furniture.

Let's talk about those insanely beautiful plants that are all around the home. How did you start the plant journey? Do you have a favorite among them (even though I know they are all your babies)? Where do you mostly source them?

Anne: I always had a love of plants and nature growing up in the Bay Area, but the NYC apartment plant collecting definitely started during the post-grad “I need a job” quarter-life crisis. Nick is definitely a supportive plant dad and likes to rearrange their places on the bookshelf. I started with my Aglaonema Marie from Da Hing in Chinatown (still one of the best plant shops in the city) but quickly became very fascinated by more unique orchids, which now make up a good chunk of our collection. With most of my plants, I love buying them very tiny and getting the reward of having them bloom after a few years of care. My current favorite is my Anthurium Vittarifolium (probably mostly because I bought it this morning) but I’m also really excited to watch the pendant leaves grow really long. My orchids are mostly from Orchids by Hausermann and Sunset Valley Orchids, but for all other plants, some great local options are Planted by Christy and Greenery Unlimited.

How do you define your interior style? Also, do you have a dream piece or furniture you have on mind?

A lot of the furniture we gravitate towards is more Bauhaus, but there’s not a specific style we’re trying to emanate. Most of our pieces are either leather/chrome or walnut/teak - especially in a smaller NYC apartment we wanted to keep materiality and palette simple so our space doesn’t feel so overwhelming. We’ve been looking at the Poul Kjaerholm PK22 or a Frama 9.5 chair, but have been dreaming about the Rick Owens Petrified Wood Daybed (or honestly, any of his furniture or sculptural pieces). Recently our focus has been less on furniture and more on very beautiful, wildly unattainable spaces, especially as we’re looking to buy in the next few years.

How has sharing your interior & living space changed the way you approach your home and purchases?

We think we do keep it a little more tidy now that we share our space more often, but little trinkets or items like books or plants are in the spots they usually live. It hasn’t affected our purchases very much because sharing our home on Instagram began after we already acquired most of the pieces. Throughout the years the pieces that we’ve had on our grail list have definitely changed especially as some have become too trendy/oversaturated for our taste - such as the Ligne Roset Togo Sofa.

And the information we all wonder…

Some of our favorite items:

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