Clockwise from top-left: The roommates prepare cocktails in their cozy kitchen featuring cheerful leather counter stools; the sleek exterior of Emily and Eryn’s 32-unit condo building on downtown Manhattan’s Attorney Street; West Elm white vases, gold dice from One Kings Lane, and a Rewined candle decorate a mirrored dresser repurposed as a living room side table; Emily adjusts a faux sheepskin throw from Ikea on a Phillipe Starck for Kartell Masters chair near the apartment’s gracious terrace.

At Home on the Lower East Side

Two college pals make the leap from the Lone Star State to the Lower East Side, where Compass client Emily Kogan discovers the perfect backdrop for her next chapter to glamorously unfold.

Words: Jessica Scherlag
Images: Lauren Naefe

During their senior years at the Dallas university SMU, Emily and Eryn became best pals. So when they both decided to move to New York City after graduation, they turned to each other to make the leap.

An account manager at the advertising software company Sharethrough, Emily was looking to trade her laid-back West Coast lifestyle for the big city. Fortuitously, as she began the house-hunt, a tech-world friend showed her a beta version of the Compass website, and she ultimately partnered with Compass agent Scott Sobol in her search.

After explaining to Scott what she was seeking in a space — doorman, outdoor space, room enough for two—Emily and Eryn (a photo editor at TV Guide) discovered a gem in downtown Manhattan. They invited us over to tour their modern-meets-feminine home.

A stately West Elm sofa is enlivened with suzani pillows picked up during Emily’s trip to South America and their eclectic gallery wall, including Gray Malin’s Capri photograph, Charlotte Fassler’s 2 Eggs Over Yeezy print, and a concert poster from when The Kills played Dallas’ Granada Theater.

How did you two become roommates?

Emily: Senior year of college we became friends and moved to New York around the same time.

Lucky for us, Scott was great to work with. He felt more like my friend than my real estate agent. He was so consultative, and it always felt like my best interest was being thought about.

This apartment was probably the sixth place we looked at. I walked in and went, “Oh my gosh, this is exactly what I’m looking for!” I just knew.

Do you have a favorite thing to do at home together?

Emily: It definitely depends on how we’re feeling. I would say the majority of the time during the week we come home, go to the gym, make some dinner, hang out on the couch, and gossip. And a lot of Netflix.

What is your favorite local spot?

Emily: There’s a place right around the corner called Pause Cafe. It’s owned by a couple of super cool Moroccan dudes. They have great açaí bowls, juices, and coffee, and they’re always very warm and welcoming.

From left: Handmade wallpaper from Flat Vernacular serves as the foyer’s serene backdrop for a commissioned painting from Emily’s Homepolish designer/ artist Alison Causer; a vibrant vintage rug gifted by Eryn’s father; an assortment of stylish books arranged on a Wisteria coffee table in their open living room/kitchen.

What attracted you to New York?

Emily: I was sold on the idea of moving here from a young age. When I was seven or eight years old, my family came to see a Broadway show, and I fell in love with the city. Even my Bat Mitzvah theme was New York! The New York I live in now is so different from the one you visit, but it has definitely lived up to my expectations.

What do you miss most about California?

Emily: The beach and my family, obviously. I miss having access to great weather all the time. When I go back and visit Long Beach, everyone is walking around and biking and laying on the beach, and you’re kind of like, “Oh this lifestyle seems really nice.” But, New York is awesome, too!

A gift from Emily’s mother and nod to her West Coast roots, Hugh Holland skateboarder photographs hang in their kitchen. They were purchased at LA gallery M+B.

Your apartment is so stylish. What was it like decorating as roommates?

Eryn: It was really all Emily. There are a few things in here that are mine, but it’s her apartment. I have my room, and the TV is mine, but she put it all together.

Emily: I worked with Alison Causer, an artist and interior designer at Homepolish. I had all these ideas in my head of what I wanted, but I didn’t know exactly how to execute them, so it was really nice to have someone to get me focused. It’s hard to know who you should trust to put up paint, put up wallpaper, or replace your doors. I needed an extra person for advice.

From left: A mirrored wall, chrome chandelier, and bohemian wallpaper from Flat Vernacular create instant, easy glamour in the foyer; in Emily’s bedroom an oversized framed mirror leans nonchalantly amid brass accents and crisp framed prints.

Did your West Coast upbringing inform your interior design decisions?

Emily: I knew that I wanted my apartment to feel peaceful without being too beach-y. Having gray walls was a really a good decision because I wanted to do a dark color that was calming. I wanted to do more than an accent wall, too, because I feel like that’s a little played out.

Symmetrical brass sconces from Schoolhouse Electric, mismatched Z Gallerie bedside tables, and a custom-made ikat-patterned headboard from Ceylon et Cie in Dallas are essential to Emily’s restful Empire State escape. A Tappan Collective photo of a lone palm tree, a Tiffany clock from her father, and a skull pillow from La Bella remind her of her SoCal home.

Do you spend a lot of time on your terrace?

Emily: Yeah, I would say so. It’s kind of one of those things — when it first starts getting warm out, I feel like I have to spend at least five minutes out there every night or I’m crazy.

Eryn: We’ve had a few little parties that eventually moved to the roof, which is nice.

Emily: I was thinking about doing a dinner party or something up there, maybe at the end of summer.

Every square foot is put to work, including extra storage at the end of the hallway, where a frosted glass bathroom door complements the airiness of the apartment and is cleverly marked with an elegant “W.C.”

How does having a roommate come into play in your apartment?

Emily: When I moved in, my bedroom had a glass door on it. There wasn’t much privacy. If Eryn was cooking or watching TV, and I was sleeping, I felt like I was in the living room with her. Installing a solid door was definitely a big improvement.

Eryn: Also, the living room closet was a bar, which was great, but living in New York with a roommate – you definitely need storage.

And now you have a pretty bar cart, too!

Emily: Yes! Which is much better than having a closet.

Clockwise from top left: The sleek roof deck at their Lower East Side building; a vintage bar cart mixes with shimmering glassware from Neiman Marcus; Emily and Eryn take a moment to celebrate their future together as friends and roommates; an old-fashioned Crosley turntable comes in handy for summer dinner parties.

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