This Bohemian Outdoor Oasis in Dimes Square Came Together for $5,500 | Architectural Digest

Oct 14, 2024

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Welcome to Room Receipts, where we get real about the costs behind one well-designed room. From big-budget spenders to thrifty thinkers, we’re talking to people from different worlds about their worth-it splurges, budget hacks, and purchase regrets. We’re always on the hunt for cool homes with a unique story, so if you’re interested in being featured tell us more about your space here.

When Daphna Barzilay moved back to New York City from Tel Aviv in 2022, she missed spending time with friends in private outdoor spaces. “Everyone was always hanging out on their balconies, listening to music, and snacking,” she recalls. Many residences in the city had some kind of outdoor area, and if yours didn’t, a friend’s house surely did. “There was a whole social scene with your balcony,” she adds. A new job opportunity brought her back to Manhattan, but upon returning to the States, the communications professional was eager to recreate this same experience.

While searching for apartments, Barzilay came across her current unit in the buzzy “Dimes Square” area at the intersection of New York’s Chinatown and Lower East Side, which is also home to favorites like Coming Soon, Susan Alexandra, Beverly’s, and more. But the apartment’s most notable feature? A 270-square-foot outdoor patio. “It’s huge and almost the same size as the indoors,” she says. “After eight months of living in the unit, I decided to really start working on making over the outdoor area.” Here, Barzilay shares how she brought the vision to life, her most important purchases, and the challenges of sourcing outdoor furniture.

Architectural Digest: Did you have a budget when working on the project?

Daphna Barzilay: I didn’t. I wanted to do it justice, but wasn’t going to go super crazy—partly because it’s a rental—but I mostly went piece-by-piece and considered each cost like that.

Did the fact that the outdoor space is roughly the same size as your interior motivate you when it came to making financial decisions?

It definitely did. Aside from my bed and desk, my entire living space is outside, so I really thought about it as if I was furnishing the whole apartment. There are two double doors that lead to the outdoor space, so when I open those up, the indoor really bleeds into the outdoor. It’s very cohesive design-wise.

How long did the process take?

I moved into the apartment in June 2022 and didn’t start anything until May 2023. I put a deadline on myself because I really wanted to be able to use it in the summer, so I pushed myself and would probably says I felt like it was finished by mid July 2023.

What were some of the most important things you spent money?

One of the biggest things I’ve learned through this whole project is how important it is to put budget toward “invisible expenses.” When I first started working on the patio, I couldn’t even stand looking at the walls—they were mostly dirty concrete. And the floors were like a deck floor with wood panels, and they were also really dirty. So I knew the first thing I needed to do was take care of the bones. I went back and forth on whether I should paint the floor or just do a really hard power-washing on them, and ultimately chose the latter, so I hired someone to do that. Once I cleaned the floors, things definitely started coming together.

I then went to Home Depot and bought multiple rolls of a bamboo fencing to cover the walls, and it felt like a clean base. I think those were the best decisions that I made. It was important to not just put lipstick on a pig. Putting money toward things like that, and not just furniture and decor made a big difference.

Other expenses that kind of fall into this category are things like hiring TaskRabbits to build and move pieces, and I even think of the plants as “invisible” costs. You don’t really think of them as furniture, but they really help frame things and give more interest. Basically, putting money toward some of the things that may seem like smaller details or are services instead of products made a huge difference.

Speaking of plants, tell us a little bit more about them.

I was looking for plants in Manhattan, and I just couldn’t find anything that I really liked. But I’m from Connecticut, so when I was there visiting once, I found this place called Oliver Nurseries in Fairfield. They had the most interesting and rare plants I’d ever seen. I kept going back and forth to Connecticut to get plants. Then I found this ceramic company called Campo de’ Fiori, and I fell in love with these planters and knew they would make a big difference in the space. I really didn’t want anything that looked fake or plasticky, so I purposely decided to spend more of my budget on rare plants and planters.

Did you come across any challenges when shopping for this space?

I was surprised by the lack of options in the outdoor furniture market. I didn’t find a lot of pieces that I loved, and I think the market is lacking. It definitely took a lot more digging to find the right things.

I wish the shapes were more similar to indoor furniture. For example, I found this really beautiful Spanish-mission-style chair with amazing curves and really ornate details at a vintage store in Brooklyn. I loved it, and would’ve definitely put something like that outside, but knew it wouldn’t hold up well in weather. So I feel like there needs to be more pieces that look like they could go inside, but are treated for the outdoors.

Do you have any purchase regrets?

I’m kind of bummed about the IKEA table, because it did get weathered—although I probably didn’t treat it correctly. I just don’t love to see the weathered-vintage look against the more bohemian style of everything else. It looked great when I first got it, and then after a season of lots of rain and snow, it was a bit rougher. I do cover it will these beautiful vintage tablecloths when I have people over, and I love those, so it’s not a huge deal.

Is there anything still on your shopping list?

I’m looking for an umbrella to put in the center of the table with a Balinese vibe. I’ve been looking on Etsy, but I haven’t pulled the trigger on anything yet.

Ikea

Ruggable

The Sill

Crate&Barrel

The Home Depot

Wayfair

World Market

CB2

The Sill

Bed Bath & Beyond