Annika Hansteen

By Charlotte Collins

Welcome to Room Envy, a series where we ask interesting people about a favorite room in their house. From minimalist living rooms to vibrant kitchens, we’re zeroing in on the best features of the most enviable rooms.

When Annika Hansteen-Izora's roommate moved out, leaving them as the sole resident of a two-bedroom apartment in Crown Heights, the writer and designer only toured one other spot before deciding their connection to their current space was simply too strong to depart it just yet. Contrary to the commonly held notion that New Yorkers are strangers to their neighbors, Annika had become ensconced in their Brooklyn community after spending three years in the area. In fact, community provides a comfort so crucial to the creative that it served as the driving force behind their cross-country move from their native Portland, Oregon.

Annika's banana pillow—an impulse buy from a store in Portland—has become a hit with visitors to their apartment: "It's a fan favorite!"

"It is going to sound so silly, but I moved here for my friends, honestly," Annika admits over Zoom while lounging on their sofa. They returned to Portland after graduating from Oberlin College, but found themself adrift in Oregon without their people—the network of confidants they’d built throughout their time in university—to anchor them. "Most of my friends were East Coasters. I am a diehard West Coaster. I never thought I would live in New York."

Community is a through line in Annika's life; aside from it catalyzing their relocation, they’ve done product design work for Black and queer-led startups like Ethel's Club and Somewhere Good, which both count intentional community-building as their mission statements. So, it comes as no surprise that Annika felt compelled to make their living room the main hangout spot for their friends to gather. After combing through the inventory at local Brooklyn thrift shops like Dobbins St. Co-op and listings on Facebook Marketplace, they accrued an assemblage of items that felt like a true representation of themself: joyful, vibrant, and inviting.

A variety of plants including pothos, monsteras, and pileas transform the white-walled space into a tropical oasis. Annika is an avid reader—so much so that they designated another space in the dwelling as a reading room. Black authors like Toni Morrison, Marlon James, and Akwaeke Emezi fill their color-organized bookshelf.

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Square footage: 750 square feet

Do you feel like your neighborhood is in strong alignment with your overall vibe as a creative?

I love it. My block in particular has lots of families and a school, so it just makes me feel very held. I live far away from home, on the opposite coast, and I’m close with my family, so it feels good to live in a place that's part of such a huge city but is also very neighborly.

How has the adjustment been going from living with a roommate to solo life?

I’ve been solo for one year this June. It was hard for me; I’m not going to lie. I loved my roommate! I mean, she's one of my best friends, and we still do a movie night every week. But I grew up with three other siblings, so honestly, I feel like the quintessential adult accomplishment is living on your own. I like being in a space with others, so living on my own at first was a big adjustment for me.

At the same time, it was also this beautiful opportunity for me to make a space completely my own, which I had never had before. It ended up being very fun to obsess over things like what color bath towels I wanted, or what planters I thought would be best. I was able to make it into my own sanctuary, but it really supported me in craving connection too, because I’ve made this place very homey for guests to come into and to create that community I’m looking for.

Annika's living room couches, from Urban Outfitters and Modernica, serve the dual functions of providing cozy seating for their friends and hiding cords. A Cold Picnic rug and a marble coffee table, transported via Uber from Dobbins St. Co-op in Greenpoint, round out the space.

By Erika Owen

By Eva Morell

By Blake Bakkila

Do you feel it's been fully established as the hangout spot for your friend group?

I would say so! Movie nights are here, game nights are here, dinners are here. I love to host. It's my favorite thing. When I was mood boarding for this place, I actually did this visualization thing, where I was like, "What is the type of home I want to have?" In that vision, there were lots of gatherings.

What kind of design elements were on those mood boards?

They were very color-based. I wanted to have a very bright and colorful home, one that leaned towards playfulness and maximalism, but also that wasn't too saturated. There were lots of different examples of people and scenes from movies that I thought were doing color in interesting ways.

Fresh flowers and Dusen Dusen placemats add to the rainbow of colors in the combined kitchen and living area. In addition to painting the table, Annika painted a number of frames in the space. Prints designed by Annika as well as album covers and other music-themed art cover the walls.

Did you get all that artwork lining the walls post-roommate?

Those are all new. When I was figuring out the art for the room, I was just looking everywhere trying to figure out what I like. I’m a designer; I’ve looked at album covers for inspiration forever, so I thought, "Okay. Got to have some of those in this space!" I painted the frames myself because I knew I wanted a little pop of color, but I didn't want to spend $300 on a frame. I ended up making a number of the pieces in here. The table was just a plain black table and I wanted a two-tone table. I knew there had to be a way to make it more "me" so I spray-painted the metal legs and painted the top. I have to say, the table is my favorite thing in here because of the work that I put into it and how well it turned out. I also designed a picnic blanket on the orange couch, and there's a bright yellow poster I designed and had printed that says, "Black Joy Is Sacred."

By Erika Owen

By Eva Morell

By Blake Bakkila

Something that was important for me in the space was adding in Black artists where I could, so there are different pieces here by Black-owned brands or by Black artists. There's a piece in here by Salimatu Amabebe, who's a really fabulous artist, and vintage magazines from Wax Poetics, which is a Black music magazine.

Annika takes full advantage of their south-facing windows by filling the apartment with plants. The sunlight—their favorite attribute of the space—refracts from a disco ball in the windowsill. Pops of yellow, like their banana throw pillow and the "Black Joy Is Sacred" print they designed add a contrasting hue to the greenery throughout.

What was the biggest purchase?

The couch was a really big purchase for me and I was so excited. The way I was looking out the window when the UPS truck pulled in, oh my gosh. That, this green chair, and then this blue bench, those were the three pieces where I was like, "I am waiting for that delivery person all day. I’m not leaving this house until it comes." The couch is Modernica, the bench and the chair I got from Urban Outfitters. I’m very happy with them and they actually are cozy, which is what I wanted—this is where my friends come and kiki. I was like, "It's got to be multifunctional and comfortable for the people!"