My Houzz: A Stylish Brooklyn Apartment Filled With Memories

Cody McBurnett and her husband, Douglas Friend, moved back to New York in 2004 after living in Panama for two years. They wanted to be in Brooklyn near Prospect Park, and they fell in love with this apartment, with its fireplaces and picture rails. It’s been their home now for 10 years.

McBurnett, who owns creative agency Loki Loki, admires Kelly Wearstler’s design sensibility and wanted to achieve her “over-the-top style that can feel glamorous, excessive and easy at the same time,” she says. The result is a space that blends treasured pieces, found objects and modern sensibilities.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Cody McBurnett and Douglas Friend; their son, Waylon Douglasson; and their 3 cats, Lorelei, Lyon and Kitty Minky
Location: Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 900 square feet (84 square meters); 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom

There have been some changes over the years. The second bedroom, which McBurnett had been excited to turn into a walk-in closet, now is the bedroom for a recent family addition, son Waylon Douglasson.

The family members spend most of their time in the living room. “It gets great light and looks out over the hustle and bustle of Flatbush Avenue,” says McBurnett. “It doubles as my office, so I’m in there pretty much all day. It’s where we play with Waylon, cuddle with the kitties while we binge on Netflix and hang out with friends.”

Although her office shares the living room space, McBurnett wanted to be sure the room had a chic, cozy and very un-office-like atmosphere. The couple also wanted a wall color that was dramatic yet fit the space. They opted for a deep charcoal. “At night it’s as if the walls fall away, which actually makes the room feel larger than it is,” says McBurnett.

Curtains: Pottery Barn Teen; wall paint: Iron Mountain, Benjamin Moore



A collection of cameras and personal photos from McBurnett’s and Friend’s travels cover the wall behind McBurnett’s workspace.“Both Doug and I love taking pictures, and we each inherited our families’ cameras over the years,” she says.

Lamps: West Elm, with Pottery Barn shades (ribbon trim added); sofa: ABC Carpet & Home


The couple has filled the home with photos, art and collectibles that have personal meaning. “Doug and I are avid travelers — we met on an airplane — and we make a point to shop for pieces for our home in different corners of the world,” McBurnett says. “This way we’re surrounded by beautiful things that also remind us of the places we’ve been.”

These pieces are found on this wall as well as on tables and other surfaces throughout the room. “The foo dogs are from Pearl River; the collection of Assouline books are from places we’ve traveled to; the ashtrays are vintage; the blue bowl is a family heirloom from Iceland and holds coral we’ve collected around the world,” McBurnett says.

Rug: Overstock; tray, Altrazurra, Target; candle: Diptyque; stash box: Jonathan Adler


The movie poster for the Italian release of Desperately Seeking Susan, which sits above the fireplace, and the Kate Moss poster were bought on eBay. “Madonna was a huge influence on me as a child, and that film planted the seed that eventually convinced me there was no other place to be than New York City,” says McBurnett.

Since they rent their home, the changes have been mainly cosmetic. They include fresh coats of paint, swapping out some light fixtures and building shelves in the closets to improve storage.

Lamp: France & Son; media cabinet: Ikea



McBurnett and Friend purchased the wooden chair from a patio furniture store in Massachusetts. It pays homage to a vacation they took in Bocas del Toro, Panama; they stayed at a resort that had the same chairs.

The collection of prints next to the fireplace is a mix of black and white photos of the couple, a Vincent/Laforet print and a watercolor print of Julian Casablancas (Waylon’s middle name is Julian in his honor) by Jessica Durrant. The brass planters on the mantel are actually ice buckets from Williams-Sonoma.

Table: Eileen Grey, BoConcept; rocker: White on White; green bowl: Bergdorf Goodman; skull: D.L. & Co.: studded box: Jonathan Adler


French doors that open into the master bedroom are a secondary entrance to the room, so the couple decided to close them off and build much-needed closet space along that wall in the bedroom. “It seems like these French doors were a bit of an afterthought,” McBurnett says. “Maybe someone at some point thought it would be a good way to get light into the middle room (our bedroom). But we need to use all the space possible, so it made the most sense to block them off.”

McBurnett has always longed to wallpaper a room in her house with Martinique wallpaper, but because their home is a rental, fabric was a good solution here — the couple can take it with them when they leave. Green is a bold choice, but it blends beautifully with the charcoal and cream palette of the living room.

Overhead light: Ikea; coffee table: Design Within Reach


McBurnett and Friend love their bedroom’s small and cozy feel. “The bedding is super soft and luxurious, and it feels like a sanctuary,” says McBurnett. The finishing touches are a mix of higher-end items, travel finds, family pieces and repurposed pieces. Friend’s bedside table (not seen) is the trunk McBurnett’s grandmother brought with her when she came to America. McBurnett’s bedside table (pictured) is from a market in El Valle, Panama. Their cat Lyon, a flame-point Siamese, is another Panama find; they rescued him there.

Artwork: Richard Phillips print, Exhibition A; headboard: Ikea mirror; sheets: Belgian Linen, Restoration Hardware, topped with an Hermès blanket; bedside lamps: Urban Outfitters


Waylon’s bedroom fits in perfectly with the rest of the home. “Since Waylon’s room is tiny, we wanted it to feel like a continuation of the living room, so we used the same wall color,” McBurnett says. “Because it’s a dark wall color, we went bright with everything else. We didn’t go with a traditional theme per se, but there are lots of bright, bold colors and tons of animals to make it fun.”

There are plenty of child-related objects, but even here the two have added unique touches. On the wall are framed mola masks that they collected while in Kuna Yala, Panama, more than 10 years ago. A Lucite dollar sign holds $1 million in shredded deminted currency. The airplane was a 10-year-anniversary gift from a friend. It’s a model of the Icelandair airplane on which the couple met.

Chair: White on White; rug: RugsUSA.com; Lucite container: eBay


The American flag in Waylon’s room was purchased at the Brooklyn Flea. The huge flag hangs from the ceiilng and hides a stained glass window that doesn’t suit the couple’s taste. They felt that a curtain to hide the window would have looked out of place. Instead, the bold and graphic flag keeps Waylon entertained.


McBurnett’s childhood dresser, which previously had a drab off-white finish and gold trim, was sanded down and painted a vibrant green to fit the style of Waylon’s room.

The blocks in the pedestal bowl spell out “Waylon.” Above, a Goyard print continues the alphabet theme, while Emberá woven masks from Panama blend well with the other masks in the room.

Pedestal bowl: Crate & Barrel; Goyard print: Little Collector


The black lighting fixture covers a large amount of ceiling space in the small room. “I love the idea of using oversized elements in small spaces, and we want as many things to do double duty as possible, so we went with a large lighting fixture that looks like a mobile. Waylon loves looking up at it!” says McBurnett.


In the bathroom, storage and style work together. Case in point: the Uppers, Downers and Dolls containers from Jonathan Adler. Uppers holds McBurnett’s eye makeup; Downers holds her lipstick. The print is a vintage photograph they picked up in the South of France.

Woven baskets: The Container Store


The dining room also combines art and collected objects from the couple’s travels, along with family pieces and mementos from past jobs. The painting is of McBurnett’s grandmother, Violet Angotti. She emigrated from Italy to the United States, where she became a successful clothing designer.

McBurnett spent much of her childhood with her grandmother, and she remains a huge influence for McBurnett. Not only does McBurnett love the painting because it’s of her beloved grandmother, but the style and palette match her taste. The banana bowl was a gift, and the dresser below the painting is a vintage find.

Carpet: RugsUSA.com; curtains: Anthropologie; table: Crate & Barrel; chairs: White on White, lamps: Marshalls


The dining room fireplace features the word “awesome” in place of logs. The letters are repurposed from signage from a former employer of McBurnett’s. “I have all the letters to spell out ‘Bide-A-Wee Home Association.’ One day I’d love to have the space to hang it and light it!” she says.


Geodes and crystals, decanters from Prague (gifts from McBurnett’s mom) and another skull are among the items lining the dining room mantelpiece. McBurnett made the Chanel No. 5 terrarium, and she and Friend added the lettering (“I love this room,” in French) to the Ikea mirror over the fireplace.

Glass skull: Z Gallerie; cat and horse figurines: Jonathan Adler



This cozy seating nook in one corner of the dining room is surrounded by artwork, including a painting of the Faraglione from Capri, Italy; one from Iceland; a work by McBurnett’s cousin; and finds from the Brooklyn Flea. The chair is a Craigslist purchase that sports a Missoni pillow from Gilt and a tie-dye pillow from Urban Outfitters.

Lamp: Gilt; table: White on White


The terrarium on the side table was a gift to the couple. “For our anniversary this year, we traveled back to Panama — we hadn’t been there since we moved back to New York City in 2014. Twig Terrariums created this custom terrarium for me to give Doug,” McBurnett says. “It’s a representation of our favorite beach in Panama, and the two figures in it are us. I was five months’ pregnant when we were there this year, so they made me pregnant in the terrarium. It’s a fun homage to our past and our present and will always be a fun reminder of the pregnancy.”


Kitty Minky is cozy inside a cat tepee from Uncommon Goods.


The wooden bookshelf near the entry is a family heirloom that holds many of their collected pieces. The couple found the secretary on the street and painted it the same color as the walls so it would blend in. The handles are made from strips of leather and brass spikes. The secretary is topped with a statue of a horse, a gift to the couple, and scarves from Alexander McQueen. Another street find, a French vintage-looking mirror, sits above it.

Since their door is metal, McBurnett stocked up on magnets and uses it as an inspiration board.

Umbrella stand: Z Gallerie


Each shelf holds items that work together. On the top shelf is a wine bucket from Pottery Barn, candlesticks from McBurnett’s grandmother and bookends from the Chatuchak market in Bangkok.

The next shelf holds a wine bucket from Le Club 55 in St.-Tropez, France, Waylon’s framed birth announcement photo and a face vase from Marshalls.

The middle shelf has lava rocks from Iceland, the couple’s seashell collection (in cake stand) and collected coral.

The bottom shelf features a vintage ice bucket from Rebekah Brooks and a vintage box, a family treasure, which houses foreign currency from their travels.


McBurnett and Friend (seen here with Waylon) love their neighborhood, as there is so much to do right outside their door. Great restaurants, shops and beautiful brownstones make for a perfect stroll. Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum are a few blocks away. It’s a great spot for their family and for McBurnett’s brand-design firm, which is geared toward women-owned businesses.

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