Built Among the Beeping

There was something to brighten up a New York City gloomy Tuesday afternoon.  The Country Living “Room to Spare” was tucked away in Battery Park City near the Financial District (let me tell you it was not easy to find) but worth the search.  

Country Living created the 2012 House of the Year built by Affinity Building Systems.  The “Room to Spare” brings that country feel to the busy New York City streets.  Normally displayed with just one cottage, this year the editors of Country Living designed three micro-cottages that were placed within steps from each other.   Not only did the editors have a hand in the quaint finishes, but guest designers and experts Thomas Paul, Marcus Samuelsson and Ruard Veltman decorated and styled the look.  From the bathroom to the kitchen to the guest bedroom, each was adorned with the finest appliances, interior design and looks for the season.  Each cottage was small, running less than 1000 square feet, but remained quite roomy, tasteful and incredibly efficient.

“Comfortable, simple, honest” is the motto of Ballard Designs, the interior furnishings sponsor of the 2012 Country Living Home of the Year.  The three micro-cottages included a guest bedroom, kitchen/outdoor dining and studio/office. There was even a country scent in each cottage of freshly placed wood and new appliances.  Each room was fabulously designed with the perfect rustic feel with the interesting and disconnected sound of taxis beeping all around you.

The excitement doesn’t have to end in the famous city.  The entire “Room to Spare” can be yours all intact. It can be purchased and moved to your location to make you the most stylish neighbor on the block.    

The “Room to Spare” exhibit was dismantled just after my visit, but you can check out the feature in the September 2012 issue of Country Living!