A couple’s first apartment together is always a big event — but it was even more so for artist Aniella Matejovsky and her husband, Tobias. For years, the couple commuted between Venezuela and New York. Once in New York, they yo-yoed between unsatisfactory rentals. When they finally decided to buy a one-bedroom in a postwar building, they came across challenges that only a pro could make right. Enter Homepolish designer Tali Roth, who aced solutions for what she called “a vanilla box with poor lighting; a closed, out-of-date kitchen; and a terrible bathroom.”

Every corner presents an opportunity. Above, Roth created an art niche and office with wallpaper from Anthropologie and a desk table from CB2. The artwork is by Matejovsky and the lighting is the Dot Line Suspension from Lambert & Fils.