NYC Ridgewood, Queens Home Tour Part 2 with James Kivior

February is seasonally the most boring time in NYC as there's no life in the trees and the snow fall is the most scenic attraction. To distract you from this dreary time I'm taking you into the extraordinary home of James Kivior of @thepretentioushome. James's 600 square foot pad is located int he heart of Ridgewood, Queens which borders Bushwick Brooklyn. Feast your eyes on his eclectic, whimsical space that is filled with great ideas and decor inspo. NYC is the land of the most unique homes that all share a different story. Check out my live tour on IGTV @tanika_nyclifestyle.

Jame's Take on Living in NYC

1. You lived in your rental apartment for 10 years; what inspired you to make new updates? Lately, being at home for the past year due to Covid I've become really bored with my home. I needed a little project to keep me inspired and to keep my IG followers interested. With the free time I was able to make some small changes that I had planned to do for the longest time.

2. Do you see yourself living in Ridgewood, Queens for the next few years or do you have plans to move? If so, where to next? I'm locked into this lease for 2 more years. Ultimately, I would like to move down south to Chattanooga or Greenville, SC.

3. What are your favorite colors for home decor and for your wardrobe? My wardrobe and the colors of my home are very different. I typically wear a lot of black and grey. In my home I love coral red and malachite green.

4. Tell us which design trend you're tired of seeing in interior spaces? I'm tired of all design trends. I'm super jaded LOL.

5. If you could move to another country; where would you go and why? I think I would really love to live in France or Italy. I would love to go to their flea markets.

6. Why do you love living in a colorful home vs. a neutral one? If you actually take the pops of color out of my apartment and really look at the foundation of my design it is actually quite neutral (black walls, animal print). I find when you have a neutral foundation you can easily incorporate color into your design.

7. Name your favorite Interior Designers? My faves would be Tony Duquette, Jacques Garcia, Garrow Kedigian

8. Can you give a few tips on how to make your home a maximalist dream? I abide by the more is more philosophy but I still have some constraints. Just because the style is maximalism doesn't mean the home should be cluttered and filled with tchotchkes which so many people think that's what maximalism is. I like to layer colors and textures that's how I have a maximalist home. I do this unapologetically....if I think it works then I leave it in and don't care what someone thinks about it (unless they're rude). It's taken me years to get my home to where it is, this didn't happen overnight.

9. Where did you find your taxidermys and other curiosity pieces? I usually get my taxidermy pieces from other collectors and taxidermists.

10. At what age did you realize that you love Interior Design? And who inspired you to get started on your home? I think I fell in love with design when I was in high school. My bedroom was this awesome basement apartment in our home, I had so much space and spent a lot of time decorating it. I was always so proud to bring friends over. The person that inspired me to get started on my home was a good friend named Nunya Bisnez.