# @dwellmagazine on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcbyTucD_IG
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69698905-dwellmagazine-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/87c97f2e11.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-24T19:12:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Dwell (@dwellmagazine) — https://gondola.cc/dwellmagazine

## Caption

When campbellpearson decided to renovate her rental, where she’s lived since 2018, she set herself up for a challenge. In NYC, money leaves your hand quickly—but Catherine is crafty and she’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves. For work, she acts as a set designer and art director for luxury and design clients, including Balmain, Vanity Fair, and L’Officiel. And while Catherine’s worked with modest budgets before, her renovation fund was especially tight: She gave herself $1,000 cash to cover all costs. She was also starting with a pretty blank canvas: Her 475-square-foot apartment was spacious enough, but she’d never really invested in making it her own. When she first moved in, she cordoned off one room as a studio, and she left it modestly decorated after she moved her practice off-site. Some people might find it surprising that a prop stylist lived in such a pared-down apartment, but Catherine’s collection of design pieces sometimes felt more professional than personal. “The challenge with this renovation was finding a balance between bringing the things that I love into my space, to make it somewhere really specific to me that exists outside of a brief or anyone else’s opinion,” she says, “but also not feeling like I’m drowning in my work.” Very understandable sentiment. And like many DIY projects, Catherine’s rental renovation is a process, not an end product. But $1,000 later, it seems her project was a success. “As soon as I walk in the door, I’m really happy to be here. It’s made a huge difference in really embracing that this is my home.” See Catherine’s entire #RentalRevamp—and where every dollar went—at the link in bio.
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Photos by chauntevaughn
Story by nathanmagazine

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## Tags

rentalrevamp

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