Who: Liz Sparacio
Where: Northern Liberties, Philadelphia
Style: Modern eclectic loft
"The city's once-bleak landscape — vacant historic buildings, sidewalks that emptied after dark — has been transformed so dramatically newcomers can't imagine Philly's past" writes Lauren McCutcheon in a Philadelphia Inquirer profile of the beloved Philadelphia vintage store Jinxed. Indeed, Jinxed, with its four locations across the city, has made its name taking pieces of an older, decaying Philly and reimagining them for a demographic of eclectic, design-minded customers — often younger, often newcomers. And as one of its buyers, Liz Sparacio has had her hand in curating Jinxed's wide-ranging wares.
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An ever-rotating sample of those wares makes it into her half of a 2400-square-foot, light-filled, 1800s-era industrial loft space, which she shares with the artist Jennifer Baker.
"When you walk in, the space really opens up right in front of you," says Sparacio. "The tall ceilings and the incredible natural light beaming through the huge windows was stunning to see for the first time." And she loved how much of the building's original integrity remained intact.
"The open floor plan, with the arched cubed windows, wooden beamed ceiling, exposed cylindrical water tank and brick walls, certainly lends itself toward being an industrial loft, but with my decor choices, I tried to create a warm and layered home, using non-stuffy and inviting items," she explains.
The challenge, however, is to find pieces of furniture and decor that do double duty, particularly since there are no closets or real storage. "Form versus function is a constant consideration," says Sparacio. One solution — Sparacio turned the one bedroom in the open space into her walk-in closet, and sleeps upstairs in a dream-like loft, with a skylight that opens to the roof.
"Even with all of its quirks, this space gives me the opportunity to explore different kinds shapes, layouts, and styles without feeling restricted by four white walls or needing to follow any rules."
