Tara Marzuki

Content Creator / Brooklyn, NY

Tara's home was one of my inspirations when I was moving into my apartment. I've been watching her YouTube channel for so long, remember her first time renovating this space and how far it has come. Her Brooklyn loft is the perfect definition of designing with intention. In her words she is a big fan of romanticizing and beautifying both her space and moments in her life, reflecting on the energy of this space. I also love how she takes on DIY projects and changes up the loft, that she talks about in detail in the interview. Her loft is also available on Peerspace to book for creative projects, which was her goal from the beginning: to create a home where others can get inspired and inspire. As a long time follower, I am really excited to share this interview! Enjoy :)

You can follow her @tarmarz, @loverssunday and @abrooklynloft :) For her Youtube channel, click here.

The loft has changed a lot since its first version. The gallery wall, built-in cabinets, floors... Can we get some of your recommendations for DIY projects? Also a couple recs for creating a gallery wall from zero, would really love some insights on it :)

I love DIY projects,  I find if you keep the design simple they can turn out really well! There's a lot of vertical repeating line patterns all around the apartment that are a little nod to Japanese design. I studied wood working at school so I picked up a lot of skills I use in my DIYs through that.   have some reels on my IG documenting a lot of the DIY work and also all the changes over the last two years can be found on my youtube channel Tar Mar under a 'Loft Playlist' if you're interested in seeing what it looked like at first. I think open shelving is an easy one that always looks great in a kitchen though and doesn't require a huge amount of skill. 

I love solving little design problems so for example I built the backsplash myself because I wanted something sturdy but temporary - a lot of the temporary rental solutions to backsplashes are a bit shit! I love the texture it adds to the kitchen.

Gallery walls are tough but I find taking a picture of your wall space and using photoshop to puzzle prints you have with prints your thinking of buying until you come up with a version you like saves a lot of time and money because you'll be able to get a rough idea of what sizes you need. Buying prints is very overwhelming but this technique will help narrow down what really works in your space and not just what you like. I like to start with my favorite print and build around it.

I also want to give a special shoutout to your new passion project, brand, Lovers Sunday. You say in your own videos that this year has allowed you to really start expressing your true passions, interests, your true self with your audience. Lovers Sunday is a beautiful outcome of it. Would you talk about it a bit?

Thank you. Yes, Lovers Sunday is my passion project - it's an Instagram mood board page that is a mix of all art forms and recently I launched clothing and product brand to compliment it.

I'm a big fan of romanticizing and beautifying both my space and moments in my life where I can. I have my space quite minimal as I find that's what I need to have a creative flow with all my projects in general.

Where do you mostly shop for your interior? Would you give some recs and neighborhood favorites for our readers?

Home Union has been my go to as it's not far from my neighborhood and naturally i've picked up quite a few pieces from there like my Peter Danko wavy chair from the 70's that I love and some Alvar Aalto bits and bobs. The store always makes me happy too - some mid century stores can be a bit drab and samey!

Tell us a bit about both of you, who are you?

I’m Tara, an Irish content creator and creative based in Brooklyn.

Your loft is a unique space, it's one big canvas and you've done a lot of work to bring it where it is today. How did you start changing and designing your space? Can you talk about how it evolved into what it is today?

When I saw it first it wasn't in great shape but I saw the potential in it. Mainly it was one of the few lofts in my budget that actually had basic facilities- it's amazing how many lofts are available for residential renting that have no bathrooms or kitchens! This one was the right size and shape for my needs, not too big not too small. 

Other apartments in the block had made quite big changes to their space so I knew once I was making the space more attractive and functional my landlord wouldn't mind and they liked the changes which is great! It's super rare to have such flexibility with a rental so figured why not take advantage of that.

I had two weeks to do work to the apartment before moving in so we got straight to work on stripping and painting the floors white to make the apartment as bright as possible - since there's no direct sunlight on my side of the building and it was rather dark, this made a huge difference to bouncing light around in the apartment. 

After that it was a blank canvas to play with - I intended on bringing colour in through the furniture and with the art I chose.

You also started renting out your space for other creators to use it as a studio. How did that come to life, and do you have any routines/rituals to keep your space sacred while sharing it with the world?

This was my intention from the very beginning and how I justified the rent at the time. I knew I could create a multi-purpose space and as somebody that rented a lot of shoot spaces in the past I knew there was a need for a hybrid shoot/home styled space. 

I love that i'm able to work with other creatives, and see what they do in my space. That's very fulfilling to me.

I use the platform Peerspace which is a bit like airbnb where everyone is vetted / reviewed and have had only great experiences so far! 

I'm a very aware person when it comes to energy shifts and this home is truly my zen haven in New York but I have been taught a few techniques to keep it this way - for all my bookings I do a very intentional meditation to keep my space neutral and safe.

Do you have a dream furniture piece on your mind?

Of course! I am always thinking of what I’d like next but I stopped buying mass produced new furniture two years ago and it turns out when it comes to vintage I have quite expensive taste - which means new in pieces are few and far between. 

I would love a burl dining table, a cool vintage sofa (something interesting but not as common like some of the vintage styles back in trend at the moment), and an large Aesthetic Pursuit x Home Union rug - if any one wants to give me the money that would be great :)

Lastly, would you share where you get some furniture for the space?

The wavy chair I mentioned and my original Magritte exhibit poster are probable my favorite pieces (along with my hybrid mattress bed which is a prized possession of comfort from Leesa).

I've had everything for a while but the dining chairs are replicas from France and Sons but I really like them, and my coffee table is old Wayfair from years ago and I get asked a lot where it's from still! I think there's still some great pieces to be found on a budget of you choose carefully!