When Patrick Seeley moved into a 1,200 square-foot loft in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in 2003, he never expected the space would reflect his life so intricately, visually changing with each iteration or major milestone he experienced.
“I’ve built rooms, torn them down, rebuilt them again, and created different realities,” said Mr. Seeley, 46, a lighting designer for “Saturday Night Live.” “Every major life change I’ve had, I’ve been able to express in this apartment.”
Nor did he think he’d still inhabit the space 20-plus years later. But three engagements, two marriages, one divorce and three children later, he’s still residing in the apartment, in a building that used to be a luggage factory.
Back in 2003, Mr. Seeley, then 23 was living with his girlfriend in Park Slope and paying $1,000 a month for a first-floor, 400-square foot studio apartment. A Portland native, he moved to New York in 1997. For a short stint, he became a licensed real estate broker, and got a job at a now-closed real estate agency in New York.
One morning, he stumbled upon “an oddball listing that had no real description except an address and square footage, that the loft was on the fourth floor, and was $900 a month,” said Mr. Seeley, who went to view the space a day or so later with his girlfriend, and a friend who was looking for a place to live.
“When we walked in, it was cold and industrial looking, but the space was amazing — a huge rectangle with exposed brick, big windows and high ceilings. It was three times larger than where I was living, and we could creatively make it our playground.”
The trio moved in a month later.
This story has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
2003-2007
Adding Walls The previous tenant left lumber behind. We used it to build a second floor over the entranceway and kitchen. That became two, 400-square-foot bedrooms. We built closets and stairs, added walls and doors, and created an art studio on the main floor by the windows.
Making It Livable The kitchen only had a sink and a counter. We built and tiled a wraparound countertop, and added waist-heigh cabinets, which shut off the area from the rest of the room. The bathroom was disgusting. The kind you’d find in a gas station when you needed to ask for the key. I painted a sky, clouds and grass to make it cheerful; it made it worse.
Failing Relationships My friend lasted six months. I got engaged. We tried living together with just us. I got a job doing lighting for events at the Rainbow Room. Twelve days before my wedding in June 2007, my girlfriend broke up with me.
2007-2012
Adding Wheels A rotation of people moved into the second bedroom upstairs. Someone built a closet; another a desk. Those are still here. I built a second room, which became a motorcycle shop, using an additional section of the large living room. I became obsessed with fixing the motorcycles. I like to build, customize, and improve things. At the height, I had three in the apartment and two in the courtyard. I fixed them for myself and sold them over the years, not for a profit.
New Job, New Romance I started working part-time for “S.N.L.,” and started dating. I got engaged in the summer of 2010, and married in 2011. I removed a wall to expand our bedroom. My wife, a minimalist, redecorated and painted everything white. We tore up the kitchen, added a counter, replaced the sink, and got new appliances. The management company remodeled the bathroom. The space felt adult and beautiful. The once traveling sideshow circus became cohesive. Then I got divorced 11 months later. I kept the apartment because it was my home. My ex-wife wasn’t in it long enough to have that feeling.
2012-2014
Building a Cabin I put back the dividing wall upstairs, recreating the original two bedrooms and rented them out. Same for the art studio. I moved downstairs and expanded the motorcycle shop again, extending the wall an additional eight feet so it could double as my bedroom. The room became known as my cabin because I used wood instead of drywall.
Many People, One Bathroom Everyone who rented from me had a girlfriend. Suddenly, I was living in a crowded commune with dogs running around. We started throwing parties. It became too much.
2014-2019
A Treehouse I got hired as a lighting technician on the show “Portlandia,” which filmed in Portland. “S.N.L.” needed me Thursday through Sunday. I started commuting. I rented out the cabin and built a 150-square-foot, second-floor room above the art studio, called the treehouse. It fit a bed and dresser and allowed me to have a footprint in the apartment while I was in Portland.
Finding Love, Moving Back While in Portland, I reconnected with a high school friend, Lauren, who was going through a divorce, and had two children. We started dating, and got engaged in 2015. The following year we had our son, Oliver, and got married, making us a family of five. Juggling two jobs in two different states was exhausting. We quickly outgrew Portland. Lauren, an eclectic romantic who had seen the loft over the past few years, loved the space, too. We moved back east.
2019-Present
Fold in Children The two existing roommates vacated in 2019. One of the bedrooms on the top floor became storage, the other was used by Lauren’s then 9-year-old daughter, Gwen. The art studio became Oliver’s, then 3, which we decked out in toys. Lincoln, her son, then 15, stayed in Portland to live with his dad. The treehouse became a guest room and it’s where Lincoln stays when he visits.
A Full Face-lift Lauren and I moved into the cabin, which got a face-lift. We repainted and redesigned everything. The kitchen is now coral. We replaced the couch, dining room table and chairs. My motorcycle punk rock aesthetic became less edgy. The décor became a collaboration. Our vibe came together to make a comfortable, warm, loving home from what used to be a chaotic space full of loud music, parties and the occasional fist fight. The rent is now $3,200, but that’s still inexpensive. This once empty, dirty loft became a serene oasis with a soul.
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