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Hess filled the niche with upholstered seating, a green onyx table with a custom powder-coated base, and tiered millwork at the ceiling. The hand-knotted, silk-blend carpet pillows are from Christiane Millinger, and light fixture is a blush-colored Gae Aulenti.

Before: Prior to the remodel, the space in the nook was underutilized despite having great windows overlooking the city.

Before: The fireplace had a lackluster treatment and scarce mantel space.

A new, sweeping plaster form flows around the fireplace, elongating the mantel and creating display shelves in a previously unused alcove. The convex tile treatment composed of Clé tile provides a rich contrast with the plaster, and the new hearth is marble.

Before: The living room was painted a drab gray that did no favors to the low-light room.

Bell-like Fritz Hansen dining room lamps and round wall elements enliven the living and dining room.

A layout that flows and the use of glass blocks brightens up the living and study rooms.

Glass blocks create a casual and connected relationship between the master bedroom and master bathroom.

Round elements in the master bedroom en suite include a roundish sink from Falper.

The console in the living room is designed as a fun and useful element.

Glass blocks from Seves are made from high-quality glass and a three-dimensional, luxurious appearance courtesy of the silver metal inner trims.

The primary bath upstairs was outfitted by Water Works.

Jordan scraped old paint from the transom window between the dining area and living room to once again let light shine through. The chandelier is a West Elm mobile that they bought used on eBay, the IKEA sofa was purchased secondhand on Craigslist, and the floor lamp base was saved from the trash on the Upper West Side. Jordan built the coffee and dining tables, and Shalini made all of the macrame plant hangers.

The couple crafted the living-room shelves out of Formica. They act as a display case for mementos and collectibles: Jordan’s vintage cameras, a carved antelope horn from the Majete Wildlife Reserve in Southern Malawi's Chickwawa district, a wooden sculpture from an installation designed by Shalini. A small wooden stool carved by artisans in Uganda’s Kitanyata region near Murchison Falls doubles as a plant stand.

The foyer now functions as an office and storage area. Jordan built the butcher-block desk and the bench, which is softened by a blanket the couple bought in Tulum, Mexico; the three-legged stool beside it is from that same trip. The map of Africa was a happy find from the dumpster of a public school in Harlem.

Much of the couple’s furniture is secondhand or from big-box retailers. They also invested in a few key midcentury modern pieces, like the chest of drawers in the bedroom. It’s topped with a pineapple lamp found in Jordan’s grandmother’s house, as well as items from Southern Malawi: a giraffe figurine from the Liwonde Game Preserve and a cedar box purchased at the foothills of Mount Mulanje. Jordan made the wall-mounted shelf that hangs above, which holds Salvador Dali elephants that Shalini bought on a trip to Pamplona, Spain; a basket made by local craftspeople in the Stellenbosch region outside Capetown, South Africa; and one of Jordan’s many vintage cameras.

The refurbished transom window opens to allow extra air flow throughout the apartment. "I waited for a thunderstorm, and smashed out decades of paint every time there was a big crack of lightning," says Jordan.

A fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Super Hide Ultra White flat paint brightened the apartment. The accent pillows, made of African mudcloth, were sewn by Jordan's sister. The rattan rocker is from Article.