Inside Sandy Liang’s New York Home New York’s buzziest emerging designer opens up her Lower East Side home

I’ve had this apartment since senior year of college, almost four years ago. I found it with my brother as he was going to law school and wanted to live in the city as well. He moved out after living together for one year, so now it’s all mine. Just my dog, Tim Tam and me.

My home is clean but also covered in dog fur! I’m obsessed with cleaning, but it’s challenging with a dog that sheds constantly. I kind of collect things I like and move things around. I try to have my plants out and happy, although they are currently looking quite sad.

My studio is just two blocks away from my apartment so I’m fortunate that I can really just be at home when I’m at home. I think that work/life separation is so necessary and important for your mental health - especially when you run your own business.

I love having friends over. I had an Ina Garten inspired Friendsgiving potluck party not too long ago with a bunch of friends. My apartment is quite small but it was a lot of fun squishing everyone in here with tons of food. My friends were sitting on the floor eating and we had pink lights on with Barefoot Contessa playing on the television, it was lovely.

A few of my favourite things: my copy of Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger, my Ponyo poster, my big philodendron plant in my dad’s old pot, a vase that I stole from my dad’s restaurant and my Le Creuset that I’ve been coveting for just about forever.

Both in fashion and in home, nothing is really too orchestrated. I’m not really trying for a particular feel or look in my home, it’s just about keeping things neat and cozy. I recently read Marie Kondo’s book about tidying up your home by throwing out anything that doesn’t “spark joy” for you - so I really took that to heart and threw out a lot of things. It felt great!

I can be super OCD about where things go in my space. I definitely get that from my dad, he’s even worse than I am. He absolutely will not tolerate anything on our kitchen counters in our family house in Queens. At first, I used to think he was insane, but I’m just like him now.

“My family is obsessed with Chinese New Year. It’s our Christmas, Thanksgiving, NYE, Easter, plus every other holiday you can think of rolled into one. My brother and I always go home to our house in Queen’s and we decorate the house the night before and eat a huge dinner. We always have the sticky doughy rice balls filled with sesame or Bird’s Nest. We’ll burn incense for our ancestors and eat all the traditional foods. The next morning we’ll wake up to the loudest Chinese New Year’s music that my dad is blasting from downstairs. Then we get our red envelopes and eat a vegetarian breakfast. My dad usually has dragon dancers organised for his company so we’ll go over and watch that for a while. I’m getting so excited just thinking about it now!