The East Village has a look and feel that has been cultivated for years by artistic and innovative New Yorkers pursuing their visions. Their common denominator? The ability to follow their own gut instincts when it comes to how they live. When you move in to your rental at EVGB in the East Village, follow your instincts when decorating the living space. Make it truly your own. Allow yourself to be inspired by the independent spirit of the East Village, and by the houseware and design shops run by tastemakers and trendsetters who will help you find the perfect pieces to match your style and take it in new directions.

Perhaps there is no one in New York who embodies the concept of tasteful and imaginative design like John Derian. His shop has become a Downtown institution, and a place so filled with unexpected treasures that it gives you good reason to see your home decor as a work that is always in progress. While the shop is the perfect place to outfit your home with exceptionally crafted and sourced essentials, it is also a storehouse for rare finds that will make your living space feel like no other. Deck out your bed with the Triple Vintage Sari Blanket in Rust, by London’s Jeanette Farrier. Made with vintage cotton fabrics used for saris, it will transform your bedroom into a space made decadent by the warm colors and entrancing patterns, which span distances and histories. If you want to let Derian’s eye lead you into otherworldly territory, you can hang a papier mâché model of Jupiter, Saturn, or Mercury from your living room ceiling. Derian gives you the tools to redefine what it means to decorate a space.

For household essentials that are not only functional but also give a nod to smart and elegant design, Lancelotti Housewares is a one-stop shop for outfitting not only your kitchen, but your entire home. Here, you will find mugs, bowls, pillows, candles, tables, and potholders created by expert chefs and designers like Nigella Lawson and Jonathan Adler. This place is packed with brilliant design that you are sure to find inspiration and utility everywhere you look.

Getting the interior design of your East Village rental just right is an ongoing creative process, and sometimes a simple and natural approach works beautifully. What better way to fill a room with the colors and scents to suit your mood than to bring in a bouquet of flowers? Blue Meadow Flowers is a flower studio that knows in its bones that flower arranging is an art form. They create arrangements that look like they were taken right out of a Chardin still life. Forge a relationship with this florist and you can regularly add that extra dimension that flowers can open to any room, creating your perfect sanctuary in the heart of the East Village.