Urban Spaces: Creative Couple's Shotgun-Style NYC Apartment

Dan and Dasha Faires turned their 375-square-foot Lower East Side apartment in New York City into an entertaining-savvy rustic home complete with a lush, texture-packed outdoor entertaining area.

Although the 375-square-foot apartment is modest in size, its 225-square-foot outdoor living space makes up for it. During the cool-weather months, it's likely to find Dan and Dasha spending just as much time outside as in their actual living room.

Avid fans of upgrading basic items into designer-caliber goods, Dasha and Dan picked up simple terra-cotta pots for their outdoor greenery, then spray-painted them in a satin finish for a moody, modern look.

The interior and exterior designs of Dan and Dasha's Lower East Side apartment have one cohesive look. To bring elements of rustic architecture to the outdoors in a practical manner, Dan built a partition wall from reclaimed wood beams he rescued from a building being demolished in New York City's Meatpacking District.