Lindsay Rabkin works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in collections management. But for Rabkin, collections management is more of a way of life than just a job. Walking into her darling apartment that she shares with her fiancé, Matt Kaiser, collections abound, from doorknobs to art to vases. Kaiser shares her passion and together, they have created a charmingly idiosyncratic haven in a secondfloor Astoria home. “When we moved in together, our stuff meshed pretty well,” Kaiser said. A promising sign! Kaiser and Rabkin moved into their Astoria place together two and a half years ago after having what New Yorkers would call a “longdistance relationship,” commuting between Clinton Hill and Astoria, where Kaiser was already based. Combining possessions is always a tricky task, but Rabkin and Kaiser navigated this transition with ease — though they did admit that they have had to scale back their wedding registry as they can’t fit much more into their space! “One of our favorite things to do is go to the biannual rummage sale in New Jersey called the VNA,” Rabkin told me. “We bring back what we find on the train and almost die in the process!” Rabkin and Kaiser find their treasures all over, from Astoria to New Jersey and even Rabkin’s grandmother’s house in Florida. “We get a lot of really weird and cool stuff from Astoria Furniture Market,” Rabkin said, pointing out a chess set she had gotten there as a surprise birthday gift for Kaiser. “The dining table is from the same place,” Rabkin told me. “It had an awful vinyl covering on it, but Matt took it off and started sanding it and there was this beautiful finish under it.” “Which we then destroyed by putting drinks on it,” Kaiser added. 46 JANUARY 2 0 1 7 In the living room is a yellow chest used for storage that Rabkin got from Junk, an antique store in Williamsburg. “We put it on the bus, sat on it for the ride home,” Rabkin told me, laughing. “I put the doorknobs on,” she said of the cute handles that look like old-timey clock faces. “I have a collection of them for when we move.” Photos: Ruthie Darling/BORO INTERIOR DESIGN
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