“When people first walk into my apartment, they usually tell me, ‘I’m gonna need a little time to walk around,’” says Victoria Swier.
“Eclectic,” “a hodge podge” and “downright odd” are just a sampling of the phrases Victoria uses to describe the home she’s created for herself in a three-bedroom apartment on Buffalo’s West Side. She’s successfully transformed the space from looking like almost every other double-decker rental property in Buffalo to something of a museum exhibit.
Her living situation came from a friend’s referral to her current landlord, who has been very open to his tenant making the space her own. That’s included painting over the original grey walls (“They just weren’t me”) and using a sander to restore the original woodwork.
Why go to the trouble?
For one, Victoria is a true multi-hyphenate; she’s a designer, artist, photographer and home stager by trade. Her business, VS Collections, is a testament to her versatile background and offers clients a one-stop shop for all their design needs. Her expertise stems from a degree in interior design, her career foundations in kitchen and bath design and experience in visual merchandising in both Manhattan and South Carolina.
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Unsurprisingly, her ties to art aren’t just professional, but personal, too. She reminisces about growing up in Olean with parents who were artists in their own right. Both mom and dad worked in set design at a local theatre, and Victoria cites the memories of tagging along with them for giving her an appreciation for art at an early age.
What’s clear is that a lifelong eye for design has refined Victoria’s ability to not overthink it.
“I go by the mindset of, if I like it and I can find a place for it, then I’m going to go with it,” she says.
Inside a designer's sanctuary
Victoria grew up in a Victorian-era home built in the 1870s. Her continued love for “what is and what was” is best reflected in the eccentric collection of oddities and antiques adorning her apartment.
- Dead things, mostly by way of animal bones and taxidermy, are a theme throughout the apartment and a common ingredient in Victoria’s art. “I can honestly say that I’ve always had an affinity for the deceased,” she says. She’s passionate about giving these items a second life; that idea ties into her affinity for Egyptian culture, which is also well represented in her decor.
- There are many trinkets worth marveling at in Victoria’s snug sitting room, but one display that draws the eye is the gallery wedding wall, featuring photographs of weddings that have emotional significance to Victoria. It’s unexpectedly centered by the taxidermy mount of a spiral-horned antelope, one of Victoria’s many proud antiquing finds.
- Small changes helped further customize the space to her taste. Victoria doesn’t mince words and says she “hated” the original grey plank tile used in the kitchen and bathroom. This was remedied by peel and stick vinyl flooring, with a pattern selected because it matched the dark green hue she’s used throughout the apartment.
