Meet Apartment Therapy’s New Cover Boy: Mat Sanders

Here's what I love: comedy. Also: amazing home design. And: gorgeously hot people who like to discuss amazing home design whilst also making me laugh.

This guest post does all three, which means that I am currently oozing with all kinds of lovely-love. Actress, model, comedian, and Real Simple staffer Guerrin Gardner was gracious enough to interview her best friend, actor and comedian Mat Sanders, to reminisce about Mat's former apartment (nicknamed the "S.S.Waverly" due to its location and fanciful nautical theme), which was selected as the cover of the new Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, on bookshelves today.

Take a look. And thanks so muchery for the post, you funny hotties.

Guerrin: Mat! You’re a cover boy!

Mat: I know! Can you believe it?

G: Yes, yes I can. ‘Cause I’m holding an advance copy in my hands right now...and Apartment Therapy, no less?

M: Landing the cover of an interior design book? Scratch that off the bucket list. Next up, running a 5k.

(Both throw their heads back in laughter.)

G: Just look at these beautiful pictures of your space. They’ve really captured the playful and inventive essence of your wonderful little apartment. It’s so untraditional--like a whimsical, kid-concocted tree fort. A lot of people would shy away from renting an apartment where they slept above the kitchen, but you jumped at the opportunity to make it your own.

M: Totally. When I first took the apartment it was left with a damaged organ, a huge dirty grandma rug, and on the wall there was a large pencil drawing of a sad-faced clown being rained on. It was kind of a disaster.

G. Yeesh, nothing says “Home Sweet Home” like depressing clown art.

M. And nothing gets a party started like the gloomy sound of an out-of-tune organ. But, despite the apartment’s ramshackle appearance, I could see the versatility in the space.

G: I love that you decided to go with a nautical theme. Whenever I visited, it always felt like being back in our home state of Florida. What was it about the space that inspired you to make such a bold decision?

M: I do have a love for the ease and breeze of the nautical lifestyle, and living in that space was kind of like living on a boat. I mean, I had to climb up and down ladders to do basic things such as getting dressed or going to sleep every day. When contemplating the design, it hit me. One half of the apartment was like the cabin and the other half was like being on the deck of a ship. So I painted two of the walls and 18ft. ceilings navy blue and dressed the windows with white linen curtains reminiscent of giant sails. The loft above the galley kitchen was then regarded as the crow’s nest, the sit-in closet above the bathroom was deemed the poop deck, and because I lived on Waverly Place, so was the space christened the S.S.Waverly.

G: This apartment was so much fun, and I was always blown away by how many people you could fit in just 250 square feet. It was a true testament to the functionality of the space.

M: Yeah, it was a very social apartment. The tides of Sixth Avenue were constantly washing up someone new on my doorstep.

G: We did have a time--dinner parties, Sunday brunches, holiday get-togethers...impromptu play readings! That crow’s nest always provided the perfect stage for us to try out some new material in front an audience down below.

M: Yes, and because I packed ‘em like sardines and we were perched so far above their heads, they really had no choice but to listen, did they?

G: It was genius really. So what was the biggest challenge in creating the S.S. Waverly?

M: Let’s be honest--storage solutions. I have a lot of clothes, so the decision to dedicate one of the lofts as a closet was a no-brainer. But the kitchen was another story. Since I love to bake and entertain, I wanted everything to be accessible and organized. I removed the cabinet doors to open up the space and filled the shelves with items that are both useful and aesthetically pleasing. I stored my pantry items in galvanized tins under the countertop, and appliances were hidden away behind curtains I made out of vintage mattress ticking.

G: You do hate an unsightly appliance.

M: There’s nothing worse.

G: You’re always flipping your lid over that Mr. Coffee.

M: I asked you never to bring that up again.

G: I don’t what the big deal is??? I think they look like precious little R2-D2s. So besides storage solutions, what are some of your other small space tricks?

M: In a small space, paint is your best best friend. It’s a relatively easy and inexpensive solution that, if applied correctly, can add great dimension and dramatically change the way an apartment feels. I literally painted every surface, from the walls and ceilings to the cabinets and floors, but it was all very strategic. For instance, I painted the walls and ceiling one color to trick the eye into thinking there is no end to the height of the room. It always felt very vast, like being outside surrounded by the night sky.

G: And the great thing is you never really had to sacrifice typical amenities just because you live in a small apartment.

M: Yeah, I think it’s all about finding every pocket of space and using it to your advantage. The area under the stairs provided a wonderful nook for a hideaway captains desk, and when Christmas came and I had no room for a tree, I hung a fully decorated 6-footer upside-down from the light fixture in the ceiling.

G: Upside-down or not, I have to say that was one of the most impeccably decorated Christmas trees I’ve ever seen. It even had a real starfish on top...er, bottom. You obviously cherished this space and all its unique and quirky elements. But you’ve since moved to more spacious digs in Brooklyn. What made you jump ship?

M: Well, the building was being sold, and without getting into too many details, the decision involved my scary landlord handing me a greasy paper bag filled with a large stack of fifties and asking me to be out by the end of the month.

G: Oh my. So, do tell. What are you plans for the new space?

M: I’m currently obsessed with the mad-style of Ernest Hemingway, so my new place is inspired by his masculine, adventurous tastes. I’m one Craigslist post away from shedding some of the nautical paraphernalia, but naturally, I want to hold on to some stuff and infuse it with my new concept.

G: Well, congratulations on landing the cover, Giselle. And I’m glad to know that your inner seafarer will be reflected in your new home.

M: Well you know what they say. Once you go boat, you never go back.

(Both throw their head back in laughter.)

Among other fantastical projects, Mat and Guerrin have appeared as Sandy the Dandy and Charlie McGee, which was a critics' pick in Time Out New York, The Onion, and NYTheatre.com. They're currently developing a multitude of new comedic ventures, including a monthly comedy variety show and a live-action, highly stylized version of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Meet them now at toomuchery.com.





Images copyright Guerrin Gardner, Mat Sanders, and Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces