I’m excited to introduce my new series The Guest Room. I’ve been wanting to share renovation and design ideas from my most stylish and creative friends and other people I admire (but who don’t yet know that I’m going to be asking for a tour of their homes!). Each month, I’ll feature someone who will dig into what they’ve learned about creating a home they love, from personal insights to nuts-and-bolts tips.

First up: Christine Muhlke, who I’ve known since the early 2000s when we were both editors at T Magazine. Christine has also been an editor at Bon Appétit and The New York Times Magazine, she co-authored On the Line with Eric Ripert, among other books—including the upcoming Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings with Aldo Sohm (out Nov 18)—and is the founder of Bureau X food consultancy.

You might have read our candid conversation over on her Substack xtine, which I highly recommend subscribing to for boots-on-the-ground intel on travel, food, design, and culture. Something I’ve always admired about Christine is her discipline and thriftiness in pretty much every purchase she makes. She has an eye for a great bargain (Uniqlo’s oversize down coat) and a minimalist sensibility, but is especially skilled at saving up and spending money on extremely special things, like a vintage Hermès Evelyne bag—as well as real estate.

By her 30s, she had a place in upstate New York and a pied-à-terre in Paris on an editor’s salary. I chalked this up to savvy—which it is, along with determination and patience. Most recently, Christine bought and renovated an apartment in Chelsea for herself and her son (following multiple moves that put her on “first-name terms with Steinway Movers”).

Below, she focuses mostly on that “new” space and how she made it all work over the past 30 years in real estate and rental adventures. Homeward we go!

Yours in house-snooping,

Amanda ...