A home does not have to follow a fixed style to feel thoughtfully designed. This Pittsburgh home full of eclectic decor shows how vintage finds, handmade art, personal collections, and a willingness to keep changing things can turn a house into a space that feels creative and deeply personal.

Stylist Danny Mankin’s Pittsburgh Home Full of Folk Art and Vintage Decor

“We’re constantly swapping, editing, tinkering,” says Danny Mankin (@dannymankin), interior designer and stylist of the home that he and his husband, artist Kirsten Necochea (@krnecochea), share with their two dogs. “Our minds are constantly churning in a creative form one way or the other,” he adds. “The space is a living, breathing entity. That gives us an opportunity to express our creativity through objects or placement or stories that we tell through our connection to those objects and art,” remarks Necochea. Both agree that the place will likely look very different a year from now.

Mankin and Necochea moved to Pittsburgh about two and a half years ago from Los Angeles, swapping a two-bedroom, 980-square-foot house for a five-bedroom space that is considerably larger. The myriad objects can serve different purposes at different times. Mankin’s work as a stylist keeps him busy here in Pittsburgh, where TABLE Magazine is just one of his clients, as well as along both West and East coasts. “We have a pretty extensive inventory. Pieces might live in the house, at least for a while, if they’re something we’re particularly enjoying, or be moved to the basement for later use on a shoot.”

Objects With a Story Take Center Stage When Decorating

They are primarily drawn to handmade pieces by an artisan or craftsperson, be it a thrown terracotta bowl or a wind chime or a Tramp Art rooster sculpture adorned with nails. “We love things that have a story behind them. Maybe they’ve lived a previous life,” says Mankin. “It’s very, very seldom that we buy something new.” Throughout the house are alaso original pieces painted or created by Necochea, with more coming into bloom in his studio. A cactus in the kitchen is a reminder of the couple’s California roots. Mankin grew up in Joshua Tree, while Necochea grew up in San Diego.

A discerning eye will also note additional traces of The Golden State. The aesthetics of the California Arts and Crafts movement come through in the colors chosen for the walls. They also appear in much of the pottery throughout the house. Additionally, collections of rocks and shells appear and reappear like a nostalgic visual refrain.

Curating Their Continuum Catalog

In 2014, the couple started a brand called Casa Cochekin, now called Continuum Catalog (@continuumcatalog), an online source for some of their unique finds. “It’s a collection of folk meets Brutalist meets my culture, which is Mexican Greek. And we try to incorporate the cultural aspect into our rooms,” says Necochea, “We’re always thinking about what defines us as people.” They have amassed quite a lot of great things, and laugh about where all this stuff will eventually end up.

For a backdrop to their collections, they originally painted the whole place white as a “palate cleanser,” living in the home first before settling on wall colors. “I’m glad we waited to pick colors because now we have a much better understanding as to the light and how the light travels throughout the seasons,” says Mankin.

After living in LA, they call this their “country house,” leaning into some Pennsylvania and Amish craft vibes. On a wall in the dining room lives a collection of pieces they have either found at antique stores or have acquired from artists, friends, or have been gifted by people whom they love, forming a sort of private exhibition of the handmade. (Museum exhibition designers could learn a few things from this arrangement alone.) Several are by two local artists and others are objects that have moved with them for almost 17 years.

It’s Okay to Change Your Arrangement

A pair of lamps, currently used in their bedroom, has been with them equally long. “They’ve morphed into many different flavors. They’ve worn all kinds of different lampshades. And they’ve lived in the living room. They’ve lived in a dining room,” says Mankin. What once was the base for a glass table is now used as a metal sculpture that now sits in front of a fireplace. In a first for them, they recently installed wallpaper in a powder room, by a local artist and close friend, Cara George of Otea Textiles (@oteatextiles), whom they followed to Western Pennsylvania from Los Angeles.

The two avoid predetermining what a space will be, i.e., trying to capture a feeling before experiencing it. (People rush to decorate based on something they’ve seen on social media or they follow a trend.) “You have to be in a space for a long time to really understand how you want to feel in it,” says Mankin.

Working Studios Into the Home

Both maintain studios in the home. Mankin says that his is where he does the majority of his work, but it is also a place where he creates. “It’s where I rediscover the uninhibitedness of childhood,” he says. In his space, Necochea was able to get through a big life transition, including retiring at 50, with his art.

One of the couple’s favorite works is an abstract of clouds that was inspired, in part, by the Joni Mitchell song Both Sides Now and a lot of time looking up at the sky. The painting, until recently, was in the dining room, but has since moved into their den.

“We are not afraid to take risks,” says Mankin. “We understand ourselves enough to know that everything is worth trying. And if it doesn’t work, nothing’s permanent.” And nothing—even larger furniture pieces—remains sedentary.

The leather sofa in the living area resides in different places in different seasons, placed closer to the fireplace in winter to form a cozy area, and further away in summer to open up the space. “We laugh because we say our neighbors probably look into our windows at night and say, ‘They’re at it again!’”

About the Author

Stephen Treffinger is a Contributing Editor at TABLE Magazine. He also covers interiors, design, travel, and technology for New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Domino, Financial Times, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Interior Design, Elle Decor, Travel + Leisure, Vogue Living (Australia), Departures, and many others. 

About the Stylist

Danny Mankin is a Contributing Editor at TABLE Magazine, styling and writing fashion, design, and lifestyle features. A Pittsburgh-based creative director with 13+ years of experience, his past clients and collaborators include Nordstrom and Jeremiah Brent Design. He also runs his own studio, Danny Mankin Creative. 

Photography by Erin Kelly

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.