一家一壁龛,展现迥异生活趣味

The prospectus for 44 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, a six-story brick apartment building finished in 1940, promised all sorts of modern amenities: Venetian blinds, concealed radiation, radio outlets in every room. But it neglected to herald one of the building's niftiest architectural features. In one wall of most of the foyers is an arched bookshelf niche, a Moderne version of the china cabinet. Like china cabinets, the niches were intended to be a place for the display of more than just books — where folks could show off their best (and most carefully edited) selves, as an environmental psychologist might say.

布鲁克林展望公园西街(Prospect Park West)44号，是一座六层砖砌公寓楼，落成于1940年。其公寓产品说明书上宣称，这里有各式各样的现代化设施，包括活动百叶窗、隐藏式辐射取暖设备、每个房间都配备的收音机出线口。但是，它忘了宣传这座公寓楼最好的建筑特色之一。在大多数门厅的墙面上，都有一个书架式的壁龛，它们是现代版的瓷器柜。和瓷器柜一样，这些壁龛并不仅仅是用来展示藏书的——环境心理学家或许会说，它们是用来炫耀镇宅之宝（以及精心准备的物件）的柜子。

The building, which has been co-op since 1981, holds a cross section of New Yorkers of various ages and appetites. Their niches, we reckoned, would be as individual as fingerprints. Recently we asked several of the residents: What's in the niche in your foyer?

这座建筑自1981年以来，一直是栋合作公寓楼，其中的居民是年龄、品位各不相同的纽约人。我们认为他们的壁龛会如同指纹一样，带有强烈的个性特征。最近我们采访了其中几位居民：你家门厅的壁龛里放了些什么？

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Mary McKercher, resident since 1979, and Richard Fazzini, resident since 1972 Mr. Fazzini, 71, curator emeritus of Egyptian art at the Brooklyn Museum, and Ms. McKercher, 64, an archaeologist and archaeological photographer, met in 1979, when he hired her to photograph a dig at the temple precinct of the Egyptian goddess Mut at South Karnak, Egypt, which Mr. Fazzini still directs. Since their honeymoon in the Catskills the following summer, they have been collecting Egyptomania — that is, Egyptian-themed gewgaws, pottery and objets. "Egyptomania is the odd ways the West has interpreted ancient Egypt and its culture," Ms. McKercher y and curious, these items are displayed on nearly every surface of the McKercher-Fazzini household, including in the niche. The blue porcelain vase is from about 1870. The vase on the left is Nipponware; the one on the right is German. That beer stein is also German, from the early 20th century. The Europeans, as Ms. McKercher pointed out, have been gung-ho about Egyptomania since Napoleon. Said Ms. McKercher, "We are Egyptomaniacs, and proud of it."

玛丽·麦克切尔和理查德·法齐尼是分别于1979年、1972年搬进来的住户。法齐尼现年71岁，是布鲁克林博物馆埃及艺术馆的荣誉馆长。麦克切尔现年64岁，是考古学者和考古摄影师。他们于1979年相遇，当时法齐尼雇麦克切尔在埃及的南卡尔纳克拍摄姆特神庙的考古发掘工作。目前法齐尼依然领导着这项工作。第二年夏天，他们在卡兹奇山度了蜜月。此后，他们一直在收集“埃及发烧货”——也就是埃及主题的便宜货、陶器和物品。“埃及发烧货是西方人诠释古埃及及其文化的奇怪方式，”麦克切尔说。麦克切尔-法齐尼家里的几乎所有平台上都展示着这些物件，风格做作而奇特。蓝色瓷花瓶大约于1870年制成。左边的花瓶制造商为Nipponware；右边的为德国制造；那支啤酒杯也是德国货，产于20世纪初。麦克切尔指出，自拿破仑时代以来，埃及发烧货一直受到欧洲人的热捧。她说：“我们是埃及发烧友，我们为此自豪。”

Ruth and Jesse Nemtzow, residents since 1987The Nemtzows have been married 72 years. He was the executive director of a social services agency on Long Island; she was a clinical social worker. They met during the Great Depression, after Mr. Nemtzow, who had been digging up the trolley tracks on East 59th Street with the Works Progress Administration, learned that he could be a tutor under the same program. At the Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, where he was sent to teach remedial reading, he spotted his future wife, who was a student volunteer. "We attribute our marriage to F.D.R.," Mrs. Nemtzow orchid was a gift from Phyllis Dulberg, a friend, for Mrs. Nemtzow's 91st birthday in March (Mr. Nemtzow is 98). The Limoges set was a gift from another couple (he had been the head of the Red Cross in Europe; she was a Swiss psychiatrist) who were moving back to Europe after World War II. The Native American pot was a souvenir bought on a trip to New Mexico, "also about 100 years ago," Mrs. Nemtzowsaid. "It doesn't belong with the Limoges, but it's a darling piece."

露丝和杰西·涅姆佐是1987年搬进来的住户。涅姆佐夫妇结婚72年了。男方是长岛一家社会服务机构的执行董事；女方是医疗社会服务工作者。他们是在大萧条时期认识的。当时，杰西在公共事业振兴署的领导下，在东59街挖掘电车轨道，后来他发现自己可以在同一项目中担任教师。他被分配到布朗克斯区的艾文德尔高中教授矫正阅读课，在那里见到了当时还是学生志愿者的未来伴侣。“我们能结婚，多亏了罗斯福。”露丝说。照片中的兰花是朋友菲利斯·杜尔伯格3月送给露丝的91岁生日礼物（杰西今年98岁）；利摩日瓷器套装是另一对夫妇送的礼物（这对夫妇的男方是欧洲红十字会的主席；女方是瑞士精神病医师。他们二战后回到了欧洲）；印第安锅具是夫妇俩去新墨西哥旅行买的纪念品。“年头也有100年了，”露丝说，“它不属于利摩日的产品，不过也挺宝贵的。”

Lori Chajet and Ben Wides, residents since 2001The niche that belongs to Ms. Chajet, a director of College Access: Research & Action at the City University of New York, and Mr. Wides, a history teacher at the East Side Community High School, both 43, is mostly given over to photos: of their daughters (Sonia, 10, and Sasha, 7), of the couple when they were children, of their parents and siblings. There is a photo from 1999 of Ms. Chajet and Mr. Wides on Mount Rainier, their second vacation together, but the first trip that was just the two of them. Ms. Chajet used to be a high school history teacher, and the couple met when she interviewed him for a job; they have been married since 2000. Of the niche and its photos, Ms. Chajet said, "I guess it's about people, not things."

洛瑞·查耶特和本·怀兹是2001年搬进来的住户。查耶特在纽约城市大学担任“读大学：研究与行动”项目的负责人，怀兹则是东城社区高中的历史老师，两人现年43岁。他们的壁柜摆件大多是照片，照片上有他们的女儿（索尼娅今年10岁，萨莎今年7岁）、他们小时候的样子、双方的父母和兄弟姐妹。有一张照片，是夫妇俩1999年在雷尼尔山拍的，那是他们第二次一起旅行，但却是第一次只有二人世界的旅行。查耶特曾是高中历史教师，她在怀兹求职时做过他的面试官，两人因此结识。2000年，他们结了婚。在谈到壁柜和上面的照片时，查耶特说：“我觉得我们的摆件有人情味，不是单纯的物品。”

Ana Cristina dos Santos and Wagner Correa, residents since 2011The couple, who are both 42 and from Brazil, have two children: Nico, 2, and Ian, 9 months. Ms. dos Santos is an arts educator; Mr. Correa is a computer scientist. The wine rack was in the niche when they moved in. The other day, it held an empty bottle of wine, a souvenir from their first night here. The tiny clay bottles contain cacha?a, a spirit made from the sugarcane used in caipirinhas. The shadow boxes are folk art pieces depicting Brazilian scenes, Ms. dos Santos said: "The kitchen one looks just like my grandmother's kitchen." The jar is a traditional water vessel. "I like the way water tastes in it," she said. "A little bit like mud." The Champagne was a gift for Ian's birth. Said Ms. Dos Santos, "We keep waiting for something to happen so we can open it."

安娜·克里斯蒂娜·多斯桑托斯和瓦格纳·科雷亚是2011年搬进来的住户。夫妇俩今年42岁，来自巴西，有两个孩子：尼克2岁，伊恩9个月。多斯桑托斯是艺术教育者；科雷亚从事计算机科学。他们搬进来的时候酒瓶架就在壁柜上，上面有个空酒瓶，作为他们搬进来第一晚的纪念品；较小的软陶瓶里装着一种甘蔗酿的烈酒cacha?a，在调制巴西国酒caipirinhas时会用到；玻璃盖匣是民间工艺品，展示了巴西的场景。多斯桑托斯说：“那个匣子展示的厨房跟我奶奶的厨房一模一样，”壁柜上的罐子是传统储水容器。“我喜欢罐里水的味道，”她说，“有点泥土味。”香槟是伊恩出生时的礼物。多斯桑托斯说：“我们一直在等待开瓶的时机。”

Terry and John Janatos, residents since 1997 The first item in the niche of Ms. Janatos, a psychotherapist, and Mr. Janatos, a jazz musician and graphic designer, both in their mid-50s, was the angel on the top shelf, a housewarming gift. The collection of Raggedy Anns is from Ms. Janatos's best friend, who also gave her the hand-painted wineglass filled with sand from a beach in Brazil the couple visit annually. The bobblehead Obama is from 2008, when Mr. Janatos was on a Get Out the Vote team in Pennsylvania; in 2012, he drove to Virginia to canvass. The Red Sox Bud Light bottle is from 2007, a year in which the Red Sox won the World Series (Ms. Janatos, born and raised in Boston, is a die-hard fan). The snow globe of the Twin Towers was a gift from Ms. Janatos's mother, who died in 2011.

特里·亚纳托斯和约翰·亚纳托斯是1997年搬进来的住户。特里是精神病治疗医师，约翰则是一位爵士乐手、平面造型设计师。两人都是55岁。他们壁柜上的第一样东西，是放在最上层的天使，这是祝贺乔迁的礼物；破烂娃娃是特里最好的朋友送的礼物，朋友还给了她一支手绘葡萄酒杯，里面装着夫妇俩每年都会去的巴西沙滩上收集的沙粒；摇头娃娃奥巴马是2008年添置的摆件，当时约翰在宾夕法尼亚参与了动员投票小组；红袜队百威酒瓶是2007年添置的摆件，当时红袜队赢得了世界系列赛的冠军（特里在波士顿出生、长大，是死忠球迷）；双塔雪花玻璃球是特里母亲赠送的，她已于2011年逝世了。

Stephen Drucker, resident since 2012Mr. Drucker, a writer and former editor of House Beautiful , was intrigued by his niche, he said, as a piece of architectural and social history. "Built-in furniture was a new, Bauhaus-y idea and must have seemed very efficient and fashionable after the Depression," he said. But he has used his strategically. Mr. Drucker's front hall, which he uses as a dining room, is dark, and he thought if he ripped out the bookshelves and mirrored the niche, it would be like adding a window. He asked his friend Stephen Antonson, the sculptor, to design a plaster candelabra. "Because after I think mirror," Mr. Drucker said, "I think candlelight."

斯蒂芬·德鲁克是2012年搬进来的住户，是一名撰稿人，曾任《House Beautiful》的编辑。他说，他对这个壁柜的建筑和社会历史属性很感兴趣。“嵌入式家具是包豪斯式的新创意，在大萧条后，采用这样的设计肯定很高效，也很时尚，”他说。不过，他对壁柜的使用方法很有战略眼光。德鲁克把前厅用作餐厅，那里的光线较暗。他认为，如果拆掉壁柜上的架子，在柜面装一面镜子，其视觉效果就会像添了一扇窗户。他找来做雕刻师的朋友斯蒂芬·安东森，让他设计一个石膏枝形大烛台。“因为我想到镜子，”德鲁克说，“就想到了烛台。”

Michael Martin, resident since 2013Mr. Martin, a 44-year-old management consultant, bought the apartment nearly 14 years ago, but has lived there for only a year. He shares his home with his son, Jude, 13, who lives part time with his mother. The candelabra was a gift from Mr. Martin's mother. The watering can was a housewarming present bought at a stoop sale 13 years ago. It waters his only plant, which struggles to survive the intermittent care of someone who travels constantly. "I always try to bring back something that catches my eye from every trip," he said. "The metal bowl is from Marrakesh. I thought it was really cool. Half of my stuff is in storage. I have too many things."

迈克尔·马丁是2013年搬进来的住户，现年44岁，是一名管理顾问。他买这套公寓已经将近14年了，但是才在这里住了一年。他和13岁的儿子裘德一起住。儿子有时会住在母亲那里。枝形大烛台是马丁的母亲赠送的礼物。喷壶作为庆祝乔迁的礼物，是13年前在一次大采购中买的。马丁用它给自己养的唯一一株植物浇水，这株植物在经常去外地的主人断断续续的照料中，拼命生存着。“每次旅行，我都会尽量把旅途中一些吸引我的东西带回来，”马丁说，“这个金属碗是我从马拉喀什带回来的。我觉得它造型很酷。我的东西有一半在储藏室里，东西太多了。”

Ben Cohen and Helen Clark, residents since 2009The couple, who are 38 and work in finance, brought nearly 2,000 books with them when they moved here from England, most of which are stored in a long bookshelf in their front hall. The niche holds the overflow: some biographies, some books on politics and some literary criticism. Mr. Cohen said his wife's taste is better than his, although they both like science fiction. Their children, Toby, 4, and Abigail, 2, like to unpack the books on the long shelf (anything with an attractive spine gets hauled out on a regular basis, especially novels by Nancy Mitford), but the niche stays pristine because they can't yet reach it.

本·科恩和海伦·克拉克是2009年搬进来的住户。这对夫妇今年38岁，从事金融业。他们从英格兰搬到这里时，带了将近两千本书，其中大多数都存放在前厅的长书架上。书架上放不下的书，就放到了壁柜上：有些是自传，有些是政治话题，有些是文学评论。科恩说，他老婆的品位比他高，不过他俩都喜欢科幻。他们的孩子——4岁的托比和2岁的艾比盖尔，喜欢从长书架上取书（只要是书脊精美的书籍，就会被他们时不时抽出来，尤其是南希·米特福德的小说）。不过壁柜上的书尚未被染指，因为他们够不着。

Ruth Levine and Matthew Stroud, residents since 2003Mr. Stroud, 43, is in asset management; Ms. Levine, 42, is a poet and a stay-at-home mother. The candles on the top shelf were made by their children, Lily, 9, and Ben, 7, at a farm in New Hampshire. "They don't want to burn them," Ms. Levine said. "So we are collecting them, apparently." The platter was a wedding gift. The handblown vase is from a family vacation in Colonial Williamsburg. The pine cone is a souvenir from the couple's honeymoon in France 15 years ago. "Somehow," Ms. Levine said, "it's hung in there."

露丝·莱文和马修·斯特劳德是2003年搬进来的住户。斯特劳德现年43岁，从事资产管理行业；莱文现年42岁，是一名诗人，目前在家看孩子。顶层架子上的蜡烛是他们的孩子——9岁的莉莉和7岁的本，在新罕布什尔州一个农场做的。“他们不想把蜡烛点着，”莱文说，“所以我们就把蜡烛收藏起来了，你都看到了。”壁柜上的大浅盘是结婚礼物；人工吹制花瓶是一家人去威廉斯堡殖民地古迹区旅行时带回的；松果是夫妇俩15年前蜜月旅行的纪念品。“不知道怎么搞的，”莱文说，“它卡在杯子里了。”

David and Berryl Schiffer, residents since 1995The Schiffers redid their foyer last Thanksgiving, which prompted them to prune their niche. Until a few months ago, it was stuffed with a mishmash of books, said Mr. Schiffer, the president of a web design company. Now freshly styled, it is filled with history books, biographies and books on New York City. The jacket of "Pirates and Piracy" was designed by Mr. Schiffer's firm. He bought that hipster hat one hot day at a street fair to protect himself from the sun. The bike helmet also belongs to Mr. Schiffer, whose daily routine includes a three-mile ride around Prospect Park.

戴维·西弗和贝丽尔·西弗是1995年搬进来的住户。西弗去年感恩节时重新装修了门厅，这促使他们清理了壁柜。戴维说，直到几个月前，壁柜上的书还一直很混杂。现在看起来就很清爽了，上面摆着历史书、自传和关于纽约市的书籍。那个“海盗与海盗活动”的封面套是由戴维的公司设计的；那顶潮人帽是他在一个天气炎热的日子里在街头集市买的，目的是防晒；自行车头盔也是他的东西，他每天都会绕着展望公园骑车3英里。

Meg Fagan Schlefer and James Nyoraku Schlefer, residents since 1996Ms. Schlefer, 57, is an arts administrator; Mr. Schlefer, also 57, is a grand master of Shakuhachi (that is, traditional, Japanese bamboo flute). Their niche, Ms. Schlefer said, is populated by things that have nowhere else to go. The hand-painted wineglasses were a gift from Mr. Schlefer. "You can't drink out of them, but they are extremely pretty," she said, demonstrating their design flaw. The glass rabbit was on her mother's dresser when she was a child. The vases below are waiting for when "the house is tidy enough to have flowers." As for the large Japanese fish platter, "Where else do you put something like that in a New York City apartment?"

梅格·费根·施勒费尔和詹姆斯·纽拉库·施勒费尔是1996年搬进来的住户。梅格现年57岁，是艺术机构的管理者。詹姆斯也是57岁，是尺八（传统乐器，日本竹笛）吹奏大师。梅格说，他们把别处放不下的东西都放到了壁柜上。手绘葡萄酒杯是詹姆斯送的礼物。“你不能用它们喝酒，但它们特别好看，”梅格说着，指出了它们的设计缺陷。玻璃兔子是她小时候母亲衣橱上的摆件。下面的花瓶现在是摆设，等到“屋子里够整洁，可以买花”的时候再使用。至于那个硕大的日本鱼盘，“你在纽约的公寓里还有什么地方可以放它？”