一家一壁龕,展現迥異生活趣味

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.

布魯克林展望公園西街(Prospect Park West)44號，是一座六層磚砌公寓樓，落成於1940年。其公寓產品說明書上宣稱，這裏有各式各樣的現代化設施，包括活動百葉窗、隱藏式輻射取暖設備、每個房間都配備的收音機出線口。但是，它忘了宣傳這座公寓樓最好的建築特色之一。在大多數門廳的牆面上，都有一個書架式的壁龕，它們是現代版的瓷器櫃。和瓷器櫃一樣，這些壁龕並不僅僅是用來展示藏書的——環境心理學家或許會說，它們是用來炫耀鎮宅之寶（以及精心準備的物件）的櫃子。

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?

這座建築自1981年以來，一直是棟合作公寓樓，其中的居民是年齡、品位各不相同的紐約人。我們認爲他們的壁龕會如同指紋一樣，帶有強烈的個性特徵。最近我們採訪了其中幾位居民：你家門廳的壁龕裏放了些什麼？

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."

瑪麗·麥克切爾和理查德·法齊尼是分別於1979年、1972年搬進來的住戶。法齊尼現年71歲，是布魯克林博物館埃及藝術館的榮譽館長。麥克切爾現年64歲，是考古學者和考古攝影師。他們於1979年相遇，當時法齊尼僱麥克切爾在埃及的南卡爾納克拍攝姆特神廟的考古發掘工作。目前法齊尼依然領導着這項工作。第二年夏天，他們在卡茲奇山度了蜜月。此後，他們一直在收集“埃及發燒貨”——也就是埃及主題的便宜貨、陶器和物品。“埃及發燒貨是西方人詮釋古埃及及其文化的奇怪方式，”麥克切爾說。麥克切爾-法齊尼家裏的幾乎所有平臺上都展示着這些物件，風格做作而奇特。藍色瓷花瓶大約於1870年製成。左邊的花瓶製造商爲Nipponware；右邊的爲德國製造；那支啤酒杯也是德國貨，產於20世紀初。麥克切爾指出，自拿破崙時代以來，埃及發燒貨一直受到歐洲人的熱捧。她說：“我們是埃及發燒友，我們爲此自豪。”

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."

露絲和傑西·涅姆佐是1987年搬進來的住戶。涅姆佐夫婦結婚72年了。男方是長島一家社會服務機構的執行董事；女方是醫療社會服務工作者。他們是在大蕭條時期認識的。當時，傑西在公共事業振興署的領導下，在東59街挖掘電車軌道，後來他發現自己可以在同一項目中擔任教師。他被分配到布朗克斯區的艾文德爾高中教授矯正閱讀課，在那裏見到了當時還是學生志願者的未來伴侶。“我們能結婚，多虧了羅斯福。”露絲說。照片中的蘭花是朋友菲利斯·杜爾伯格3月送給露絲的91歲生日禮物（傑西今年98歲）；利摩日瓷器套裝是另一對夫婦送的禮物（這對夫婦的男方是歐洲紅十字會的主席；女方是瑞士精神病醫師。他們二戰後回到了歐洲）；印第安鍋具是夫婦倆去新墨西哥旅行買的紀念品。“年頭也有100年了，”露絲說，“它不屬於利摩日的產品，不過也挺寶貴的。”

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·懷茲是2001年搬進來的住戶。查耶特在紐約城市大學擔任“讀大學：研究與行動”項目的負責人，懷茲則是東城社區高中的歷史老師，兩人現年43歲。他們的壁櫃擺件大多是照片，照片上有他們的女兒（索尼婭今年10歲，薩莎今年7歲）、他們小時候的樣子、雙方的父母和兄弟姐妹。有一張照片，是夫婦倆1999年在雷尼爾山拍的，那是他們第二次一起旅行，但卻是第一次只有二人世界的旅行。查耶特曾是高中歷史教師，她在懷茲求職時做過他的面試官，兩人因此結識。2000年，他們結了婚。在談到壁櫃和上面的照片時，查耶特說：“我覺得我們的擺件有人情味，不是單純的物品。”

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·多斯桑托斯和瓦格納·科雷亞是2011年搬進來的住戶。夫婦倆今年42歲，來自巴西，有兩個孩子：尼克2歲，伊恩9個月。多斯桑托斯是藝術教育者；科雷亞從事計算機科學。他們搬進來的時候酒瓶架就在壁櫃上，上面有個空酒瓶，作爲他們搬進來第一晚的紀念品；較小的軟陶瓶裏裝着一種甘蔗釀的烈酒cacha?a，在調製巴西國酒caipirinhas時會用到；玻璃蓋匣是民間工藝品，展示了巴西的場景。多斯桑托斯說：“那個匣子展示的廚房跟我奶奶的廚房一模一樣，”壁櫃上的罐子是傳統儲水容器。“我喜歡罐裏水的味道，”她說，“有點泥土味。”香檳是伊恩出生時的禮物。多斯桑托斯說：“我們一直在等待開瓶的時機。”

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·亞納託斯和約翰·亞納託斯是1997年搬進來的住戶。特里是精神病治療醫師，約翰則是一位爵士樂手、平面造型設計師。兩人都是55歲。他們壁櫃上的第一樣東西，是放在最上層的天使，這是祝賀喬遷的禮物；破爛娃娃是特里最好的朋友送的禮物，朋友還給了她一支手繪葡萄酒杯，裏面裝着夫婦倆每年都會去的巴西沙灘上收集的沙粒；搖頭娃娃奧巴馬是2008年添置的擺件，當時約翰在賓夕法尼亞參與了動員投票小組；紅襪隊百威酒瓶是2007年添置的擺件，當時紅襪隊贏得了世界系列賽的冠軍（特里在波士頓出生、長大，是死忠球迷）；雙塔雪花玻璃球是特里母親贈送的，她已於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·德魯克是2012年搬進來的住戶，是一名撰稿人，曾任《House Beautiful》的編輯。他說，他對這個壁櫃的建築和社會歷史屬性很感興趣。“嵌入式傢俱是包豪斯式的新創意，在大蕭條後，採用這樣的設計肯定很高效，也很時尚，”他說。不過，他對壁櫃的使用方法很有戰略眼光。德魯克把前廳用作餐廳，那裏的光線較暗。他認爲，如果拆掉壁櫃上的架子，在櫃面裝一面鏡子，其視覺效果就會像添了一扇窗戶。他找來做雕刻師的朋友斯蒂芬·安東森，讓他設計一個石膏枝形大燭臺。“因爲我想到鏡子，”德魯克說，“就想到了燭臺。”

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."

邁克爾·馬丁是2013年搬進來的住戶，現年44歲，是一名管理顧問。他買這套公寓已經將近14年了，但是纔在這裏住了一年。他和13歲的兒子裘德一起住。兒子有時會住在母親那裏。枝形大燭臺是馬丁的母親贈送的禮物。噴壺作爲慶祝喬遷的禮物，是13年前在一次大采購中買的。馬丁用它給自己養的唯一一株植物澆水，這株植物在經常去外地的主人斷斷續續的照料中，拼命生存着。“每次旅行，我都會盡量把旅途中一些吸引我的東西帶回來，”馬丁說，“這個金屬碗是我從馬拉喀什帶回來的。我覺得它造型很酷。我的東西有一半在儲藏室裏，東西太多了。”

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·科恩和海倫·克拉克是2009年搬進來的住戶。這對夫婦今年38歲，從事金融業。他們從英格蘭搬到這裏時，帶了將近兩千本書，其中大多數都存放在前廳的長書架上。書架上放不下的書，就放到了壁櫃上：有些是自傳，有些是政治話題，有些是文學評論。科恩說，他老婆的品位比他高，不過他倆都喜歡科幻。他們的孩子——4歲的託比和2歲的艾比蓋爾，喜歡從長書架上取書（只要是書脊精美的書籍，就會被他們時不時抽出來，尤其是南希·米特福德的小說）。不過壁櫃上的書尚未被染指，因爲他們夠不着。

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."

露絲·萊文和馬修·斯特勞德是2003年搬進來的住戶。斯特勞德現年43歲，從事資產管理行業；萊文現年42歲，是一名詩人，目前在家看孩子。頂層架子上的蠟燭是他們的孩子——9歲的莉莉和7歲的本，在新罕布什爾州一個農場做的。“他們不想把蠟燭點着，”萊文說，“所以我們就把蠟燭收藏起來了，你都看到了。”壁櫃上的大淺盤是結婚禮物；人工吹制花瓶是一家人去威廉斯堡殖民地古蹟區旅行時帶回的；松果是夫婦倆15年前蜜月旅行的紀念品。“不知道怎麼搞的，”萊文說，“它卡在杯子裏了。”

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.

戴維·西弗和貝麗爾·西弗是1995年搬進來的住戶。西弗去年感恩節時重新裝修了門廳，這促使他們清理了壁櫃。戴維說，直到幾個月前，壁櫃上的書還一直很混雜。現在看起來就很清爽了，上面擺着歷史書、自傳和關於紐約市的書籍。那個“海盜與海盜活動”的封面套是由戴維的公司設計的；那頂潮人帽是他在一個天氣炎熱的日子裏在街頭集市買的，目的是防曬；自行車頭盔也是他的東西，他每天都會繞着展望公園騎車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·費根·施勒費爾和詹姆斯·紐拉庫·施勒費爾是1996年搬進來的住戶。梅格現年57歲，是藝術機構的管理者。詹姆斯也是57歲，是尺八（傳統樂器，日本竹笛）吹奏大師。梅格說，他們把別處放不下的東西都放到了壁櫃上。手繪葡萄酒杯是詹姆斯送的禮物。“你不能用它們喝酒，但它們特別好看，”梅格說着，指出了它們的設計缺陷。玻璃兔子是她小時候母親衣櫥上的擺件。下面的花瓶現在是擺設，等到“屋子裏夠整潔，可以買花”的時候再使用。至於那個碩大的日本魚盤，“你在紐約的公寓裏還有什麼地方可以放它？”