At Home with Shannon & Mike

Two young professionals from the Midwest make their first home together in Jersey City's historic Van Vorst Park District.

High school sweethearts Shannon and Mike met when they ended up at the same vacation spot, four hours north of their Michigan hometowns. Shannon hails from Northville, situated between Ann Arbor and Detroit, and attended an all-girls school, while Mike resided 20 miles away in Hartland and attended an all-boys school. Although they'd never met, it turns out the couple had mutual friends and even their older siblings knew one another.

Prior to their senior year of college — Mike studied finance and accounting at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Shannon majored in advertising at Michigan State University —  the pair decided to step away from their Midwestern roots and spend the summer interning in New York City. Mike took a post at Bank of America, while Shannon worked at a fashion industry internship in SoHo.

That summer set the stage for their post-college futures. Mike would go on to secure a full-time position in the market risk department at Bank of America, and Shannon secured a marketing assistant position at Dixon.

"It was great to get a feel for New York City that summer, and I was definitely more comfortable making the leap to moving here after graduation," she says.

After enjoying a month-long, college grad trip that took them to Wyoming, California and Hawaii, Mike moved to New York to start work, and Shannon began searching for her own city job. "I had a lot of phone interviews, and I came to stay with Mike to do in-person interviews," she recalls. "I remember texting him, 'This isn't it,' from the waiting area at my first interview, but when I went to Dixon a few days later, I knew I wanted to work there."

Dixon had just moved into their new Financial District office, and Shannon spent the next four hours interviewing with the marketing team and upper management. Once she was offered the job, the next few weeks were a whirlwind of packing, vetting potential roommates and renting an apartment. Shannon found two roommates through an online matching service, and the trio settled into a two-bedroom apartment in the East Village's Stuyvesant Town. Mike, meanwhile, was sharing a converted one-bedroom in Murray Hill with two roommates — a situation that proved less than ideal over the long haul. "I had about a quarter of a living room to live in. We also had some issues with bedbugs and cockroaches, so by the time my lease was up, I was ready to get out of the building and out of Manhattan," he says.

"Well, no …" Shannon gently interjects, reminding him that he wasn't always sold on the idea of a move across the Hudson. "So many Dixon employees live in Jersey City, so I've been over here a lot to see them and to work on the Dixon properties that are all over this neighborhood. That's how I first got to know the area," she explains.

"We'd been watching a lot of 'How I Met Your Mother' at the time, and they rip on Jersey," Mike adds as an explanation for his hesitation.

Once their leases were coming to an end, they decided to look for a place together. Unlike most Dixon tenants who find Dixon Leasing online or by word of mouth, Shannon had an inside track to the company's inventory throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan and Jersey City. But considering the break-neck speed and serendipitous nature of the rental process in New York, it's not a surprise that their first potential apartment wasn't a Dixon property at all, but a high-rise unit located within blocks of the Dixon headquarters. "We were one phone call away from signing on that apartment actually, and then Shannon heard about this place," Mike remembers.

"The other apartment was a little more than we wanted to pay. We knew we could do it, but we really wouldn't be able to save any money," she adds.

While Dixon has made headlines for its stunning renovations in large, historic residences, the Dixon Leasing portfolio also includes a long list of homes in the affordable luxury category: units that feature spectacular finishes and features, at prices that won't break the bank. By considering a home outside the pricey confines of Manhattan, the couple was also able to acquire a larger, more well-appointed space.

In turns out, Shannon's marketing team mate, Taylor, was also looking to relocate around this time. "She had a list of upcoming vacancies, and had this place as one of her options," Shannon recalls. "I looked at the photos we had internally, and thought it looked so nice. So, I convinced him to come see it. We had dinner and walked around Newark Avenue. After that, he was like, 'OK, it's actually really nice.'"

"This was the only place we looked at in Jersey City," Mike adds.

"This was also the only Dixon property we visited in person," Shannon notes. "I'd looked at a lot of them online, but this was undoubtedly my favorite."

Nestled mid-block among a row of intact, high-stoop townhouses in brick and brownstone, the couple's Varick Street building is emblematic of the handsome architecture found throughout the Van Vorst Park Historic District. Built in the mid-1800s, the three-story row house includes a bold cornice, eyebrow lintels, bracketed sills and a hooded entry typical of the Italianate style. Shannon and Mike occupy the one-bedroom unit on the second floor; there's another one-bedroom unit above them, and a family resides below them in the parlor- and garden-level home.

Their unit is truly a "Dixon family" home: Prior to Shannon and Mike, the apartment had been occupied by Dixon designer Marybeth, who actually planned the home's interiors. The unit is bright and airy thanks to windows facing both east and west, and Mike describes it as "the perfect amount of space for two people."

The open plan layout features a cozy living room and a beautifully updated, eat-in kitchen. "I love the openness of the kitchen and living room. It's really where we spend most of our time," Shannon says.

The busy professionals tend to work late during the week, so home-cooked meals are more likely to happen on weekends, and the fully-stocked kitchen is up to the task with a KitchenAid range and refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher. Textured white tile backsplashes climb up the wall, decorated with rows of open shelving, while tons of cabinetry flank the room on three sides. There's more than enough room for a table and chairs here, but the couple prefers to eat at the breakfast bar, especially while the large space is playing host to the couple's cheery Christmas tree, delightfully decorated in handmade snowflakes.

"We'll sit at the breakfast bar and drink coffee and do a crossword sometimes," says Mike, explaining a typical weekend morning.

"We also hang out on the couch a lot," Shannon adds. "Mike loves his video games, so we have a second TV we'll put out. On Saturday mornings, I'll watch 'Friends' while he plays 'Call of Duty.'"

"I keep in touch with my brother that way! We have headsets," Mike laughs in half-hearted defense of his video game playing.

The large bedroom is lined with windows and topped by a dramatic ornate archway typical of Van Vorst Park homes of this era. A stunning light fixture reminiscent of a floral bouquet accentuates the elaborate millwork. For Shannon, the pièce de résistance is the massive, fully outfitted walk-in closet. As the main storage space in the home, the closet easily accommodates not only each of their wardrobes but also other household items.

Across the living area is another beloved feature: full-size, stacked Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer. "We were both doing coin laundry back in Manhattan," Mike recalls with dread.

Beautiful patterned marble flooring leads from the laundry closet to the lovely windowed bathroom, featuring a handsome vanity and large tub shower.

Shannon and Mike have decorated their first home together with a combination of a few possessions from their previous homes, supplemented by budget-friendly purchases and a wisely chosen indulgence. The chic black dresser now serving as a TV stand is a new interpretation of a childhood favorite of Shannon's. "I've had that as long as I can remember," she says. "I brought it with me when I moved to New York. It was off-white, so when we moved here with the all-white décor, it looked yellowed. I painted it black and waxed it."

"Pretty much everything else is new," she continues. "We got the stools and bookcase from Target, and the sofa is from Crate & Barrel. That was the one thing we really splurged on."

Although initially reluctant about the jump to New Jersey, Shannon and Mike have spent their first few months immersing themselves in the offerings of their new neighborhood. "We love Kitchen Step!" Shannon exclaims.

"We're literally on a first-name basis with two waiters and the bartender," Mike agrees.

"We go to Porta on Grove Street quite a bit and watch basketball," she adds. "Sometimes we'll go to Orale, and Beechwood Café and Short Grain are both really good."

For workouts, the pair heads to Base Gym, Jersey City's ultra-swanky fitness center and spa just off the Grove Street PATH train station. "It's really, really nice, but definitely not necessary," Shannon laughs about the upscale gym. "But we go together, so that’s motivating. And I see a few other Dixon employees there."

Shannon and Mike have also taken advantage of Jersey City's impressive roster of open-air events and markets. "On the way home, I'll stop in along the Grove Street farmers' market. They also have arts & crafts, food and live music sometimes," Shannon says.

"They have a farmer's market at Van Vorst Park too, so we walk through there a lot. And we go to Liberty State Park pretty often," he says.

"It's so big! We go running there, and it has such a great view of the Manhattan skyline," Shannon says.

Shannon and Mike broke in their new home with a housewarming party, and Mike's brother has come to visit the couple, but they hope to welcome more visits from family and friends in the new year. With a cozy, happy abode nestled in peaceful Jersey City, the couple finally has the space to welcome visitors and a place of their own to call home.