Queens may be the new Brooklyn, but Christopher Chiappa, an ex-Brooklynite, isn’t convinced: “The best thing about Long Island City is that it sucks,” says the artist– furniture designer. Meaning one can still find loads of space there. His 5,000-square-foot loft, which he shares with roommates, is in a former factory that manufactured everything from sweaters to war medals (it was also the site of several porn-film productions). “The advantage to our living situation is having company when you want it, no company when you don’t,” he says. And when Chiappa wants privacy, he heads through the apartment’s real centerpiece: the ocean liner–like pink portal that leads to his 300-square-foot bedroom.

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