Having never given it much thought, however, she didn’t know what styles she liked. All she knew was that she wanted to preserve the airy, light, breezy character of the apartment.

Eventually she decided that a midcentury-modern aesthetic — furniture on legs, clean lines — would work best for her purposes. To keep the space from feeling too cold or sterile, she sought out mixed materials and varied textures in neutral tones, which “adds a lot of depth without adding weight,” she said.

Using those guiding principles, Ms. Lauretti gradually acquired furniture and housewares, mixing new, vintage and custom pieces. Some were inexpensive — Ikea mirrors, a glass lamp from Target, a yoga blanket she ordered on Amazon and dip-dyed in indigo to hang over the back of the sofa — and some quite costly, like the table she hired a friend to make. A few were concessions, like the pair of white Crate & Barrel mugs she bought so she could drink coffee while hunting for better ones.

Over time, design became a hobby (she would comb through Etsy for prints and art while watching movies), and as her work life became more hectic, she was glad of the relaxation it provided. A friend brought her on at his creative content studio after it was acquired by a subsidiary of Verizon, and soon she was traveling frequently for work.

Souvenirs from her travels — books, art, Scandinavian blankets from a trip to Iceland — started to fill her home, along with paintings and prints made by friends.

A few years ago, when her last roommate left, she realized that she could afford the rent, which had never gone up, on her own. She turned the second bedroom into an office and felt grateful to have such a peaceful home base for a life that was once again feeling somewhat frenetic.

After four and a half years, Ms. Lauretti now considers her home project nearly finished, save for a few odds and ends. “The apartment feels like it really represents me. It’s like a canon; it’s complete,” she said.