Hollywood has long been enamored with Amy Ryan. The actress has done it all, from gritty fare like Gone Baby Gone (for which she earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination) to offbeat comedy (The Office’s Michael Scott finally met his match in her goofy Holly Flax). But the star’s heart belongs firmly to New York. “I love that there’s a story on every corner,” says Ryan, who grew up in Flushing, Queens. Ryan’s latest project, Netflix’s Lost Girls, is based on the unsolved murders of a series of Long Island sex workers, and was filmed a stone’s throw from the actual crime scenes.

Ryan plays Mari Gilbert, a mother doggedly fighting to find her missing daughter. Given the solemn subject matter, Ryan was especially thankful to find comfort at home after a long day. “I’m kind of a homebody. Well, not kind of, I am a homebody,” says the actress, 50, who today shares an airy, prewar Brooklyn Heights apartment with her husband, writer/director Eric Slovin, and their 10-year-old daughter. While her building is vintage, her apartment maintains a contemporary appeal, thanks to the previous owners’ alterations, which removed walls and opened up the space. “It has a bit of a loftlike feeling, but the lines and the moldings and details are still there,” she says.

It’s also filled with well-loved items that speak to the actress’ homey yet high-end taste.