apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Our Style: Eclectic traditional.

The Inspiration for Our Home: Farmhouses.

Favorite Element: Elizabeth: Bens art. Ben: The combination of the wood and the paint colors.

Biggest Challenge in Designing Our Home: Where to start! Because its a really old house, we had limited options for arranging furniture in the living room and bedroom because of the ancient heaters. The bathroom had one of those awful plastic showers, but our landlord gave us tiles so Ben and a friend had at it. It also had no medicine cabinet, mirror, towel rack, or shelves at all. The kitchen had some open shelves, but no cupboards at all, so we went to Ikea for that. We really dont have any closets per se, but we do have lots of space, so we made a little room into a closet. And the nice wood floors were all painted puke pink, so rather than strip them, Ben painted them all and that was a huge job.

What Friends Say About Our Home: They say, your home is awesome! Or with some of my family: Huh.

Biggest Embarrassment in Our Home: The mess of wires and cords everywhere. Also that we never painted/patched the guest room/Bens office.

Proudest DIY: Elizabeths quilt(s), and button bear. Ben tiled the shower. Bens paint color selection.

Best Indulgence with Respect to Our Home: Stuff we got on our wedding registry like Donna Karan sheets and Ralph Lauren towels.

Dream Source for Stuff: Architectural Artifacts. Salvage One. Robin Richman. Anthropologie.

Furniture

• Couch and chair: $15 at estate sale.
• TV stand had been left on the porch at Elizabeths old apt.
• The pug bench was rejected from Dads house (the fabric we recovered it with was an indulgence!)
• Parlor Chair family heirloom.
• Dinner table from the apartment Elizabeth grew up in New York.
• Red velvet Victorian parlor chairs from Elizabeths Mom and Dad.
• Blue desk from Elizabeths childhood bedroom (painted by Mom).
• Ben made the stereo cabinet.
• Bens great granddad made the desk with glass doors.
• Ben built the shelves in his office.
• Shelves to the right of the desk came from Penelopes for $40.
• Antique typewriter from grandparents' barn.
• Elizabeths grandmother bought their dresser for $2 and refinished it.
• Elizabeth got their nightstand at a garage sale for $10.
• Elizabeth's mom got the bedroom trunk at an antique store for $10 and refinished it.
• The little wrought iron bench and pink bowl in the bathroom came from Elizabeth's grandparents' barn.

Accessories

• Needlepoint pillows made by Elizabeths mom and grandmother. Mirror made from a frame Elizabeths mom picked up for $10.
• Misc. knicknacks in the hall collected over a lifetime.
• Petit point on Elizabeths desk made by her grandma.
• Petit point on nightstand made by Elizabeths grandma. Pillows made by Elizabeth. Flower prints above the bed were from her grandmothers house.

Lighting

• Standing Lamp next to Bens chair: $10 at flea market.
• Office chair from Bens sister (on permanent loan). Herman Miller.
• Ben bought the Charlie the Tuna lamp for a dollar at an auction when he was a little kid.
• Pink lamp from flea market in NY for about $40 was kind of a splurge 20 years ago. Elizabeth made the shade.
• Elizabeths lamp from flea market in LA, $5. Bens cost $2 at a garage sale in Iowa. Elizabeth made both the shades.

Paint

Benjamin Moore

Rugs

• Living Room: From Elizabeths High School bedroom.
• Hall: From Bens moms house.
• Bedroom: From Bens moms house.
• Bathroom: Anthropologie.
• The rest wed like to throw out and get new ones someday.

Window Treatments

Elizabeth made most of them in all rooms, but the lace curtains in the kitchen and guest room were her moms, and the flowered ones in the LR were her best friends.

Bed

Bedroom headboard was an extra one of Elizabeths moms. Guest BR: Ben got this at an antique store, stripped the paint and varnished it.

Artwork

Mostly Bens, but we have stuff by Jessica Dickinson, Seth Nehil, Dann Gesink, Chafe Hensley, Sean Williams, Shauna Angelblue, Christopher Furman, Jesse Ritter, a Chagall (poster) print in the bedroom.

Other

Elizabeths crafts scattered around.