- Name:
- Dane and Leah
- Location:
- Portland, OR
- Square Feet:
- 365
- Division:
- Teeny-Tiny
- What I Love About My Small Home:
- Though our apartment suffers a bit from old building syndrome (poor water pressure, only a few electrical outlets, and a random pipe in the bathroom that gets burning hot from 5-7 PM every night), an overwhelming sense of 'homey-ness' is felt in every corner of our studio thanks to the craftsmanship and details that are rarely seen in modern apartments. Our cove ceilings, icebox in the kitchen, and green tile bathroom floor not only make our place feel more unique, but also give us warm tingles in our hearts when we think of all the people in the past 90 years who called this place home. We also feel grateful that our home has simplified our lives. Shrinking our space was painful, but because we took the plunge, we have surrounded ourselves with pieces that we love, not just like. We only keep an item if it is essential to our apartment (no junk). We even sold our car and now walk, bus, or bike it. We get a rush from being neat and clean, something we battled with in our larger home.
- Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space
- When we first decided to take the plunge and downsize from 850 square feet to 365, it seemed like an almost impossible task. We embraced that task wholeheartedly and began selling the majority of our earthly items and searching for the few perfect pieces to compliment our teeny tiny home, while also staying within our teeny tiny budget. We now sometimes refer to our place as the "Craigslist Kingdom" because every single piece of furniture, including our IKEA Expedit, was purchased on Craigslist. We started searching six months before our scheduled move, and finished about a week before. Our most expensive purchase was our incredible mid-century Japanese print sofa, at $150. We pored over thousands of ads to find exactly what we wanted, and our struggle has become our triumph!
Categories:
Style,
Main,
2012,
Portland,
Small Cool,
Small Spaces
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Tip for submitters... if you talk about unique and interesting things about your home, like the icebox in the kitchen and the green tile and the cove ceilings, you might want to also include photos that show people what you're talking about :) I would have liked to see the green tile and a better photo of the ceilings.
@PI I agree about the pictures. But I might argue that the apartment is so teeny that it is difficult to get good pictures of certain areas. I really wanted to see what their kitchen looked like, but then I remembered how much trouble I had getting a picture of my teeny kitchen to send to my mom. Sometimes the angle just isn't possible!
Couple of questions:
Do you have to crawl out of bed? I don't see any space to be able to move on either side of the bed.
Regarding your sofa: My rule was to never buy any USED 'SOFT" items simply because of the fear of bringing home 'extra-roommates' if you know what I mean.
Do you have it professionally cleaned before bringing it home? How do you handle? Besides, that, cute home, but I agree with folks above..would like to see pics of the kitchen and bathroom.
What lovely and homey space! I admire and envy your patience to find what you want on Craigslist - but I can see it can be worth it!
I really love the wood vanity at the foot of the bed. The whole apartment is adorable - one of my favorites thus far!
I love all the amazing architectural details. I agree with the previous comments as I would love to see the kitchen and bath. What a wonderful place to call home.
Good job guys! Love the photos. I know that must have been a challenge.
Does anyone else notice that the Expedit is the go-to room divider for many of these small spaces? Not knockin' it, have owned 5. It's becoming the iconic Ikea furniture piece.
Adorable! The vanity in the bedroom is just great.
But most importantly... WHERE did you find that cat rug?!?! I love it!
Yes, I was going to ask about the cat rug, too! So whimsical and fun! Beautiful, relaxed home all in all. :-)
@IAMTHELAB - yes, all of them do have that divider, but am I the only one slightly disappointed by that? I'd like to see new and different ways to divide or room or see a room that isn't divided at all. I feel like I'm seeing the same place over and over again.
@NYCEASTVILL - I think part of the reason so many people have the expedit is because it's more bang for the buck. There are lots of dividers that can do the same thing, but they're all more expensive. When you have a small space, you tend to maximize your storage and having an inexpensive divider that doubles as storage really helps.
That's exactly what I mean ROBERTO.FODDAI. Using the 'front' of the bed to me is crawling out of bed. Not knocking it, just curious.
sometimes i feel like I should enter this contest just because I dont have an Expedit in my studio condo!!
But i do love this place. it is full on whimsy. I think the photo editing really matches their style too. kind of old-timey and fun
Oh man I had an apartment with the exact same layout in Indianapolis. I loved it and still think those days fondly. I had it laid out totally differently though. I felt it was a hugh amount of space for one person.
I love the couch! The curtains in the office area are super cute, too.
Lots of things to love about this space - cat rug! Only complaint - were these photos taken with an iPhone? Why the filter? So Portland...
@ LYONSTILL: Extra roommates can also be found on "hard" items. What's really frightening is that they can be dormant for up to 18 months.
@Lyonstill I thought the same thing, I had a similar layout once and had a bounc-a-thon every morning to get out of bed, lol. Why not? Beds have more than two sides. :)
Great place, and your floor plan is spectacular as well!
this is one of my favourite AT posts ever. really sweet place, amazing couch. Lovely aesthetic, very cohesive and thoughtfully applied to a nice layout. Great work!
@Earthy Cruncher: What? WHAT?
That's horrifying. Ugh. I've taken to deep steaming everything I get from Craigslist or Ebay. Guess I'll start steaming hard things too.
This apartment is quite adorable and laid out so nicely! That couch was a golden find!
The cat rug is from Urban Outfitters.
I pretty much love this space...and the photos...and the style of that adorable couple. Well done.
Super cute!!
Cute and cozy little place. I like it.
As I perused, I was saying..hmm, hmm..hmmm...on each photo..I REALLLLY LOVE IT..so cute and sweet!! The couch is wild!!
i love those ruffle curtains in the kitchen/office area. i'm now inspired to replace my old bedroom drapes with something similar. thank you!
You two are super adorable. It's great to see people in the picture. Love the bed. Well done. Never too many Expedits!
Adorable and comfortable.......and good job wanting to keep it clean!! It's wonderful to walk into a clean home. Love the curtains in the office area. Where is the dining table?
That random pipe in your bathroom is the condensation pipe. When the boiler pushes steam through your radiators, the condensation from that steam gathers up and falls down that random pipe back to the boiler. I live in an 85 year old building too :)
I'd be totally claustrophobic in that bed. But anyway, I gave you extra points for including your picture!
@LyonStill not every city has a huge bedbug epidemic. I can't speak to Portland specifically, but in Seattle I have yet to meet anyone who has had bed bugs in this city (and a lot of the people I meet are big thrifters). I assume that will change at some point, but for now it is worth the fairly small risk to pick up a barely-used $1300 couch for $13 at the Goodwill, give it a close inspection and cleaning myself, and cross my fingers. I probably would not pick something like that up off of the street, because I have no idea where that stuff came from and why it is there, but at thrift stores the items have a better chance of having been dropped off because they are still perfectly usable/not infested, and vetted by the employees to make sure they're in sellable condition. It could be that we are just waiting for our first asshole to come along and donate his nice-looking, bedbug-infested couch to the Goodwill and kick off a huge problem, but at least for now, just about all of the furniture in my house except the bed/mattress came from thrift stores and I haven't had any problems with unwelcome guests.
You're right, though. If I lived in a city where I knew bedbugs were everywhere, then I would probably not touch a used couch with a ten foot pole.
I love it! It's so unique, I feel like I know them already and would get all their jokes just because I've seen the apartment. Also I agree with Holler, I also live in Seattle and have yet to meet anyone personally who has even seen a bed bug. I sometimes think we are scared into purchasing new stuff just because there are people in the world who think it's gross. I'm more scared of ruining the earth and perpetual summer. they are an inspiration that you can find cute used stuff.
This is not the first apartment in this contest I've liked, but it is the first I've been this gushingly in love with. It's everything I hope a apartment therapy post will be! I love that's it's cute, but not too cutesy, and that everything is a unique chosen piece rather than being slavish to any one style (but it still looks designed and thought out). It's what craigslist always has the potential to be, but so many people are too impatient to make it, and really, as a thrifty young renter that's more relatable and inspirational to me than snazzy high budget items.
Also, good on you for making a statement with your couch, rather than throwing a couple of patterned throw pillows on it, it's really bold, and looks amazing.
Weird question, but is your headboard a wall sticker?
I would kill for that sofa! And I'm in Portland, so better not let me know where you live!
Just as a counter-point, I am in Seattle and have personally known 2 people who've gotten bedbugs. In both cases, it was probably as a result of travel, but still.
However, I bought a couch off Craiglist. Bedbugs have not yet become wide-spread, so the chances of a random piece of furniture having them is tiny. I'd probably think twice about picking up a couch from the curb, for a variety of reasons.
Also, I agree with Lizu: I admire this couple committing to a "personality"-full couch, as opposed to a beige couch with interesting throw pillows.
What PI said...
I don't like to be hypercritical, but I noticed the bed was sloppily made. I did like the pillowcases.
Cute couple, cute apartment, you have my vote ^_^
I love this! Great interior design, very artistic and soothing. Wish this couple would design and purchase things for my house. Voted for your apartment to win.....beautiful.
This place is the best! I got a chance to hang out with Leah and Dane a couple weekends ago and was totally impressed by their new home. (Except I had to get a hotel because their place was too small to share, lol)
I love how light, airy and clean everything is! Thanks for inspiring me to clean my life out too!
I loved the write-up! It feels so warm and heartfelt! The curtains are wonderful and I love the desk. I, too, would have loved to have seen pictures of that bathroom!
What a wonderful little home! I just love how you bring together old-fashioned country-style furniture together with whimsical modern things -- that's something I so want to learn to pull off. Very very well done!
Love this apartment. The pictures are very cute! I think it is totally weird that two of the apartments have the cardboard deer head on the wall!!!!!!!! Must be a "cool" thing to have in a small apartment!
Dane and Leah-
Can I be your BFF so I can hang out in this cool place?
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! I declare that henceforth all photos of cute small space dwellers snuggling on the couch shall be known as DaneLeah photos (and I've gotta get one of those cat rugs).
Great space guys. Like so many others I wish I could see what you've done with your kitchen and bath.
Regarding your bath, I believe I have that same painfully hot pipe in my bathroom too. I bought several packages of 100% cotton clothes line and wrapped it tightly from floor to ceiling. The pipes still heat the room nicely but are now only very, very warm to the touch. The cotton fabric of the clothesline (which after 6 years still shows no sign of damage from the heat) breathes with the pipe as it expands and contracts. It's still as tightly wrapped as the day I put it in place.
That first photo is 100% adorable.
I read your post because my friends call me the queen of craigslist. good on ya for the major downsize.
as a landlord, i havve remodeled 10+ kitchens with CL finds. for those scared of [bed] bugs, proper cleaning is essential. if you can borrow or rent an air compressor, they're wonderful for blowing out dust and debris of all kinds. a proper heat gun, or even hair dryer on hot setting is also useful, over 120 degrees kills bugs. &/or you can set up your bathroom as a hot room with a few [carefully monitored] space heaters as well. oftentimes old furniture is much better made than new. vandykes restorers is also a valuable asset in refitting pieces that need a little love.
regarding your steam condensate pipe - contact your local plumbing supply store. they make a hard shell [paintable] coated 2" fiberglass pipe insulator for every diameter out there. add a few pipe collars for supports and it can become a towel rack or shelving unit.
you two are the cutest f n couple i have ever seen! <3
Love it!
and i love the orange pillow! awesomeness!
Hey there, this is Dane of Dane and Leah, I wanted to explain about the bathroom/kitchen pictures. So in this contest they only let you choose 5 pictures and our kitchen has no natural light and is therefore very dark. Our bathroom, while cute is quite small and hard to get a good photo of it. When faced with the limited pictures we tried to pick the best ones that showed the most of the apartment.
Thanks so much for all your comments, it's really made us happy to see people appreciate something we have had so much fun with. We like to make a fun space that is realistic for a dental tech and a nursing student living in Portland. We aren't established professional interior designers living in manhattan, we're two people in our early 20s living basically paycheck to paycheck. We live on deals and most of our purchases that weren't on Craigslist were on sale. The bed was given to us by Leah's aunt when we got married so you guys don't have to worry about us itching and scratching in the night! And to a couple people who asked, the cat rug was from urban outfitters as we're a few other rugs in our place.
A+ Awesome. You all are great and so is your place! I love those frilly curtains, the couch is great, and the place has an overall good vibe goin' on. Nice.
Love will always win!!!!
How inventive and such a 'green' way to furnish this cozy appartment.
You are the example of the saying "Love grows best in small houses"
Would we have the housing crisis if we were all more willing to live a bit smaller?
If you can do so well with so little you deserve to win!
Favorite based on the lovely pic of the couple - love the sofa too.
It's LYON STILL again.....
I had no idea 'hard' items could carry travelers as well. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT! Truly.
When I said critters, I didn't even think of bed-bugs, I was thinking more along the line of ROACHES. Those bad boys are hard as heck to kill. Will the steaming clean them out too? Anyplace I've gone to pick up 'hard' finds from craig's list have been beautiful homes but sometimes they buy and resell so you don't know where the original item came from. Am I being way too cautious or just childhood memories? Yeah..sad to say, live in some apartments with my mom in SF that had more 'room-mates' than I care to remember. Any input would be appreciated. I'm eyeing a few sofa's Mid Century Modern sofa's on craigslist but my fear prevents me from buying...oh jeez...Sorry Dane and Leah for taking up space with my woes on your beautiful tour. :o(
Stop posting bug comments. They are off topic. Dane and Leah mentioned nothing in their description about bugs, so no comments about bugs belong here. They have a lovely, clean apartment.
Read the Apartment Therapy comment policy:
1. Be honest and fair, yet gracious.
2. No ad hominem attacks or gratuitous meanness.
3. Stay on topic.
4. Add value, don't take it away.
Aw man, this is by far my favorite entry! You guys are adorable, as is your place!!
Cute! Great use of your space. Love the way it all comes together. The ruffled drapes are my fave. www.kjandco.ca
@CAROLYN IN CAMBRIDGE thanks for being the OFFICIAL COMMENT POLICE, but maybe in the future you could just ignore discussion sparked by a post that you don't personally care about. I know this may be a shocking concept, but you do not HAVE to read every comment that is posted.
Adorable couple, lovely home. Of course you got my vote!
OMG cutest place everrrrrr.
oh hell yes. I have that cat rug from UO!
p.s. cutest couple ever?
@Holler totally agree!
This apartment is very cute and it amazes me that two people can live so well in such a tiny space. Especially moving from a larger spot.
I envy people who can furnish well with CL. I'm too scared of other people's cooties.
super cat rug :)! and a cosy home....
@ HOLLER - well said :)
It took me a while to figure out that a few of those Expedit doors are mirrored. I thought I was losing my mind. It's so smart to store the books on the bottom where they hide the bed and to put baskets and doors etc on the top where they can be accessible from both sides. Well done!
Love it! I have decor jealousy right now! You got my vote!!
I think it's so cute and neat!
Great, great use of space! Love the cat rug!
Wow! Very nice!!
Beautiful! the photos are truly dreamy!
I've been really stingy with my favorites this year, but between the cuddly couple, that awesome kitty rug and the colorful floor plan, this one earned it.
Sweet home, sweet couple.
Really cute and cozy. That cat rug... Gotta have it!!!
did you take the photos using instagram? Too 70's for an oldie like me who had to live through that burnt sienna nightmare once already.
OMG, Dane and Leah...you guys are too stinkin' cute! Fun apt :)
@indigosailor Actually, that burnt sienna nightmare is just the lighting in our apartment. Our photos were taken by a photographer friend (with an actual camera) who does not digitally edit her photos. As for the assertion that our look is too 70's, I would say the only piece we have from that era is our couch. Granted, it is quite bold, but we are young so it doesn't bother us :).
Um, what? I want to live here! Whimsical without being the slightest bit "cutesy". Would also love to have seen the kitchen and bath, but will settle for the awesomeness that is shown.
your place is soooo cuuute!!! me likey :)
Lots of good details in such a small space-- and I'd give you extra points for that rag rug at the end of the bed if I could.
This place is adorable, but I have a burgeoning couple-crush on these two. Leah, Dane, you guys remind me of me and my hubs. Lets be friends!
This apartment is so very, very Portland: old, thrifty, loved and stylish. J'adore!
Per the bedbugs, fingers-crossed I've not heard of anyone having them and my friends are all about CL finds.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!!
It's so hard to pick a winner - all the homes are so cute, especially in this size category!
~ Susan
I love your space! Congratulations on downsizing and on going car-free!
I agree, it would be great to see more pics of kitchen/bathroom. I saw Dane's explanation. Maybe you could post a link to more pics on Flickr (I think that's okay; other contestants have done so in comments, and now the favoriting is over anyway).
I really admire the spirit of your entry. Sometimes I feel like this contest should be broken down by income bracket instead of square footage! (Not really, but some folks are clearly drawing on more resources than others. I have a cool apartment, but I'm a librarian/proofreader living in Vermont without a car -- my options are pretty narrow!) Your space really captures what Small Cool is about -- maximizing and using your imagination and creativity. Bravo!
This is a really lovely apartment and a great use of space, but where are their clothes stored? I couldn't see anything in the space that would accommodate even a small wardrobe.
I am crazy over these beautiful curtains!! They look like a lovely, delicate dress from a different era!!!! Beautiful place overall but the curtains just put it over the top for me!
We put our clothes in the room divider (it has cabinets) and in the closet in the hall.
Is that a chifferobe in the hallway to the bathroom or a built-in? Either way, it's awesome!
This. Is. Marvelous! I love seeing small spaces turned into unique homes. Cheers to both of you!