Name: Catherine, Sophie (roommate), and Dewey the dog
Location: Adams Morgan, DC
Size: 965 square feet — 2 bedroom, 2 bath
Years lived in: owned, 1 year
We first met Catherine when she shared her hilarious feather light disaster with us. Intrigued by her DIY spirit and fine sense of humor, we asked to see a bit more of her home. Part clean-lined cool, part cozy country, and fully unpretentious, Catherine's sunny condo displays both her playful personal style and budget-conscious resourcefulness. And, of course, subtle tributes to all things equine.
Because — at least for the time being — Catherine's home doubles as her office, she wanted to make it comfortable and inviting but also spare and tidy enough to be conducive to good work. Hence, her desk is not one typically overflowing with papers and office supplies, but rather a clean glass table with a glass-fronted cabinet nearby that's been outfitted with portable baskets of work necessities and pretty vellum to hide other essentials like her printer.
Although her workspace is spare, she's added plenty of personality to her walls. My favorites are the framed potty-humor drawings made by her former elementary school students which spice up the bathroom. Her own photography, or "faurt" — faux + art — as she playfully refers to the large canvas stretched close-ups adorning her bedroom is another budget-friendly way of adding style to her space. That, and creative design cheats like the elegant raw silk bedskirt that she fashioned out of discount fabric and masking tape and the feather placemats-turned-mantel surround embellishment (see the reveals in her house tour gallery)!
Apartment Therapy Survey
Style: Trying to be elegant while fighting an embarrassing inner tendency towards country kitsch.
Inspiration: Beautiful horse farms.
Favorite Element: I love my home! Tom Daley from Sothebys is the best real estate agent in DC.
Biggest Challenge: The small second bedroom. Fortunately it gets lots of light and opens to the balcony.
What friends say: “Wow, you should probably get out more.”
Biggest Embarrassment: Inside the closets. I’d also love to do something to my dining table. And redo the master bath. And add a kitchen backsplash and drywall the ceiling. And…
Proudest DIY: Replacing bathroom faucets, feathering the fireplace, bedroom headboard and curtains, and the various faurt (faux art)
Biggest Indulgence: The horse lamp from Jonathan Adler. How can I have a “happy chic” life when a lamp is so damn expensive? But it’s shaped like a horse, I couldn’t resist. No regrets.
Best Advice: Don’t take advice from me.
Dream Source: If I had enough money for a dream source, I’d buy horses and a better view.
Other Inspiration: Apartment Therapy!
Resources of Note
Appliances: GE
Hardware: Logan Hardware, I think mostly Delta? Peerless?
Furniture: Crate & Barrel, Target, IKEA, World Market, Miss Pixie’s, Eastern Market, Ruff and Ready
Accessories: same
Lighting: same, Jonathan Adler horse lamp. Clip on shades in living room are from David Weeks, in bedrooms from Pottery Barn.
Rugs and Carpets: Crate and Barrel, Coe and Sons (Bethesda)
Window Treatments: G Street Fabrics, me!
Beds: Headboard is Pottery Barn, headboard cover is G Street Fabrics and me
Artwork: Faurt is me, stars on the wall come from a wonderful guy at Eastern Market with all kinds of neat repurposed tin stuff. A few paintings from family.
Paint: Benjamin Moore “Abalone” in the living space, “Rich Cream” in MBR. Applied by Juenemann Painting, Silver Spring. They did a wonderful job. Hall bath is BM “Hale Navy” and second bedroom is BM “Hint of Mint”
Flooring: Don’t buy this crummy bamboo flooring. No idea where it’s from.
Thanks Catherine!
Images: Leah Moss
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here
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Love this! I'm in a 2 bed under 800 sq feet in DC, so there are lots of great ideas to borrow :D
view WolfWhitman's profile
What a totally delectable home - classic, creative and whimsical all at once...I was expecting equine overload after reading the intro, but I had fun locating the horse references here and there!
And those toilet drawings are sublime!
view *lynn*'s profile
this is a beautiful and warm home. i want it for myself :P
view duckumu's profile
Delightful!
view bepsf's profile
So cozy and wonderful and personal! I really respect the restraint in the equestrian motifs. I'm a horse crazy 8 year old in the body of a horse crazy 25 year old law student, and my home is heavy on the pony. This is very mature and respectful of the horsey-lifestyle but still incorporates the things you love - it's so easy to go overboard, but you reached a perfect balance! Love it!
view anniekins's profile
The coverlet on the guest bed/daybed is gorgeous.
view Terry in Silver Spring's profile
Lovely. Where is the coffee table from?
view PhillyLass's profile
This is my idea of a perfect home: warm, functional and concise.
view Elise_B's profile
I love this place. The round glass table in the bedroom is a nice touch in terms of creating a workspace that doesn't look like it takes up as much room as it does, and I really like the incorporation of Ikea with more original finds. It makes me miss DC.
But that feather fireplace would give me the willies every single day and night. I couldn't click past that photo fast enough!
view MadrasSoup's profile
SO lovely. Really cosy and serene. I LOVE, LOVE LOVE the balcony and windowboxes. I'm surprised by how much I responded to this home, because it's so unlike my own style! But I really like it.
view carolyn_suzanne's profile
Beautiful! Just a note for future presentations - a plan is worth a thousand vignettes.
view ladymantle's profile
Thanks for sharing! Very comfortable and bright. Is this condo off of 19th Street by the park? I used to live on Mintwood and always admired the balconies!
view jordanw's profile
Wow, what a difference the paint made in the bathroom!
I wish my place had that much natural light.
view lomogeek's profile
Nicely done! I don't think of of it as "faux" art at all, it looks pretty good to me.
view queenbee1230's profile
Dewey is a doll!
Lovely place, really like the coffee table and the balcony.
Thanks for sharing.
view sassydo's profile
This looks very well put together and well conceived. I like all the natural light, too. My only critique is that usually I like spaces with a few more personal touches - whether that be a big book collection or a smattering of family heirlooms or antique pieces. I think this is one of those places that will get better with age as she keeps adding little personal touches like that, and especially as beautiful art gets added in to replace some of her "faux art" - which I think is a great idea, and works well for now, but the space will look even better when she chooses pieces that she really loves over the years. I also think it is pretty impressive that she's only lived here a year, because it looks really beautifully put together for such a short time - and especially since she has made some updates like the very nice bathroom redo.
view livc's profile
Can someone tell me the name of the plant in the brown pot near the living room window? I keep seeing it around but no one seems to have an ID for it.
Catherine, your apartment is so perfect...warm and cozy, lots of comfort and light. Tidy but not contrived. Great sense of space in such a small space.
view veslabeachgirl's profile
Wow -- really, really lovely. Your place is such an inspiration. Your color scheme seems very similar to my own, and I can tell that I'll continually come back to these photos for ideas.
By the by, thanks for representing DC in such a great, memorable way!
view sucrek's profile
veslabeachgirl - It's a ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) also known as Zanzibar gem - very easy to care for!
view elizabethg's profile
veslabeachgirl - It's a ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) also known as Zanzibar gem - very easy to care for!
It also thrives in low light conditions, making it perfect for indoors. Catherine's living room is actually a Who's Who of low light indoor plants: the ZZ, an aspidistra, a mother-in-law's tongue, and a devil's ivy.
I like the close-up feather picture. I thought it was brushed metal at first, but it's subtle and perfect for a bedroom.
view Blandwagon's profile
Very lovely....and so neat! Dewey is adorable snoozing on the bed.
view suzy8track's profile
I like this apt but most of all, I like Catherine! What a trip you are, girl! (no, I've never met her!) Someone who emails in a DIY gone bad to a design website? Someone who lifts her mattress to show that she used masking tape to make the silk mattress cover? Someone who displays their muddy boots for photo shoots? Someone who displays kids' potty-humor artwork in the bathroom and calls your photography FAURT?
You, girlfriend , are REAL and I bet you are a complete trip to hang out with!
view abbygraykit's profile
What a beautiful home. I love the "faurt". The feather picture looks wonderful as does the close up of the tree. Thanks for sharing such creative ideas!
view ghostgirl's profile
After 6 months of being an AT member, this is the first time I've felt compelled to say how much I love a house tour - in this case, a lot! So warm and inviting, comfortable and friendly - and I love your dog. Well done and thanks for the inspiration.
view Rackers's profile
Great fireplace, and I'm still a fan of that little feather pendant in the entry way.
view rosenatti's profile
Bright, cosy, balanced and with humour - I love it!
view idontdobeige's profile
Warm & personal, and the pooch is adorable too. :) I second @abbygraykit -- Catherine sounds like someone I'd like to have a glass of wine & chat with!
view Kris0218's profile
I love Catherine (I do not know her, but I would love to meet her one day)
view brooklynjennie's profile
nice place! could of lived without the fireplace close-ups - we want to see the space - "faurt" - totally fun
view jettsam's profile