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Name: Derek & Jennifer Miller (and Portia, a 3-year-old Boston Terrier)
Location: Loft District, Philadelphia
Size: 730 square feet
Years lived in: 2

We first saw these Dashing Digs when we viewed Derek & Jennifer's Mix Century Modern House Call. We knew that we had to see more, so we paid a visit to Derek, Jennifer and Portia's loft located in the Philadelphia Loft District.

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When you reach the floor of Derek and Jennifer's loft and you exit the elevator, you're immediately hit with bright white walls and amazing wood floors. The anticipation builds as you're walking down the hallway, because it seems as though it's almost impossible to ruin the amazing shell.

The light just gets brighter and brighter when you enter the apartment. You're immediately facing a wall of large windows that just about anyone would be envious of! The colorful furniture and smartly placed accessories pick up on the enormous amount of light in the loft. The vibrant punches of orange, yellow and more subtle greens command your attention and perfectly accent the numerous mid-century pieces throughout.

Derek and Jennifer were really successful in creating several spaces in one large room. When you walk into the kitchen, office and dining room — you feel as though you've walked through three separate rooms. The rooms are furnished with a mix of mid-century modern and contemporary pieces. Several pieces of furniture were Craigslist finds and we all have to love the frugality of that. Each piece has its place and everything looks as though it was always meant to be there.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My/Our style: A mix century modern — we have some modern pieces from the 60's and 70's combined with some newer pieces. We like clean modern lines and mixing different textures together.

Inspiration: A combination of websites and magazines.

Favorite Element: Achieving individual spaces without losing that open feel.

Biggest Challenge: Storage! Because we don’t like clutter, it can be difficult to hide everything in the right spot.

What Friends Say: "This place is so Jen & Derek."

Biggest Embarrassment: The kitchen. The mix matched appliances and cookie cutter cabinetry drive us crazy. We’d love to create a new custom look.

Proudest DIY: There are two: the farmhouse style sliding closet door that Derek and his Dad mastered on a budget, and the Plycraft chair. It used to look like a beat up dentist’s chair until Derek sanded, stained and reupholstered it to create a brand new look.

Biggest Indulgence: Accessories. We tend to buy on a whim when it doesn’t take so much effort for the two of us to agree.

Best advice: Make your place your own. Don’t compromise on style because of a high price tag. You can always find deals in unconventional places.

Resources of Note:

Furniture: Sofa from Klaussner home furnishings, Eames Herman Miller rocking chair, Vintage sideboard found on ebay, Plycraft Eames lounge knock off, Adrian Pearsall coffee table (kagan style), Tulip style side table from Target, Desk and filing cabinet from IKEA, CB2 orbit desk chair, Herman Miller Eames chair DAX with H base covered in lime tweed, Lubi daybed from CB2, Dining chairs are Arne Jacobsen series 7 knock offs, Dining table found on craigslist, Crate & Barrel wine rack, IKEA custom closets, IKEA cabinetry in bathroom.

Accessories: CB2 office organizers, IKEA boxes and vases, knock-off Nelson clock from eBay, Miller High Life wooden crate box from eBay, bullet planter from hiphaven.com, industrial felt table runner found on Etsy.

Lighting: Mid century modern lamps in bedroom found on eBay, various lamps from CB2.

Flooring: Living room shag rug from CB2, Entryway floor tiles from FLOR, original hardwood floors restored.

Paint: Benjamin Moore "Inner Balance", Graham and Brown Dazzle Silver/Blue Paisley floral wallpaper by Julien MacDonald in bedroom.

Window Treatments: Custom fitted blinds.

Bed: IKEA malm bed with bedding from Crate & Barrel.

Artwork: Local artist from Roatan Honduras, Local Philadelphia artist Bruce Reinfeld, Print from House Industries, Original artwork created by Derek himself.

Thanks, Derek & Jennifer!

Images: Kristen Lubbe

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