Name: Emily & Nate
Location: Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Size: 700 square feet
Years lived in: 1½ years - rented
As an avid fan, Emily (a graphic designer) knows her Apartment Therapy stuff. Within minutes of walking through her door, Emily tells me that she's pretty sure that the layout of her place is exactly the same as another house tour I recently posted. And funny enough, this other tour was also home to a Nate. The tour and home that she was referring to was Ila & Nate's Corridor of Color.
And sure enough, after checking out the whole space, I confirmed that yes, Emily and Nate's home is the exact same layout and structure as Ila and Nate's home, even though they live a half mile away from each other in different six-family homes. And of course, they both have the same impressively small square footage. I say impressive because once again, I'm delighted by how Emily and Nate make a small-ish space feel roomy. This space definitely feels bigger than 700 square feet.
I'm going to chalk that up to the delightful, eclectic environment that Emily and Nate have created as renters on a budget. This home feels really well loved (for proof, check out this poem about their place, written by Nate). Their incorporation of abundant original art makes a huge difference in the space. (By the way, to see their "Cabinip" mini liquor cabinet in motion, click here.) I also love their mis-matched (e.g. dining room chairs), less than precious aesthetic. Their use of a soothing, neutral wall color in the main living space (living room and dining room) helps unify the two rooms but also provides a grounding stage for their colorful art, furniture, and decorative objects.
Once we established that this space is the exact same as Ila and Nate's, it was fun to compare and contrast how they set up their spaces. One thing, beyond structure, unites these two couples and their same but different spaces: a knack and love for creating cozy, vibrant homes. The matchmaker in me hopes that Emily and Nate get to see Ila and Nate's home and vice versa.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our style: Eclectic, fun, artsy, modern, and comfortable.
Inspiration: Design books and blogs, museums, and our artistic and creative friends and family.
Favorite Element: Our custom-designed-and-built mini liquor cabinet - the "Cabinip".
Biggest Challenge: Not letting things get too crowded and cluttered in our smallish space, and doing it on a tight budget.
What Friends Say: It's so you!
Biggest Embarrassment: The bathroom: it still has the ugly off-white paint color and the claw-foot tub to shower conversion is pretty shoddy — let's just say it involves a 2x4.
Proudest DIY: Making a lot of the artwork that is displayed and refurbishing the pachinko machine.
Biggest Indulgence: Original art.
Best advice: If you see local art that you like and you can afford — buy it!
Dream source: MCM antique stores after I've won the lottery, and open studio tours.
Resources of Note:
LIVING ROOM
Leaning bookshelves: Crate & Barrel
Letterpress trays: Antique stores (I painted one yellow)
Yellow side table and chair: West Elm
Custom curtains and pillow cases: sewn by Emily's Mom
Artwork above TV : artist Helen O'Donnel
Artwork above sofa: artist Erica Von Schilgen
Small couch and TV stand: IKEA
Vertical panorama: artist Warren Mather
DINING ROOM
Dining set (table, two chairs and sideboard) by Broyhill: Yesteryear
Gray Eames chair: from my Grandmother (was her desk chair for many years!)
Antique Japanese Pachinko machine: Craigslist
"Cabinip" mini liquor cabinet: built by Bill Rogers of Machina Design
Hanging fabric fish: made by Nate's Mom
Curtains: West Elm
Rug: from Nate's travels in Turkey
KITCHEN
Table: IKEA
Paintings: by Emily
Print above kitchen table: artist Nancy Marks
Rug: from Nate's travels in Turkey
BEDROOM
Photograph opposite the bed: "The Heart" by Kevin Van Aelst
Painting above bed: by Emily
Hand-sewn blanket made out of cut-up cashmere sweaters: by Kelley Whitmore (for information contact kelley_whitmore@yahoo.com)
Bed: IKEA
Rug: from my Grandparents' house
Cross stitch artwork: by Emily
London Tube Poster: London Transport Museum Shop
BATHROOM
Cross stitch artwork: by Emily
PAINT COLORS
Dining Room and Living Room: Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray (on 3 walls) and BM Creekside Green (on 1 accent wall)
Kitchen: Benjamin Moore Sweet Pear
Bedroom: Benjamin Moore Van Courtland Blue
Thanks, Emily & Nate!
Images: Kyle Freeman
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Comments (54)
This is great. Clean, colorful, and lots of fun stuff without being too cluttered.
Very nice! I was a little confused with the lamp and chair in front of the door, but I suppose you don't use that door too much?
It's cute, but there are one-too-many sofas in that Living Room...
...culling one out would allow space to move that end table beside a sofa rather than the center of the room and bring that chair from the dining room into the Living Room, blocking one less closet.
I like the bold colors against the neutral backdrop.
Fantastic rug in the living room! Source?
Love the orange rug in the living room! Where did it come from?
maybe they have 2 sofas because they need the extra seating?
I want to know about that living room rug, too. Fabulous!
Everything in this place is really cute. The living room is too crowded with the 2 couches blocking a shelving unit, a lamp, and plant stand. Maybe if you got rid of one couch and got 2 comfy chairs instead? Also, the end table appears to be right up against the couch. If it moved up a few feet then it would have some breathing room. Overall, I like this place. It is very colorful and creative.
cute, bright, cheery!
I agree with the others about eliminating a sofa (I may be a bit biased though as I used to have that Ikea sofa in red and learned to loathe it). :) But your space is really fun and I love the mix you strike between uncluttered and filled. Most houses where there is not clutter, I get a sterile feel as if the residents just don't own any stuff other than furniture. Not that there's not something to be said for that, but I really like how you've incorporated personal items into the space without it feeling too busy. This house has a really happy feel and all the bright colors and materials reminds me of kids' stuff for some reason, like I really expected there to be a Little Tykes car in the corner or something. In a good way. Anyway, great job on such a cute space. :)
"Those couches are necessary for the inevitable crashing friends."
Have you ever tried to sleep on a Klippan sofa?
Unless you're under 5'4" or enjoy curling up in a little ball, it's pretty much impossible.
If they really need the seating for two more people, the turquoise spinny IKEA chair (Fridene?) in the dining room could be brought in along with the one in the corner.
Super cute space. Looks really happy and is filled with personality. Thanks for letting us all have a peek!
Cute place! I have the same layout too, but my apartment is in rough shape from decades of differed maintenance and unprofessional "improvements".
I'm so excited to see a Nikki McClure calendar! My husband buys these for me every year; they are beautiful.
Wow! When other posters have said "This is my style" or "This is my favorite tour ever" I was a little jealous - where was my style? Well, here it is! I love the color, tone, pattern and texture combos with modern, graphic and vintage touches. Just so pretty and inspiring!
Super cute - love it!
Who made the little dude with the long legs that is sitting on top of your dresser in the bedroom?
Very cozy and vibrant at the same time. I like the floral kitchen curtains. Can you tell me where to find them? I like how you put artwork in the area between the two windows there.
Hi everyone thanks for the comments!
* In terms of couches, we use both of them quite often. It's tough to fill that space well and still have room for visitors... Plus we've got a couple < 5'4" friends that have slept well on that beauty! I might also have 2 connected like that because I secretly wish I had a sectional. I do realize it's not the most elegant solution though :)
* The rug is originally from Ikea (sadly not available any more) but we got it on Craigslist
* We were lucky that the landlords were forced to redo the apartment because the old woman who lived there before (40 years!) had left it in a terrible state. The other units are not in particularly good shape :(
* The long legged fellow was born in Argentina.
* Kyle was kind not to photo our apartment's most controversial feature - the cabinet of curiosities!
ps- "redeco yo face"?? hahaha.
oops, part of that first bullet was missing! should read: "Plus we've got a couple < 5'4" friends that have slept reasonably well on that beauty!"
okay I give up, was trying to type the "smaller than" symbol but clearly it does not work! the point is that we have some short friends that like sleeping on our little couch :)
Is that a picture of laundry on a bed in the bedroom in photo 30? If so, I love that!!
I agree with bepsf about the sofas, but other than that, great job! I especially love the paint. It looks fresh and really highlights the woodwork.
Love the wall colors! Source?
love the cute kitchen!!
Love the chairs in the kitchen. Source?
i want to live here.
Really lovely
The curtains and chairs in the kitchen are from Ikea.
The print in the bedroom is a photo of laundry on a bed, arranged in the shape of a heart. You can see it on Kevin Van Aelst's website here:
http://www.kevinvanaelst.com/photoheart.html
I love this house! Beautiful use of colors, very well done.
I'm happy to see a house tour of a "small" place. Seems like there have been a lot of 2000 sq ft places lately.
That said, I like the cheery kitchen. I have a generic galley kitchen and I just love looking at the kitchens in older buildings with their more open (although sometime odd) layout. Thanks for sharing your space!
It's bright, cheerful, comfortable, simple, modern and cozy! I love it ALL!
Your Garden of Earthly Delights is a booze cabinet...how great is that?! There's nothing better than some humour in a home.
I like the whole place. I especially love the "cabinip"! Invite me to your next party, I am up the road in Portland, Maine. :)
@SwedishChef --
I'm not a girl.
...but he gets that a lot.
;)
I love This American Life--great poster. Great space, although I would suggest running through the place with an eye toward editing. I think the accessories would have a lot more impact, and the space would have a calmer feel, if the 'stuff' were reduced by about 50%. That's just me, though, and as I write this I am well aware that my place could use the same treatment, and more!
Where did you get the cabinip?? Did you make that? I love it!
Damn! And to think that millions of Americans left cities with sidewalks, walk up "triple deckers" with built in china closets like yours, and and Jamaica Plains where a kid can pick his nose himself, without having to ask Mommy to drive him to his nose...
... to get fat in South Western cul de sacs with tripple garages, double height ersatz Versailles entry halls, and strip malls on pedestrian prohibited highways.
Nice flat. Love the way that you flaunt the rules. And so very Boston
Love this space! It's really cozy with lots of personality.
Bonus points for the This American Life poster. :)
This place is charming.
I especially love the paint colors combined with the artwork.
Nice job!
Is it too late to ask about that cute yellow chunky chair in the living room - if not - where did you get that?
loved all of it! so much personality! a nips cabinet is now on my must-have list...and why has nobody commented on the little green airplane above the toilet--strange, unexpected and downright awesome! and your carpets provide with with an endless matching color scheme. really nice.
The yellow chair in the living room is from west elm..
-E
Love the color combinations!
Am especially fond of the red/orange ottoman and the pink lamp.
And it's kept simple - great inspiration!
I love the London Tube art. I went to their website and could not find it. Do you know what it is called or can you tell me how to find it?
Thanks
I couldn't find it on their website either, I bought it in the actual store so maybe they don't carry it online? Sorry!
What a great place- nice accents, great furniture- fantastic personality. My only critique- if I see another gray wall, I think I am going to wretch!! There are so many beautiful colors out there...
Really cute kitchen, love the colors an curtain. But everywhere else, a little to much stuff all over.
What a cute home. The sofas do look tired though...any plans on getting a sofa/ sofas that would better work with your decor such as a mid century type?
Love love love!
I'm amazed with so many stuff there yet they're displayed nicely as accents, not clutter.
And I see the use of extensive IKEA products without looking like a showroom. Nicely done!
one word ugly no charachter not line nothing is carried through the yellow chair and lamp could have bee apholstered in much nicer fabric and could have been a source of an idea but they stop there the carpet is horrendous and the wall color is completely wrong nothing feels good or right or organic in this place . sorry
I LOVE this place. It reminds me of a colorful splash where every splash falls into place.
I like the mix and match and it feels lived in but comfortable.
The yellow chair by the door is easily my favorite.
two years latah...due to small boston places...I have the Ikea kitchen curtains..very versatile/have used them living room/bedroom and now kitchen..love your home's color! great paint color choice..and true, lots of ikea but without the ikea showplace look as 'aforementioned' and LOVE JP and it's triple deckers..a home of a grandmother from Ireland..long ago..: )