Name: Gabrielle
Location: Kalorama, Washington DC
Years lived in: 2, Rented
When Gabrielle returned to the U.S. after four years abroad, she knew that finding the right apartment would make all the difference in her transition. When she first saw this unit in the Kalorama neighborhood, it was the hardwood floors and natural light that sold her, despite the problems she knew she might have fitting all of her worldly goods into the small space...
When the movers finally dropped off her shipment, she was disheartened by the unpacking effort, and found herself living with piles of boxes and an awkward furniture arrangement that closed off her living room. When she realized that she was bypassing most of the living space to spend the majority of her time at home in the bedroom, she sent out a call for help.
We were delighted when Gabrielle asked us for assistance with reorganizing her space. By rearranging the larger pieces of furniture and hanging up the artwork that had been piled in a closet, we helped Gabrielle create a cosy and functional living space. Gabrielle has a wonderful mix of furniture from the white chaise that she chose when she was only thirteen to the Thai monk beds she picked up on a recent tour in Asia. The traditional style of her furniture is offset by the modern art and eclectic accessories that reflect her years of travel.
AT Survey:
My Style: Eclectic
Inspiration:Travel; my things remind me of the many places I've visited.
Favorite Element: The art I've collected from around the world.
Biggest Challenge: Organizing the big pieces of furniture to maximize the space (thanks design goddess friend...)
What Friends Say: It's cosy, comfortable, tranquil.
Biggest Embarrassment: Having someone stop by when I was living out of boxes and seeing that, yes, yes I do live like that, in chaos.
Proudest DIY: Definitely moving that bigass bookcase with the help of the goddess friend and scraps of an airline blanket!
Biggest Indulgence: The handmade carpets throughout the house.
Best Advice: Find a friend with decorating skill and ingratiate yourself!
Dream Resource: The much mentioned design goddess friend
(Thanks Gabrielle, both for letting us play with your space & for letting us post it to the web!)
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Comments (14)
Gallery link doesn't work
I am so coveting that white chaise...
Inactive link.
sorry about the inactive link- we're working to fix it!
Colleen
It seems to be working now.
I love her home and personal travel collection. The furniture arrangement is very effective for the space, and the chaise location is so inviting.
I love this.
Very classic.
This is a lovely home. I love all the artifacts and art from her travels. It's a very inviting place.
Great quiet good taste. Thanks a pleasure to see.
Really nice-- Great choice, choosing the place for the wood floors and great light. I noticed the carpets right away and thought how they really sort of make the rooms. ..I know about living in chaos.. wish I had that designer goddess friend. But hey-- let me tell you, by coming here to AT for the past several months I am really enjoying the views of living spaces and picking up many great ideas for both decorating and organizing. I may even post a couple of how-to-do questions here.
I'd love to be invited over for wine and cheese here!
Very nice. The only thing that gets me is the strange placement of the coffee table. I'd put it nearer the couch that seems to be very disconnected sitting by itself, and put a another table or something to serve as one near the chaise.
i live in the building. her apartment looked great even with boxes. she did a GREAT JOB and has beautiful taste!
such a warm space. it's nice to see someone who has travelled further than ikea!