Name: Laura
Location: Logan Circle
Size: 440 Sq. Ft.
Years Lived in: 7 Months

When Laura boldly posted a link to pictures of her first apartment in DC, we knew we had to reach out about a tour of her current home. Though she has only been in her new apartment for a few months, Laura has created a wonderful space full of personalized touches and incredible DIY projects...

We were most impressed by the pendant light that Laura crafted when she (and we) could not find her inspiration piece. We were also delighted that Laura's curated room included space for her beloved Nancy Drew collection, and for the antique bed she got as a child. With the help of her boyfriend (who has a background in theater set design), Laura has personalized and improved her small studio, creating distinct zones that make it appear larger while increasing functionality. We are also really jealous of Laura's chesterfield; we never find anything that exciting at the Goodwill store!

AT Survey:
Rent/Own: Rent

Style: I'm a complete mish-mash when it comes to style. I pretend I'm urban and modern, but really deep down, my traditional and country roots are still there. I like to think that I've married the two sides in a way that works, though. I basically just want my home to be a warm, cozy place.

Inspiration: I have been clipping out pictures I've liked from magazines and catalogs and putting them in binders since I was eight. The early years are mostly from my Mom's Country Living and Victoria magazines, so those aren't quite as applicable anymore. Needless to say, I have a large collection of inspiration books to pull from! I also like to bring home decorative items from my travels as souvenirs, like baskets and the table runner from Botswana, wooden clogs and Delft china from the Netherlands.

Favorite Element: The "bedroom" area. The bed is a family heirloom which I've had forever, and I love that it is separated off into its own little space with the canopy.

Biggest Challenge: Living in a rental with ugly bones, which I can't change very much.

What Friends Say: "Your bathroom is very, very pink."

Biggest Embarrassment: Kitchen cabinets - they are in terrible shape and need to be refinished, but I'm too lazy to actually do anything about it, considering I don't own the place.

Proudest DIY: About half of my apartment is DIY, so it's hard to just pick one. I would probably say the room divider/light box, even though it's not completely done yet (the light box part isn't functional). I had originally bought all the wood to build a box to store my bike in, which was completely ridiculous once I looked at the enormous pieces of plywood when they were in my apartment. I'm just proud of the fact I was able to completely redesign it from my original idea and still have a nice piece of furniture.

Biggest Indulgence: My chesterfield loveseat. It was only $35 at Goodwill, but it wasn't a color I would have picked out, and it made me change my entire decorating scheme. It was definitely worth it though, because I've dreamt of having a chesterfield for many, many years.

Best Advice: For living in a small space, it's definitely important to purge regularly. I have things I've had forever, like my dress-maker's form, but I take a regular inventory and trip to Goodwill to drop stuff off.

Dream Resource: I love unique pieces, so give me a gigantic flea market and a truck to take all my treasures home any day.