Name: Cassandra Marino
Location: Cambridge, MA (just moved here from West Hollywood, CA)
Size: Two Bedroom, Two bath (two floors)
Years lived in: 4 months

Cassandra loves seeing the house tours on AT and wrote us to share what she's done to her new place!

Have an idea for a house tour? Let me know! jonathan at apartmenttherapy dot com

My Style: Flea Market Edgy. I like to mix mid-century, tropical-beachy with romantic antiques. I love white mixed in with soft splashes of vibrant color. I want my home to feel cozy yet spacious and uncluttered. I want art and objects to feel quirky and brave – almost silly and lighthearted.

Inspiration for my home: The Pasadena flea market. Anything I see will inspire a direction for a room. I also LOVE to thumb through Domino for inspiration. They started my obsession with horns (see dining room) on the wall and some taxidermy.

Favorite element: Not sure exactly what this question means but I like the juxtaposition of my mid-century modern, original Saarinen table with the antique, romantic looking chandelier and the Old-Western Texas Longhorn in the dining room. The room does not follow any period or style.

What friends say about my home: Some say that it has nice flow. Others say it has a nice mix of old and new.

Most embarassing element: Wow…hmmm. It’s a toss up. It is either our stairwell in our building that we have turned into our personal storage room or the upstairs hall closet that does not have doors. Or it could be the kitchen cabinet door that occasionally falls off (it IS a rental!)

Biggest Challenge: Coordinating whites! When I designed the office, I wanted everything to be white-white. My sleeper couch, Ikea dresser, shelf unit, bulletin board and wall paint are all different tones of white. Sometimes I would examine the white in the store, bring it home and it still wouldn’t match the other whites exactly. I discovered that the different lights in various showrooms affects the quality of the white. Other times I would order online and the white on their website would differ drastically from what it looks like in person. It’s enough to drive you crazy!

Proudest DIY: My cocktail table. I didn’t do it completely myself but I designed it and hired a woodworker to help me sand and stain it.

Biggest Indulgence: My original Saarinen dining table. It was expensive and small but it’s fabulous. It definitely marked my transition into living into a grown-up home. It represents my confidence in my own sense of style because it was slightly edgy and relatively expensive which means that it must last me at least a decade.

Best Advice: Buy what you like. Eliminate clutter by buying less stuff. Cancel your junk mail (thank you apartment therapy!). Organize your apartment so it flows like a curving river rather than a bowling alley (thanks again apt. therapy!)

Dream Source for stuff: Domino Magazine! Flea Markets.

Resources:
Appliances
Red Nespresso Machine (Bloomingdales) $500 Makes the best espresso ever!

Hardware
Coat Hooks (Anthropologie) $18

Furniture
Master Bedroom
Panama Bed (Crate and Barrel) $1,300
Jamie Young Lamps $200 for both - bought at an “insider sale” in LA!
Side Tables (Fairfax Flea Market)
Dresser (Pasadena Flea Market)
Office/Guest Room
Sleeper Sofa (Jennifer Convertibles) $1,200
White Dresser (Ikea) $150
Glass Desk (Williams Sonoma Home) $1,300
White Shelf Unit (Target) $80)
Living Room
Chocolate Velvet Sectional (Ballard Designs) $3,500
Coffee Table (DIY) $700
Media Console (West Elm) $600
Hitachi Plasma Flat Screen (Best Buy) $2,500
Air Conditioning Screens (DIY) $50
Piano Bench (Home Goods) $50
Gold Star Side Table (Home Goods) $80
Green Glass Lamp (Pasadena Flea Market) $40
Dining Room
Saarinen Dining Table (Design Within Reach) $1,300
Dining Chairs (Ikea) $50 each

Accessories
Master Bedroom
B&W Tree Artwork over Bed (http://store.txtlart.com/) $60
Bamboo Screen (Expo) $90
Lady Artwork (Pasadena Flea Market) $25
White Chippendale Chair (Pasadena Flea Market) $150 for two
Office
Huge Bulletin Board (Ballard Designs) $500
Blue Office Boxes (Container Store) $500
Antique Phone (Pottery Barn) $65
Zebra Pillows (DIY) $300
White Chippendale Chair (Pasadena Flea Market) $150 for two
Vogue Artwork (Pasadena Flea Market) $80
White Melamine Shelves (Target) $75
Living Room
Gold Mirror Tray (Fairfax Flea Market) $30
Shag Rug (Urban Outfitters) $100
Antique Pendant Lamp (Pasadena Flea Market) $150
Pink Flower Artwork (Urban Outfitters) $40
Pink Wool Throw (Shabby Chic) $120
Green and Gold Throw Pillows (Home Goods) $150
Starburst Wall Art (West Elm) $200
Dining Room
Chandelier (www.chandelier.com) $100
Vogue Artwork (Home Goods) $40
Air Conditioning Screens (DIY) $50
Entryway
Flower Sticker Wall Decals (Urban Outfitters) $80
Hooks (Anthropologie) $18 each
Red Console (Home Goods) $25
Chinese Lamp (Home Goods) $30
Gold Mirror (Home Goods) $40

Paint
All Benjamin Moore’s “Decorator’s White”