Name: Maggie S.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Size: 550 square feet (more or less)
Years lived in: six
Maggie S., otherwise known as Mizrobot on Flickr, is a faithful Apartment Therapy reader and a proud graduate of the Apartment Therapy Cure, and her 550 square foot home shows it! She's got a beautiful collection of interesting vignettes, a sophisticated and playful choice of colors, and a discriminating eye for the things she displays in her home. She's letting us take a peek into her home, but with the notice that this is to be considered the "before"--she has just recently moved in with her boyfriend and is working on incorporating her life with his. While she dives head first into making her (very beautiful) style work with his, we can see just how she expresses herself in her home when the canvas is all hers. Stay tuned for an "after" house tour once Maggie gets settled into her new place!
We featured Maggie's vintage bottle collection here and it left us wanting more. Her home is full of gorgeous combinations of muted and bold tones, with a flair for the feminine. Small collections of interesting glassware and decor are curated with an editor's eye and allow this somewhat small apartment to feel bright, open and cheerful.
AT Survey:
My style: Girly thrift store eclectic.
Inspiration: Anthropologie, Watson Kennedy, Design Sponge, this packet of paper samples from a vendor someone gave me once, Door 16, Apartment Therapy, Flickr, Readymade, Blueprint and Domino (RIP), Martha Stewart.
Favorite Element: The wall of windows along the west side of the apartment that provided fantastic natural light.
Biggest Challenge: besides the usual issues of being a renter and having a limited budget I would say it was bringing together a random assortment of thrift store and garage sale scores, IKEA staples, curbside finds and hand-me-downs in a cohesive way.
What Friends Say: People always told me it was very “Maggie.” I take that as a compliment!
Biggest Embarrassment: My apartment was cheap and I only had my rent raised once in six years, but the lack of landlord attention also meant it was hard to get repairs made. In particular, I had no closet doors and I hated that my things were on display at all times. I asked to get doors installed many times over the years but it never happened. I should have just put up curtains but spending the time and money to make or purchase curtains felt like giving in! On the other hand, it meant my closets were always very, very neat.
Proudest DIY: Probably doing the whole AT Cure, which really helped me make my apartment feel like a home and encouraged me to invest in my place. If that doesn’t count, I would say my nightstand that I’ve had since I was a little kid. It’s been an onging project since I was 12 or so. If you could peel back each layer of paint you would have a good record of how my style has evolved over last 18 years.
Biggest Indulgence: My sofa—it was my first (and so far only) non-IKEA new furniture purchase besides a mattress.
Best advice: I think the best advice I ever received was to get rid of old stuff you don’t want in order to open up your life and mental space for the universe to provide you with the things you DO want. Sounds cheesy, but I think it works.
Dream source: Design within Reach and Velocity for cool new modern pieces (on my wish list is a Modernica Eames-style rocker and a Nelson slat bench), Area 51 for their vintage collection, Anthropologie for their beautiful beds and sofas, Watson Kennedy for all their darling French accessories, Heath Ceramics for dishware, cute little antique stores in out-of-the-way places and a magical thrift store that has no connection to the internet and thus does not know how much any of their collectibles are actually worth.
Resources:
Sofa: Area 51, Seattle
Afghan: made by my sister
Desk: made by my dad
Pyrex collection: various thrift stores, antique shops and shows and garage sales
Phonebooth ghost screen print: Jordan Crane www.reddingk.com
Tacoma print: The Helm Gallery, Tacoma WA http://www.thehelmgallery.com/
Polaroid print: Post Family www.thepostfamily.com
Mary statue: my grandparents
Textiles: many are from a trip my stepmom made to India a few years ago
Metal hand-painted sign in kitchen: found at the side of the road near my apartment
(Thanks, Maggie!)
Images: Maggie S., a.k.a. Mizrobot>
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (29)
Very nice place! What model is the sofa from Area 51?
where did you get your tacoma print from? I love it!
beautiful - I especially love Maggie's gorgeous living room and her super-colorful dishware collection! I can't wait to see the next set of photos of her new place. Delightful is the perfect word to describe her style.
pink walls AND vintage pyrex? a girl after my own heart for sure! love the Tacoma print!
Very girly and fun! Love that sofa!
What a happy place! . . . And if you ever get tired of your coffee table, it's perfect for my house . . . ;)
Love the sofa. Where did you get it?
She identifies the source of the Tacoma print above:
Tacoma print: The Helm Gallery, Tacoma WA http://www.thehelmgallery.com/
Too much pink and orange for my personal but, but it's gorgeous! I especially love that little bedside table.
And oh, how I desperately miss my wood floors.
Cute, but I have no idea what this place looks like. Too many vignettes and close-up shots of details. I would prefer seeing the whole bathroom and living room rather than the inside of a medicine cabinet or another shot of the (admittedly very pretty) pillows.
Where is the bed? I kept hoping to see how it was placed as we are now leasing a 527 sq ft studio and I'm trying to figure out how to make the bed work. Was hoping to get an idea here.
i secretly lust for pink or magenta walls *there, i've said it to the whole world* but have not been able to fully commit to...yet...for way too many reasons to list including looking way to 'little girly'. i'm so used to a natural kind of modern, with neutral woods, black and white predominantly.
BUT, you come along and make pink look sophisticated rather then 'little girly' and just what i've been looking for to inspire me to make that leap!
SO, i was wondering if that is a pink wall or just the light through your curtains? if it's paint, what is the name and brand if you don't mind telling? thanks!
Hey everyone, thanks for all your nice comments. To answer some questions:
-the sofa is the Regency model (the full sized one)
-the Tacoma print is indeed from the Helm Gallery, which is unfortunately closed. I purchased it as part of a fundraiser. I lived in Tacoma for four years and I have a big soft spot for it.
-The walls are not pink, it’s from the curtains. They gave a really lovely glow to the place. I do remember Martha Stewart did a spread on pink walls once and it looked fantastic.
-Sorry to say I do not have a lot big-picture shots. I was invited to do this house tour after I moved out, so there was no opportunity to photograph some wider shots to supplement these photos I took for my own enjoyment. I guess I just never took a lot of bedroom photos (the apartment was a one-bed) and my bathroom was just too small to get a good angle so I never bothered. When I do the follow-up for my new place I will be sure to make the images more tour-like!
Love the colours, looking forward to seeing the pics of your new place
LOVE the restrained kitchenware collection. Wishing you lots of happiness in new, shared abode!
That sofa was an excellent investment--you can do so many different looks with it. I love the way the pink and green play off each other in the living area.
love love love the sofa
Where is that couch from?!
Oh yes, you say in the post. :) Jumped too quickly!
The Fisher Price turntable sold me.
So lovely! I can't wait to see pics of your new place.
Maggie- I have the same Tacoma print! What are the odds? I don't think The Helm (RIP) produced that many. So glad you gave T-Town a shout-out. I've lived both places (Seattle and currently Tacoma) and love this town with a passion none of my Seattle friends care to understand. Someday hopefully I'll submit for a house tour and show the world my Beautiful Angle print collection. :)
adorable house! love the color and the couch
Nice job. Very expressive yet restrained. Good luck on the new place!
I love pink, but fear decorating with it might take a wrong turn and I'll have a room that looks like it was inspired by Strawberry Shortcake - but that's not the case here. Great couch, Maggie! (Not sure I get the medicine cabinet photo, though.)
The religious iconography, the French soap in cellophane. This place doesn't feel good to me...
fun feel.....gives me energy!
Maggie - love your setup! I added you on Flickr. I'm also in Seattle, moving to a new 534 sqft place on Cap Hill in 2 weeks. You are an inspiration. (cute sock monkeys too...which I have a huge soft spot for)
I have the sudden urge to organize my medicine cabinet.