It's not easy creating a cohesive look with vintage. So when we saw a couple of photos from etsy seller April of WhiteApple on the Storque, we had to find more. This space embraces maximalism — a little Victorian grandma with a twist. Everything has been thrifted, then April works her magic with paint and new fabric. April frequently uses her space as a photographic backdrop for her handmade hats, capes and jewelry, which she then sells on etsy. We are total fans of any space that so perfectly expresses the aesthetic of its owner.
• 1 April has done a fantastic job making this space her own.
• 2 All the furniture pieces were thrift store finds. The coffee table with its little brass feet was only $15.
• 3 The centerpiece of the parlor is the landscape painting that April found in the basement of her local Salvation Army. The stretcher was broken and someone had drawn a UFO in the top left corner, but April was smitten. After bargaining for a better price, she took it home, fixed it up and found a frame that fit perfectly.
• 4 The chairs were previously brown with speckles before April repainted them and reupholstered.
• 6 A rental bathroom can be one of the most difficult places to decorate. After all, you can't change the furntiture! April used the tiles as inspiration for her accent color. She painted the ceiling blue, then painted this beautiful wavy design as an accent.
• 7 A window film in the bathroom from Emma Jeffs.
• 8 A nautical themed gallery wall.
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where did the little silhouette lady come from?
hmmm no not for me, I don't find it all that "victorian", rather "grandma". The tiny baroque shelves are cute, the boats, OK why not, they look good in here...But, I don't want to feel snobbish but really, I couldn't survive with that landscape in the same room as me...I like the blue sofa.
I just don't find it all works together that well...
This is all charming - especially the nautical themed wall.
I think I have a nonsexual girl-crush on April.
i love the colors. and the sofa.
I like the successful blending fo second-hand pieces even though the space is not one I'd enjoy living in. And love her fashion sense! Just wondering when this kitsch-as-cool art trend is going to die. Soon, I hope.
It's charming! I don't think it's "grandma" at all.
BTW, I have a nautical-themed wall myself, including a fantastic watercolor of a ship my dad was stationed on in the Coast Guard. For some reason, once I hung it, my gray circuit-breaker door next to it on the wall in the hallway no longer bothered me; it now looks like something off a ship!
Much love, and another vote for the sofa. Oh, and the paint effect on the bathroom wall! As someone who can't even match blacks properly, I'm pretty much awed by these madd color-coordination skillz.
P.S. April = looks fabulous.
I think this looks great! Definitely NOT grandma's house! Love the sofa, the nautical wall and the female silhouette.
This is my dream home.
Very, very sweet. So charming -- this is the kind of place that feels SO comfortable when you're in it, but maybe that feeling doesn't translate well to photos.
I'm also really happy to see the Emma Jeffs film in use. I had planned to use the same pattern in my bathroom, but after deciding on a very bold wallpaper, I opted for plain frosty film instead. I still have a craving to use it somewhere...
This style is far from my own, but I find certain details of it to be gorgeous...
Wow - There doesn't seem to be a single thing from IKEA, UO, PB, CB2, etc....
...but everything is affordable and full of character!
"Just wondering when this kitsch-as-cool art trend is going to die. Soon, I hope"
Agree.
LOVE the colors and want to steal the sofa. Great work in the bathroom.
The cohesion really is fabulous, particularly color-wise.
Sweet, personal and cozy
...and I must say I'll take kitsch over MCM any day!
cute
that is adorable!! so refreshing to see a posting that doesn't scream "The world of design and taste was formed in the 20 century."
That said, how was she able to paint the tiles and how is she able to maintain it. I can't afford retile my bathroom which is so desperately so this if affordable would make a fantastic option!
Enjoy your lovely home!!
I LOVE this space!
Quirky, eclectic and oh so fun!!
LOVE IT!!!!! I love MCM, but those Victorian pieces are timeless. So jealous.
Im not a fan of Victorian design, but I like the colors and how fun it looks.
kudos for carrying your personal style so clearly throughout your home.
Love the house, but what I really want are those boots!
Beautiful. This home looks like she LIVES there, very refreshing.
I wish that my home reflected my personal style this much (do I even have a personal style?).
Also, look at her etsy page! I want one of those beautiful hats.
I love this kind of eccentric look.If I lived alone then that would be me sat on my vintage sofa!
Come on!
This has to be a joke.
This is my mother-in-laws furniture in Flatbush Brooklyn!
All that is missing to complete the look is plastic on the furniture and a plastic runner on the carpet.
Art, creative expression, discovering your own aesthetic--since when have those three things been about trying to please others? C’mon, people, get off AT’s site if you’re going to bash someone else’s personal taste and her ability to construct a space that effectively conveys it. These comments are absurd!
PS: Way to go, April!
Mr Dangerous,
I agree with you.
If April was not sitting in the room no one would be kind.
It's the girl we all think is cute and smartly dressed. NOT her taste in home decor!
I'm totally into this place! Sooo cute. I'm envious of that couch! And I love the little painted swirly branch in the bathroom. Nice job!
There's something very Royal Tenenbaums about this place. I think it's the model sailing ships on the wall.
Love the green lamp base.
I think it's obvious that the style matches with April's personal aesthetic. It works because we can see her in her home environment, and to me, that makes sense. I've often watched Everybody Loves Raymond and wondered if the plastic was off the furniture and Jenny Lewis and the Watson twins were sitting there instead of Marie and Frank Barone.... would everybody rave about it on Apartment Therapy?
That being said. I like this space for April. Very nice and ladylike.
so...really...no one knows where i can get the silhouette lady?
...and i think people need to be more nice.
I love when younger people embrace styles that are generally not geared toward them. It takes guts and April has done a great job. She really knows how to use color.
I would love to get in there and rehang some of her art, though. In my opinion the landscape over the sofa needs to come down a good 3 or 4 inches and the prints over the bathroom sink should be lowered a tad so they relate to the sink, not the cabinet above.
nice. all you need is a cup of tea and some josephine baker in the background (particularly j'ai deux amours)....ahh lazy sunday afternoons......
Talking about the effect of April appearing in the photos I have to say this: I greatly dislike her clothes and the big painting. But not only is everything else gorgeous, she's also managed to create ambience which wouldn't be achieved by the separate parts alone. Great job.
Mannequingirl:
the silhouette lady is actually just the silhouette of a Valentine's paper doll from WoolandWater's etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5193118