Name: Jennifer, Paul and Shea
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Size: 840 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; Rented
When I met Jennifer Allen of Market Home she was selling her housewares at the South End Open Market. A set of pristine Kartel ghost chairs, a cast iron antler candleholder and a curvy vintage settee were among the goods that made me stop and take notice.
Setting foot inside the apartment that she shares with her fiancé and his son I spot a few familiar items in an expertly styled high-low mix of one offs, vintage pieces and big box bargains. Scanning the room I have a tough time telling which is which. I guess the large, graphic rug is designer and she corrects me with "TJ Maxx." She's disarmingly genuine in her enthusiasm for her finds and is equally excited to share her resources. It's this passion for both discount finds and high end treasures, coupled with the ability to seamlessly put it all together that makes the end result all the more interesting.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Eclectic, a mix of vintage and modern.
Inspiration: Everything. Curves of a chair, patterns on a rug, textiles, tea cups, Domino Magazine...I kept every issue.
Favorite Element: My grandmother's bench. Paul rescued it from a corner shop after it was sold out of my family. He convinced the shop owner to sell it back and refinished it just in time to surprise me for Christmas. When I was little, each time I arrived to my grandmother's house she would greet me while sitting on her favorite bench. When I received the bench back that Christmas tears of joy were flowing, especially when I noticed the plaque with her name.
Biggest Challenge: Finding a happy medium between a kid-friendly and adult welcoming home.
What Friends Say: They love our apartment and want me to decorate their own homes.
Biggest Embarrassment: The mountain of clothes that seems to accumulate in random spots around the house. I blame the house not having enough room and lack of dressers/storage.
Proudest DIY: My dining table refinished in Graphite by Annie Sloan chalk paint.
Biggest Indulgence: My Queen Anne 1940's desk purchased from HomeStretch Antiques.
Best Advice: Don't be afraid to mix vintage and modern pieces. Invest in good quality classic pieces and then give yourself time to fill in the holes with things you find along the way. Your furniture needs shouldn't be purchased as one big set from a cookie-cutter home store.
Dream Sources: ABC Carpet & Home, Anthropology, Charles Spada Interiors, and Elements of Style.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Portland Grey- Benjamin Moore
• Indian River- Benjamin Moore
• Camel Back- Benjamin Moore
LIVING ROOM
- • Sofa- Estate Sale Find (CB2)
• Rug- Overstock.com
• Roman Column- Yard Sale Find
• Cubed Book Shelf- Yard Sale Find (west elm /painted white)
• French Arm Barrel Chair- Antique Flea Market
• Large Mirror- Ikea
• "Flora" Statue- Inherited from my Grandmother
Office Area
- • Wood Shelving Unit- Ikea
• White Sofa Table- SoWA Vintage Market
• Queen Anne Desk- The Homestretch, Lower Mills, Dorchester
• Rug- TJ MAXX
• Magnetic Boards- Ikea
• Plaster Wall Hanging- Yard Sale Find
• Leather chair- Street Find (matching chair in bedroom)
• Ivory Louis Ghost Chair- Kartel
DINING ROOM
- • Dining table- Craigslist Find (painted graphite by Annie Sloan chalk paint)
• Italian Arm Chairs- Craigslist Find
• Cups and Saucers- Zara Home (Italy)
• Red Asian Stool- Brimfield
• Artwork- Somerville Theater by Jodie Baehre
BEDROOM
- • Elephant- Inherited from my Grandmother
• Bed- Pottery Barn
• Desk- Ikea
• Bookshelf- Ikea
• Nightstand- Craigslist Find
• Eagle Mirror- My Grandfather's
• Leather Chair- Street Find
• Lightning Sculpture- Yard Sale Find
KID'S BEDROOM
- • Galway Sign- Flea Market Find
• Frames- Ikea
• Blue Desk and Matching Chair- Ikea
• Lamp- Ikea
• Storage Bench- Home Goods
• Whisky Box- Flea Market Find
Thanks, Jennifer!
(Images: Kim Lucian)
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I like the rope board thing in the office area. Very whimsical. I think the living room coffee table is perfection! And of course the family picture at the end is just adorable!! Congrats on a well done place!
www.purefect.com
love the coffee table, too. source, please?
I have the same table on which you have your laptop. At the urge of my friend, I kept it in its original form even though the top is a bit damaged. I will probably paint it one day.
Where did you get the photo of Marilyn? I like that one a lot.
Very nice and I might really have liked it if that beige colour didn't make me cringe. Guess I just have different tastes when it comes to colour.
Lovely family & happy home !
Im sorta confused! Obviously she has great taste,but that beige paint is icky! So how?Why? And that bench story actually brought tears to my eyes! What a loving and thoughtful thing to do! And could that little boy be any cuter? All in all,LOVED it.
Please put a curtain, shade or at least some privacy film to the door on your child's bedroom door. (back door) Lack of privacy is an invitation to a predator.
I love that pic of a pouting Marilyn reading the paper...
Please don't lose any sleep worrying about predators taking your child because you didn't hang a curtain on your back door. Yeesh. The real statistics about dangers to children reveal an almost-nothing chance of stranger kidnapping. (Less than dying of the flu, or an accident, or heart disease.)
Great space. I love your knick knacks. Would like to see a full-on shot of that Somerville Theater painting. :)
Thanks for the tips!
LOVE the space!!! I, too, love the coffee table with the deer antlers on it. What is the source? Just beautiful!
The beige is perfect; it's actually a MCM color. It's fresh because it's not one of those currently overdone sickly cornbread yellows or warm greys. Personally, wouldn't be a fan of that coffee table anywhere. Genuinely nice story about the bench.
Loved your Grandma's bench story. Very thoughtful hubby! Happy family, happy home.
Livingroom tabbed curtains. Source please? Enjoyed the tour of your creative, fun home.
Thought the painted dining table very clever.
The elephant nightstand is pretty ...
Cute.
Cute place, but I have to ask: WHY the single (and narrow) curtain panels knotted in the middle? I see this done quite a lot, and it just doesn't make sense to me. I must be missing something.
It was done to bring more light into the space for a better photograph.
BEAU-tiful =) Inspires me, cheers me to see a pretty space... or anything pretty ! (",
Thank for the compliments!
I love everything about your home, it is calm, relaxing & elegant.
What is the source of the coffee table (with the antlers on it)? Thx!
The coffee table looks like one I used to own, Crate & Barrel's Congo. I purchased mine at the C&B outlet for $80-something, around 90% off. It was a hit with guests, which was cool since my Mom & I nearly died bringing that thing into my apartment (I'm pretty sure it's core is plutonium). The compliments made up for the backache. When I announced that I was moving to the other coast, just about everyone asked what I was doing with the Congo (I'll miss you all too...). Some people offered to buy it, but most folks wanted me to give it to them. Thus, I gifted it to a very close family member. A friend, who has more fabulous furniture than she knows what to do with, got snippy with me cause I didn't give it to her! Anyway...long answer, but hey, this is apartment therapy.
Effortless elegance. I love the Marilyn photo.
( the "child predator" comment is just stupid!)
What a fantastic space! The colors are so warm, sunny, and homey.
Thanks! That makes sense.
What a beautiful, warm living room. The woods, natural elements and paint color are so soothing.
LOVE the dining table! Does anyone know where I can find one with that pedestal?