Name: Katie Farrell
Location: San Francisco, CA
Size: 500 square feet
Years lived in: 7 months
Today's house tour features one of our favorite signature California styles - outdoor living. Katie's studio loft, tucked deep off an alley in the folds of San Francisco’s urban fabric, features a lovely garden that provides the small apartment more living space and outdoor comfort. Making do with already there bright orange walls and makeshift built-ins that do the trick, Katie enjoys her loft space (less a few bumps on the head from standing up), its city location and outdoor exposure.
AT Survey:
My style: Contemporary classic meets hidden jungle.
Inspiration: Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco.
Favorite Element: I love its unassuming alley, the shelving on the stairs that a previous tenet installed, the garden, of course. I especially love the belladonna, when they are in bloom the whole apartment smells incredible.
Biggest Challenge: The walls were painted orange when I moved in. Not my favorite color, but I’ve tried to embrace it. There is also no overhead lighting in my apartment so sometimes it feels like a lighting store. And the dangerously low ceilings in the lofted space - watch your head!
What Friends Say: “I can’t believe this is back here!” and “I love the garden.”
Biggest Embarrassment: Severe lack of cell phone service combined with a near inaudible doorbell! During parties this is a socially dangerous combination.
Proudest DIY: It’s far from original, but using doors as an outdoor table has worked quite well – especially since they can easily be reconfigured for different dinner parties: a intimate dinner of four or up to fourteen. My very crafty landlord hand-tiled the bathroom and the kitchen to gorgeous effect - I’m proud for her!
Biggest Indulgence: Too many Apple products.
Best advice: I grew up moving frequently and each time we moved, I watched my mother pack and unpack our entire home. She magically would make it feel as if we had lived in our new apartment/house for years. I would come home from a disorienting day at my new school and feel at home immediately. Remember the scene in Snow White where the ferries waved their wands and conduct the dishes, furniture, and cake into perfect harmony? I believed she had these powers, and I still think she still does. As familiar objects were recovered from their cardboard hibernation across seas we would get to imagine our new lives. Without fail, it was always the pictures and artwork that was uncovered last. There was always a Saturday about three months in where my parents would test their marriage and take on the challenge of hanging pictures. It wasn’t magic, it was hard work: my father on the ladder usually holding something heavy and my mother directing him, “a little to the left, no a little to the right, up a little?”. No matter how soon we may move next, they always went through this painstaking dance. As I continue to travel and move as an adult I’ve been a little reluctant to settle in anywhere – but taking my mother’s advice, and the deadline for Apartment Therapy, “It’s okay to hang pictures,” translation: it’s okay to stay awhile. There is a fine balance to moving—embracing a city’s newness with every bit of curiosity you can muster and making friends like you will stay forever.
Dream source: eBay with an unlimited budget!
Resources:
Furniture:
- The Touch (21st and Valencia) – great for slightly battered, but well designed pieces
- Therapy ( 17th and Valencia) – great for copies of well designed pieces
- CB2
- Ikea
- Urban Ore
- Craigslist
Lighting:
- Noguchi
- Ikea
Artwork:
- Dave McKenzie
- John Powers
- Mary Temple
- Corey McCorkle
- Amy Granat and Matt Keegan
- Paul Henry Ramirez
- candyass escalator repair company
- Elyse Mallouk
Ceramics:
- Kapabashi, Tokyo
(Thanks, Katie!)
Images: Katie Farrell
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 (25)
I looks like they're about to sit down to an intimate meal of lemons.
Are the glass panels in the doors that you use for tabletops original, or have they been replaced with some sort of safety glass?
Making do, not making due
makeshift, not make-shift
its, not it's
Ouch--editorial attention needed, even on a blog.
I love the creative use of doors.
This is easily one of my favorite spaces featured on Apartment Therapy. I'm currently looking for a space to downsize to. My place right now is about 1000 square feet. I would love to get into a loft around 500 or 600 sq. ft. so I can live in one of my dream neighborhoods. Seeing your 500 square foot space with both a fully functional kitchen and outdoor space gives me hope. Hopefully I can find its LA counterpart.
Is that an old wooden crate as your bedside table? It's a little hard to make out because of the light, but I love it. Also, I love your use of old doors around your space. I've got a thing for old doors and windows as well.
Beat me to it, Georgina.
very nice
Love your space, jealous of your yard! Is there some reason you have the door inside, or do you have 2 alike? I think you had some good words of wisdom in your advice paragraph, enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing.
I absolutely love this. Nicely done.
Katie, I really enjoyed this post... and I love the orange, myself-- it's very warm and energizing. I envy you your secluded back patio space! (And I feel your pain on the bad cell signal issue; we have the same problem.)
P.S. Oh-- "Sleeping Beauty"-- the fairies reference-- but I got your point. ;) Your mom sounds very capable and creative.
old doors are wonderful - I wish i could have used mine saldly termites had claimed them.
Love it! Love the orange, whoever painted that must have been very brave, but it works. And I love the tiles in the kitchen and bath--wouldn't want to have to clean the grout in the bathroom, but it looks great. And it must be wonderful to have a pretty yard with such a small place.
Lovely job on such a small space. The entire studio felt way bigger than 500sqft. I also loved what you said about your mom. Some moms trully have those magical powers.
Beautiful! It took me a second to translate "ferries"--but what a lovely, comfortable space.
It looks like they're about to sit down to an intimate meal of lemons.
Well, that's one way to get your date to pucker up :)
Great place, proudly display those bikes:)
Hey, great house! I have the same (or very similar) shade of orange on my wall upstairs and it makes me so happy.
I also have the exact same chair as the one you have under the stairs. Im glad to see it has family members out there! I would eventually like to find at least one more; glad to know they exist.
what is up with those wire chairs of the exact same design everywhere? I'm not sure I like this "new" fad...i like some padding under my bones
I really like the feel of this tour, thanks.
Looks like Katie has inherited her mother's magical powers. Very welcoming space.
@mariyaodessa Those wire chairs were designed by Bertoia for Knoll in the 50s. There is supposed to be a pad on it that you sit on. Not exactly a new fad. I like the side chair more than the diamond chair, but to each his own.
Wow! What an awesome entry, the orange is great, love the table made of doors and your little lemon bowl! Would love to come visit.
Georgina - maybe you should calm down about the typos.
I envy you for your landlord, who allows walls to be painted such interesting colors and installs all this gorgeous tiling! :DDD Are some of the walls yellow rather than orange (or white), or is that just an effect of the light? Also, I love the shelving on the stairs (I assume the part at the very end is IKEA Lack?)
Maybe it is unextraordinary except for the tiling, but I wish we got more than one shot of the bathroom. I like your cb2 dining chairs, though I kind of wonder why you have the dining table there and not in front of the window? Seems like where it is might get a little dim in the day without lights on. Granted, that would put it pretty far from the kitchen area.
... IKEA chairs, rather. Hurrah, Gilbert.
What brand / where did you get your bike rack? MUST HAVE. :)