What I don't regret:
• Layering the walls with art. Because the space was quite small, taking advantage of the rather tall ceilings was key. Since we were renting, we decided to keep the walls white, so creating salon groupings warmed up the space and added color. What's more, we were really able to enjoy our art and continue to add to the collection. Whatever we liked, we found a spot for on the wall. Some may call it messy, and looking back, I might have refined a bit. But it made the space have character.
• Storing all our media in one place. My husband is an audiophile, with an extensive CD and LP collection. I can't help but collect over-sized art and design books. Installing floor-to-ceiling shelves provided a space for all of it to go. We aren't the most neat people, so it could get a bit chaotic on those shelves, but at least it was all in one place!
• Keeping it white in the bedroom. There was hardly space to walk around our double bed, that's how small the bedroom was. By keeping the linens, curtains and headboard all white, it felt like a larger, more peaceful room. Again, we used art to add layers, but tried to stick to drawings and paintings in neutral tones.
What I do regret:
• Having too much stuff displayed. For a person that enjoys a good tablescape, it's sort of hard to only have three tables to exert your creative juices! But looking back, we just had way too much stuff everywhere. I can't imagine the kind of dust we were putting up with (we were young!?) let alone the mess that inevitably accumulated. I wish I had stored about 75% of the "wares" I used on my tables and kept the surfaces clean/empty.
• Using slip-covered, shabby-chic upholstery. This regret mainly exists because my taste has evolved and I currently gravitate towards much more modern, tailored upholstery. I should also note that we couldn't really afford nice furniture at the time; the sofa and club chairs both were gifts. All that aside, I do wish we had gone with a more contemporary sofa and chairs, mainly because they don't take up much space visually and have a cleaner aesthetic. I think in small spaces, having overstuffed, cozy furniture actually doesn't serve the overall look. We had no washer and dryer in the building, so washing the slipcovers wasn't even convenient. Something like this would have been better.
Now it's time for you to share. Looking back on your first place, what lessons have you learned? What would you have done differently? Did you get anything right the first time around?
(Images: Cate West Zahl)
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Are these photos of the actual apartment? It's very cosy and nice, but without wanting to get personal...two people shared that one bed?!
Also, how on earth do people go nuts with the artwork like that in a rental, without damaging the walls?
HA! I have so many lessons learned from my last home.
Number one was getting on the "pottery-barn-bold-colored-walls" train without understanding how to make it work well. Before we moved I had the opportunity to go back to neutrals and use the 80/20 rule for making small amounts of color really work.
Number two is work with your interior architectural details. Have a traditional suburban home or a mountain cabin? MCM and Hollywood Regency are just not going to work. Start with what you have (or change it!). Does this mean you have to have antler chandelier and stuffed bear head on the wall if you live have exposed beams and a brick fireplace? No! But consider going with neo-traditional french country, a.k.a Restoration Hardware. Same thing if you have a 1950s rambler. If you don't love minimalism, consider starting with simple silhouettes and layering tons of tribal / global color and texture and finishes.
Number three is get to know what you really like, rather than trying to really like what you have. In other words, if you are making pragmatic purchases that work with what you have, but you don't love what you have, you're never ever ever EVER going to be really happy with the results. I had a ton of Edwardian pieces I got from my grandmother. I made the mistake of buying stuff to "match" what I had. When I realized that I actually hated it all (still loved Grandma though!), I stripped down to the essentials, and replaced what was left over time. I still don't have all the furniture I want and I have a a lot of empty space, but what I don't have is a house full of things I don't like.
Our first place screamed "post-college." The paint colors we chose were ones we liked, but we gave no regard for how they would work together and it was a mess. Also, tons of hand me down furniture that either didn't match at all or completely matched. We also painted a wall a tan color that reminds me of old dish water. Worst thing ever.
Our new place, we still painted it all sorts of colors, but we're more careful to make them harmonious. My new rule is that for every bold color I use, I'm going to paint a neutral near it.
@charlie26 - I had the fortune of living in an apartment complex where the management didn't care if you put holes in the wall as long as they weren't enormous. Nail and screw holes were fine.
Uh. Yeah, my first apartment did NOT look this cool. haha.
I currently live in a rental and my walls are pretty full. I love the visual interest that a gallery wall adds. Oh, and regarding ruining walls, DAP sells this thing called PATCH STIK. It's like a giant glue stick for filling nail holes in your wall. Holy grail status for non-measurers like me.
Great post!
@urbancricket - In cases where a house's details are more keeping with a specific time period, I agree that it wouldn't really work, but I disagree that this would be the case with a traditional suburban home. First, what's the definition of "traditional"? Ideally, I'd love to buy a house built in the 1950s because my style is MCM, but since I ended up with an 80s white box, it doesn't mean I'm going to throw out all my furniture. My house is still going MCM because that's just my style. I couldn't care less what people thought my house should look like based on the outside.
If this is the original apartment, I agree they were too many things displayed, but everything else is beautiful....in my opinion
I think my biggest regret from my first real (not off-campus dorm) place was being afraid to hang things. I put up a couple of small items and then filled and repainted over the holes when I left, but before then, I just couldn't bear to go all-out and fill up a bunch of non-interesting negative space.
When I was single, I really wish that I had invested in one very good sofa bed (like the Twilight from DWR) that I could sleep on without making into a bed if I wanted to. It would have served me SO much better than all the hand me down sofa, chair, bed and nightstands that I lugged around for years. I did buy high quality white bedding, bath linens and linen curtains. That was a good choice because the quality made the crummy places I rented look nicer, and white works well with everything and doesn't go out of style. I used that stuff for almost 10 years.
I have a similar problem: my newlywed furniture and decor leans toward shabby chic when that's NOT my style anymore. I really want to go more happy modern, but I don't have the money to replace everything. What would you suggest for purging your apartment of shabby chic-ness?
My lessons:
1. Do not hold on to a gigantic southwestern canopy bed in a studio apartment. You can change the furniture for next to nothing thanks to Craigslist.
2. Invest in an air conditioner.
3. To piggy back on UrbanCricket's advice, pay attention to the architectural details.
My little studio was a tad bit industrial with hard wood floors, exposed brick, crown molding, and vintage harlequin tiles in the bathroom and kitchen. I wish that I had gone MCM or Hollywood Regency.
4. Choose furniture that is multi-functional.
5. A little glamour never hurt anyone.
@PI - I totally agree!
We live in a typical suburban home and most of our decor is Scandinavian decor inside (white with farmhouse wood elements) and touches of retro MCM. If my outside home should dictate perception then apparently I am supposed to be shopping at The Brick and Leons & Walmart. Not happening over here.
Hey, I like that apartment. I love the set-up. Very visually interesting and cozy. I wouldn't mind living there.
Using an ironing board for a coffee table was a mistake. When you live with 3 smokers, the ashes on the table cause problems when you actually need to iron something.
College hi-jinx aside, I was too eager to "complete the picture" by buying cheap stuff to fill the space. I think there's this post-college desire to feel like an adjusted, "got it together" adult, and having an apartment with all the trimmings is part of that. I eventually scaled way back and have incrementally added tasteful, meaningful accents and artwork to replace the "home decor" that simply fit the look.
That apartment has WAY too much stuff in it. The tables are so cluttered with artifacts, they can't be used for any practical purpose, i.e. as a coffee table. I tried to decorate in this way, and although it looks great, I quickly found that it does not work if the space is to be used for living.
I have picture rails that are in working order, so have elected to hang 90 percent of my art from brass picture hooks and fishline or wire. This works well with the 9-foot ceilings.
I kept the walls white, except for cool green tea color on two walls in the bedroom. I selected furniture that was multipurpose, and did not take up visual space, but instead showcased the objects on it. Using espresso-stained furniture for table and chairs, and chocolate brown cushions made for decent contrast.
And I visited this website a lot for ideas.
I learned never to put a rug on top of carpeting. What a pain to keep neat looking.
Oh how my style has change since my first place. I have always been passionate for decorating, but have just had a mental block until I came across this site! I am obsessed! I cant say too many things I have learned because my apt's have been pretty empty due to lack of budget for decorating...but I have learned to be patient and allow myself time to build up the apt's furniture and accessories with making sure I will not regret it down the road. My first apt I had a huge over-sized black couch from Craigslist, and a rug way to small for the living room and random decor pieces that I now see as dreadful. I have done research of what works for spaces and now I am learning specific techniques to incorporate in my tiny 400 sq ft apt. I feel like I am more aware and in touch with my style now. The small cool spaces contest on here really helped me get an idea of how to fix it up! Thanks guys! Soo creative!
I like the shabby slip-covered look!
& I have learned that decent rugs are EXPENSIVE :-P I still have yet to buy one but am in desperate need. Anyone know of any good places to get one at?
I can understand moving on from slipcovers, but I have a sofa in the study that *needs* the slipcover that you used for your main sofa. Was this custom made? It's nicely tailored but also looks like it might have a removable skirt. Is it possible that there's a tailored-yet-cheap non-custom option that I've missed?
I can think of many people transitioning from a suburban mentality to a more urban way of thinking that would totally love your space. And it is hard to decorate/organize 400sq feet never mind combining two people's stuff! You managed to squeeze it all in while clearly making a stylized effort. You should be very proud of your first home.
Nope, I didn't get anything right the first time --- or any time. I learned that as long as the place is clean, I'm happy.
I don't know why I spend so much time looking at design sites.
Don't fill the place up with projects-to-be done, even if they are free and have fantastic potential. One at a time, no new projects until the last one is finished.
I'm basically in my first apartment now, despite room-hopping around the city for years, so what I'm hoping to do is take risks, don't buy anything too precious, and figure out what I enjoy living in. Oh, and don't buy artwork at a fair. It was/is beautiful, but one day of wandering around a mass of stalls isn't enough time for me to know if I truly love something.
Things that I've learned (in theory) from my room-hopping days: Hang stuff up on the walls. Unpack everything ASAP. Consider how pieces go together before buying anything. Consider the cost/benefit ratio of owning something vs needing to pack it up and lug it across town, possibly strapped to the roof of a car.
When I saw the picture of the bed, I couldn't believe 2 people shared that. But then I remembered that my husband and I shared a bed that small for the first few years of marriage. It didn't seem so small then, but after a king size bed, that would feel like sleeping in a toddler bed :)
My very first apartment out of college was a cookie cutter modern complex and having literally only $27 in my pocket when I started, I turned my first apartment into IKEA central with my first paycheck. And not even the good IKEA-- the cheapest of everything they had. I was so impatient that I just wanted to decorate the apartment and feel settled. Never going down that route again. I matured a little but couldn't find my style-- I wanted to copy every room I saw in Domino so badly, in particular Rashida Jones's studio in NYC, that I sacrificed a lot of time and money (oh boy was it expensive) in trying to recreate every inch of her studio instead of looking at what I had and trying to work with it. I wanted to make my dream apartment happy overnight. Over the years I've gone through phases of mid century to glam. I was heavily influenced by the Swedish homes that had simple touches of IKEA on top of luxurious finds. I spent even more money buying furniture, changing my mind, selling it on CL for much less than what I bought it for. I'm 27 and I've owned 7 sofas since age 22. In 2011, I moved to Moshi, Tanzania in east Africa and lived in a small room big enough for just a mosquito-net lined bed and a desk. I was volunteering in a rural village called Rau and for a year, I worked to build a school for young girls who lived in just a block of cement, often with several other family members on a shared mattress. For many of them, good decor was a teddy bear someone had given them or a flower in a vase. I naturally stopped caring about the design and decor I'd spent hours drooling over. I just stopped thinking about it, mostly because I was so focused on the work I was doing and another was this feeling that there are more important things than deciding whether to get a wishbone chair or bertoia chair or whether it was okay to put X, Y, and Z together. I'm not standing on a soapbox here and I'm not here to preach simplicity or minimalism because I still want to be surrounded by beautiful luxurious things. Surprisingly, what I learned wasn't that I should move toward minimalist decor but that I should WANT and COVET less and that WANTING and COVETING less, I could actually surround myself with things that I truly loved and spend less money. What I learned from my first apartment and subsequent homes, is that whatever I patiently put into my home should make me happy and shouldn't be brought in just to impress people, which is what I think I was doing.
I disagree with the "I wish I'd spent more money on large investment pieces while I was still figuring out exactly what my design aesthetic is" school of thought. Although I also doubt that this apartment was actually the author's *first* apartment - maybe it was the first "grownup" or married apartment. But back to the point. Your first apartment is the perfect place to live with hand-me-down furniture, slipcovers and all, while you figure out how you want to decorate. You get to experience a mix of styles and decide which one(s) really feel like "you." You also save up your pennies, a few at a time, to buy some accessories, and thereby learn what you like. Or, you learn quickly that a really ugly or really uncomfortable sofa has just got.to.go and you use your pennies to upgrade - but still, I'd say, probably not to a brand new $1500 model - not in your true "first" apartment.
My first place would have been back in the early 70's. Back then, I had a lot of what we called "Danish Modern", now of course, everyone calls it mid-century modern. My ex painted a huge graphic on the wall in the living room. Over the years, my tastes changed. Everyone's taste changes - otherwise why would we ever buy anything new? I wish I had kept some of the pieces from back then. (I did keep some George Jensen jewellery, some accessories, that kind of thing, but not all that much. I finally got rid of the kitchen table and chairs in the early 90's when we bought our house.)
At any rate, my tastes have evolved, and I love my house the way it is now. But I wonder how I'll feel in 10 years time?!
I love the informally covered wing chair! How did it handle every day use? How did you secure the fabric? Thanks for sharing!
@moreadventurous I really enjoyed your story, and feelings on things..well said. It's a 'riches' to rags and back to the real richs of your life..you're a very cool and good person!
@TOBEWISE, all West Elm rugs are 20% off right now
@ PI and @ Night:
You clearly didn't read. I wrote, "INTERIOR architectural details" and made no mention of the interior. If you want to rock MCM in a house that looks like a Log Cabin on the inside, or granny chic in an industrial warehouse with cement floors and exposed ductwork, knock yourself out. But do be a little more careful when being snotty -- at least flick the booger at the right target.
Lessons learned from first apartment?
Furniture pieces you put together with bolts and directions in swedish come and go...but good solid antiques from estate sales last a lifetime.
Our first apartment was also a 400 square foot apartment-- an oversized (for NYC) studio. We never painted the walls, never got furniture to maximize the space because we felt like it was just a stop over, not our permanent home. We were there 4 years. I regret not settling in more, taking ownership of the place. Now, now I obsess over settling in. I guess I'm an extremist.
@goatwonderful,
I have used slipcovers by Surefit many times, actually I bought them on ebay! They had a lot of different styles & colors, some with separate covers for the cushions, some shabby chic, some tailored. You do always have to be straightening them out a lot, but i never minded that much.
@KEEKS, thank you so much for your comment. :) It was an expensive lesson that needed to be learned.
1. Don't talk yourself into getting something because it's super cheap, i.e. at garage/yard sale.
2. Wait....the pieces will find you.
3. Relax. You don't have to define yourself into a style. Get what you like, even if doesn't match.
4. Tiny folding kitchen tables suck. They're uncomfortable and uninviting.
5. Get furniture that can be carried/moved by only you. "Helpers" often are not available.
6. Splurge on 1-2 areas you love: linens, cooking utensils, art, shoes, etc.
Moreadventurous you've achieved a level of decorating (and spiritual of course) insight most of us should have. Bravo!
My biggest regrets about ALL my previous apartments are not decorating at all or letting other people make all of the decorating decisions and going without semi necessities (bed frames, end tables, etc). I am still terribly cheap and I get most furniture from craigslist or thrift stores (or free piles) but I won't just buy the cheapest, most functional thing and will put more effort into fixing it up. I work from home so I now consider the comfort of my home an investment in my mental health now whereas in my twenties it was mostly just a place to sleep.
PS: I love what you did with the place. I live in a 250sq ft basement apartment currently so it's always great to see what people do with small spaces.
I too live in a small space and am greatly inspired by your apartment - choice of book shelving, art, soft furnishings, loose covers etc. Although you admit making 'mistakes' I would not agree, I think your home is beautiful. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
P-D de R.
I would have ripped up the dirty, nasty forest green carpet in the kitchen(!). The entire apartment had hardwoods except the kitchen. But I was too scared. If the landlord felt it was necessary to carpet the kitchen, who knows what might have been underneath.
That art is beautiful. Much envied.
I get the Shabby Chic look, but those wrinkled slipcovers (headboard included) in such a small space were the first thing that struck me about those photos. I think they really took up a lot of visual space.
I've made many errors. Probably the worst was not working hard enough on finding a look that I loved, one that I wanted to keep for the long term. I still like a lot of different styles but I've learned to just enjoy looking at most of them and sticking to Danish Modern as my own.
Probably the biggest mistake I made in my early days was thinking that an oriental rug goes with anything. SO doesn't go with big pattern on two sofas, which we bought new and couldn't just turn around on CL (because there was no CL back then...)
@urbancricket ...no, I think it's you who didn't read. You referred to interior architectural details, and generally, when a log cabin is log cabin on the outside, it's log cabin on the inside before anyone gets ahold of it. I did refer to interior architecture, and said that you shouldn't be beholden to what your house looks on the outside (because that style would probably be replicated on the inside, too).
the pictures of the apartment make me feel claustrophobic. How can a person live with no where to put a coffee mug while sitting in their living room!?!?! AND DIRTY DISHES IN THE SINK... do they realize they posted this on a site that many many people look at to get good ideas from? I'm by no means a minimalist, but that place is just too gosh-darn busy.
Stye changes and grows with the person; what you love when you are 25 is not necessarily what you love when you are 55.
Things don't have to be perfect, especially if you are renting. Things like bathroom fixtures are what they are; as long as it is clean and cleanable and works, don't sweat that kind of stuff. People won't be judging you based on your rental (if they do, you have the wrong friends) and you CAN live with it for some period of time.
Once you get to a place you own or can change, live in it first, for several months to a year or more. See how things work or don't work. Often things you like you end up hating because they don't work as you had hoped, and things you didn't like end up growing on you and/or being functional.
Decide what your basics are and keep them with you. My husband and I need a bed, bedside tables, kitchen table and a couple of chairs and some place comfortable to sit. Those are the things we have moved with us around the US. Others may have different things, but whatever they are, keep them as you move.
Regret: Paying for a 2-bedroom instead of a 1-bedroom. Never trust a friend who says she will move in when she has NO job!
Learned: Make sure there is a peephole eye viewer already in the door! Not realising there was a hole in the door for 48 hours was just amateur.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with UrbanCricket. I do not think that one needs to match the interior of one's home with the architectural style of the house. One of the most interesting homes I've ever been in was an early Victorian, but the owners had eclectic tastes, and they knew what to do. The interior was very chic and modern, not at all what I expected-- and so perfect. How awful it would have been, since it wasn't their taste, to decorate their Victorian house in Victorian pieces. I have a 1929 house and I have a mix of mid-century modern, very old 19th century pieces, and a few pieces that I just happen to like. It all works amazingly well together. I think you just have to be careful and have an eye, so you don't end up with a cluttered hodgepodge-- but MCM and Hollywood Regency just can't work in certain homes?? Are you kidding? That's an amazingly restricted and narrow view of interior design.
thank you :) @akay
Say no to relatives wanting to foist antique furniture on you. It's not really my style, not very functional, and antique furniture takes up a ton of space.
Unlike some posters here, I'm so glad I didn't decorate or buy furniture for any of the rentals I lived in before buying my own place.
I love how people are criticizing the clutter of the author's apartment as if the author never acknowledged that it was probably too cluttered. And for me, 2007 WAS a million years ago. I was 27, and now I'm almost 32. A lot can change in 5 years! The things I had taste for back then are certainly not the things I have taste for now. Nice, insightful post and the pictures look a lot like what my places used to look like! Thanks for sharing :)
I'm not living in my first apartment, just my first one alone, for the past 4 years, and I have made some good and bad decisions, and leaned some ugly truths. I feel the bad decisions were purely for aesthetics (it's got to be pretty!), and not really thinking about practical use. I think a lot of folks have this problem...
The BAD
1. Reupholstering my vintage sofa in Robin's Egg Blue -- It came out beautiful, and works perfectly in the room and with the color scheme, but now I have to use it. I entertain, a LOT, then, I got a dog that really likes to use the sofa. So, in hindsight, I would have gone with something that hides some stains a little better, and handle the wear and tear. I now use a fabulous Pendleton blanket to protect parts of it; It looks great, and feels so soft. I believe a 2013 reupholstering is in order! (Color suggestions appreciated!)
2. That gorgeous wool woven area rug! -- Seriously, it was great in the showroom, and for the first month, I could handle the tumbleweeds of fluff, but after discovering it couldn't really be vacuumed, or cleaned without a fence and a fire hose, I had to go with something with less pile.
The GOOD
1. Deciding to re-tile my kitchen -- I know, it's a rental, but I hated the awful, dirty linoleum that was there, since at least the 70s. Every time I was in the kitchen, it was the one thing that made me cringe. Maybe a good tactic for weight loss, but not something I wanted to live with. So, I bought some tiles, had a friend who's done this sort of thing before to help me, and over a weekend, voila!, new floor. I couldn't be happier, and all-in-all, it was cheap therapy...
2. Painting the walls -- I live in a small studio, and I LOVE color. I've done some crazy paint jobs back in college, and have learned from my mistakes (safety orange walls?), so I decided to not be afraid of color, but to embrace it. I could always paint over it if I hated it, or if it didn't work (now be honest with yourself on this one. If you really won't paint over it, then maybe a bathroom in Razzle shouldn't be your first pick).
3. Displaying the things you LOVE -- I have a pretty extensive art collection, and decided to go salon style with hanging it. I knew if it was in storage, I wouldn't see it till I moved, so I put everything up. True, I'm running out of space, but there's always my office at work, and I'm surrounded by things I love and cherish.
The UGLY!
1. Finishing what I've started -- Okay, I'm guilty! I have started some projects, and then got lazy/distracted and haven't followed through (second coat of Razzle in the bathroom). This is why I hired a friend, very cheaply, to help me finish those final projects. When you live in 4 small rooms (that's including my bathroom and closet), you can't afford to let things "slide" for long. Do whatever you can to motivate you to finish what you've started.
I am so impressed that you lived so stylishly and comfortably in 400 sq. feet.
I would like to see those slipcovers each dyed in a slightly different tea color. I think they would be dreamy like that!
I have no design regrets from my first real apartment. Who wants to spend a ton of money on furniture when you're so young? That's what thrift stores and hand-me-downs are for! Spend your money living your life, not accumulating stuff, and you won't regret it.
I still haven't reached the point that a lot of commenters seem to, where I choose my furniture based on "investment pieces", and it's all good quality stuff carefully selected to fit in with my aesthetic. But then I think the focus on having a complete collection of nice furniture as a sort of "goal" to achieve in your mid or late twenties, might be a particularly American thing? I certainly haven't encountered it anywhere else. I see it as something that happens over one's lifetime, and that is born out of travel, different life stages, and an organic evolution of one's personal style, and I for one am looking forward to that being an ongoing process through my life.
The most memorable and enduring lessons that my first two places (a flat and a small house, both rentals) taught me were more about understanding what things I find important in the general aesthetics of my home, rather than specific style things. For example, I learnt to pay attention to the light in a room and to arrange the furniture in ways that make the most of the daylight, because this really heightens my enjoyment of a space. I've also learnt that it doesn't matter how cheap and crappy (or on the flipside, how expensive and high-quality) your furniture looks - if a space is messy and cluttered it's going to look crappy, and if it's neat and clean it will look tasteful and peaceful. And last of all, I've learnt that a vase of flowers, or even just of leaves and branches from the tree around the corner, makes all the difference in a space.
PS: MOREADVENTUROUS, I really loved reading your story, and I think it's a meaningful reminder to all of us to pay attention to what we really love. BUT... paragraph breaks are your friend. Don't be afraid of them.
Love this post. I think about this stuff whenever I find myself standing at the fax machine... I have no idea what mcm means, but I'm probably it. My tastes eschew the "modern." However, this preference isn't really helpful in a small space. I don't lean toward shabby chic, even though I have traditional tastes, so that helps. Living in studios, I've found that having matching sets of furniture keeps the room from looking cluttered which mix and match pieces would naturally exude. I've also learned it is possible to find traditional looking furniture with relatively clean lines.
Thanks for that tip on the sofa! I had already decided on this one, but your advice cemented my decision. I definitely agree with the don't-buy-it-unless-you-really-freakin-love-it advice and would add, try to find pieces that have a lot of practical value. Especially for a small space. I have that horror of cliche prop horrors, a bar cart in my home, but it also serves as a catch-all near my front door. I put my purse, house shoes (in a box), keys, phone charger (in a cigar box), umbrella (a near daily necessity where I live), and other various items there and it's really cut down on how much I forget.
I've also been following Young House Love for a year and a half now and one of the biggest things I've learned from them is that both rooms and homes grow slowly and should be created with the other parts in mind. For example, bold wall colors usually mean mostly neutral pieces. And bold statement pieces usually mean neutral wall colors. Let one or two things be the star in the room but also think of where your eye will fall in the different ways you will use the room. A cherry red dining table is lovely, but it will hardly be noticeable when you're entertaining and it's covered with tables settings, large dishes or a table cloth. Or a lime green sofa while you're sitting on it.
If you're going to buy small folding dining tables, and if you know you're going to be in a small space for a while, go upscale, you won't regret it. That folding table is wonderful for two considering you can put pitchers or large dishes or sauces within easy reach on the other side. And should you ever get a larger space, it can be repurposed as a buffet/drinks/dessert table. Win!
I recently solved my bookshelf dilemma. Since I would never spend a penny on IKEA style bookshelves, I thought I was forced to turn to heavy (impossible for me alone to carry up a flight of stairs), expensive bookshelves. And then I came across a tute I had pinned for staining apple crates a while back. They're more my style, easy to adjust as needed, and definitely less expensive than higher end bookshelves.
I don't have a lot of space for art, but I've learned that using frames and mats in the same or similar color as the wall gives a more clean, open feel.
I wonder though about books. I am a reader. Currently, all my books are stacked face down on the floor. Totally ugly I know, but I wanted to wait until I found JUST. THE. RIGHT. Thing to use to store them. I'm probably going to have to cover most of them with craft paper or something similar because I think the multi-colored spines would give a really cluttered feel much as random furniture would. My alternative to that is to arrange them by color, but for the most part, my space doesn't really allow for that to look good. I think you'd need an exclusive stretch of wall. Anyone got any other ideas?
Gar. Oh how I wish we could delete/edit our comments on AT. The wall art link I was trying to give was this one. Sorry!
No regrets here, but plenty of lessons. I think design--like education, careers, family, fitness, or any great part of life--is a journey, not a destination. That's probably why (seemingly) all of us AT readers enjoy seeking fresh style and changing things up. My style hasn't "ended" anywhere. I'm still making good choices and bad, and I'm willing to laugh at myself in the process. It is possible to love design without taking yourself too seriously.
So here are my lessons:
Paint the bold color that you love. Don't be afraid. If you hate it (or have to sell your house) down the road, paint over it.
If you have a new dog/puppy in need of house training, mistakes will happen. It's probably best not to leave your fanciest rugs on the floor. Store it and use a cheap one temporarily if you must.
Donate unwanted/unneeded stuff to the thrift store. Frequently.
Be mindful of practicality. If you're not sure whether a design choice is practical in your home, watch your guests. If they move a chair, discard some throw pillows, or can't find a place to set their drink, your setup could probably use some adjustments.
It's OK to be weird.
Having lived in apartments for many years, whereby I did not have much of a choice in decor, except for bedroom pieces, this article brought a smile. I wish that I had done something even as close to this! I know live in a shoebox 1940's place in an industrial neighborhood near to the ocean. A myriad of possibilities. I went with cottage/bungalow with craftsman-style touches. Gold walls for neutral warmth, darkly stained wood side tables, brown seating, and eclectic steam-punk nautical artwork/sculptures.
I am an avid collector of "stuff" to put on tables and am constantly having to edit myself. I noticed right away that I felt the stuff was cluttering the table tops, although they were elegantly arranged.
I am also looking for ideas! Constantly. I use plants as a decorating accessory as well, to soften and liven up the space (boxy is body is boxy).
Overall I thought the space was cute, but cluttered.
I have learned so much from my rentals which means when we come to buy our own place we are going to be very picky about what we like.
We've been living together for 5 years in two different places and still don't have all our furniture worked out. When we moved in together we were given a lot of old furniture from people who were looking for an excuse to upgrade. Since then we've been slowly buying bits that we like to replace the freebees that we are not so keen on. That said, after 5 years our TV still sits on the floor. I'm not into buying furniture for the sake of it, I'd rather just do it once and have something to keep for good. I don't mind if it takes years to collect a house full of furniture, I slept on a mattress on the floor for a few years before finding the right bed ;)
@babyfishmouth and @monical
Agreed and agreed! I cycled a lot of furniture through my first few apartments (I hadn't found an apt I'd want to re-sign a lease on till 4 apts in) but the only reason I lost money in the process was because of the 2nd huge new purchase--a bed. (The first huge new purchase was a rug, which I still love but wish were a different color, so I may wind up losing on money on that as well....) Otherwise, almost everything was craigslist or as-is ikea (and through re-selling I would have made a tiny profit!) Other rules that helped me were: it must fit in my Honda Fit, and it must only require, at most, one other person to move.
@urbancricket
I also disagree with you, and I disagree with every comment left on house tours along the lines of "the style of your furnishings don't go with the style of the house, why are you living here if you want things to look like ___?" There are many reasons to live in a given apartment, and actually loving the architectural details is but one of them. More important ones, I think with many ppl's priorities, are: the location is very convenient, the size/layout is good, the price is right. And one shouldn't feel obligated to sacrifice one's personal style for the building you're occupying.
I absolutely LOVE the media shelves- I was thinking of doing something like this in my own home.
I'm in my first place and I've learned to do research before settling in. Bad landlord and cockroaches are only two of a multitude of problems with this place. I don't want to put effort into this place because its such a slum. A lot of our things have been ruined by mold and the roaches. My first place isn't really a home. More like a shelter.
Do your homework when it comes to furnishing your apt...don't always go the cheap route because you may be there a lot longer than you initially anticipated.