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Name: Lizzy Janssen
Location: Fishtown — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size: One Bedroom, One Bathroom
Years lived in: 2.5 years, rent

When visiting Lizzy's neighborhood you never know what type of house you're going to end up in. Fishtown is eclectic and certainly stylish and the homes range from industrial lofts in old factories to untouched rowhomes and occasionally you'll find a complete and utter surprise like the one I was presented with when Lizzy opened the door.

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Lizzy really does have her very own adult sized doll house. When I walked through the door I was presented with a fantastic Mexican-inspired chandelier and fantastic wallpaper. I followed the black stripe leading up the stairs and found myself standing in the middle of Lizzy's kitchen staring up into the bedroom. I immediately gravitated toward the bathroom because the beams of sunlight just suck you in.

There's no real style that you can pinpoint in Lizzy's Lovely Little Dollhouse and that's okay with me. It's extremely eclectic but somehow so right and there's nothing I'd want to change.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: My style is very eclectic, I love mixing styles, and am in no way a minimalist. Sometimes I get very overwhelmed with my collections! I love icon 50’s, Americana, and mid century modern pieces, but most of all, I love anything that makes me smile and has a good sense of humor.

Inspiration: I love history, and reading biographies, so collecting antiques and vintage is inspirational to me, I love thinking of the time in history when it was created. Or, the person who once owned it. The craft and construction of older pieces is much better and the act of hunting it down and collecting is really exciting.

Favorite Element: I love the split level of the home, it’s fun to peek downstairs from my bedroom. The exposed brick walls create a really cozy environment and the bathroom gets so much light due to some secret skylights, so it’s a really breezy fun room.

Biggest Challenge: It’s pretty hard to move furniture around in it! To get furniture to the bedroom it has to be hoisted from the livingroom below.

What Friends Say: They like coming over! Everyone comments on the tub and my silly collections. I guess people think I have a lot of cat paraphanalia, but I just enjoy things that are cute and fun. I am also ALWAYS rearranging so when friends come over they say “what’s changed?” and it’s a game to them.

Biggest Embarrassment: I have some really annoying cord situations. Cords, how do you hide them!?

Biggest Indulgence: I don’t indulge on anything really! My apartment houses my many collections, which were all basically scavenged in thrift stores, flea markets and sometimes on the curb!

Best Advice: Be as weird as you want to be! Don’t worry about sticking to an era or style — I love mixing eras and styles.

Dream Sources: The antique mall on top of the moutain in central PA.

Other Inspiration: I love looking through old books on decorating from the 70’s

Resources:

FURNITURE

    • Most of my furniture has been found, my Kofod Larsen rocking chair was found at a garage sale for $20, the George Nelson bubble lamps were found on the side of the road on 2 separate occasions! The bed is from IKEA and the bedding is from anthropologie with vintage Hudson Bay blankets.

ACCESSORIES

    • I’ve been collecting since I was a kid, so my accessories are my strange collections I’ve had through the days. I love anything that makes me smile.

ARTWORK


LIGHTING

    • The lighting in this apartment is amazing, I love the contrast between the crystal chandelier and the thrift store finds. The cabinets have some amazing lighting features so they’re able to give a mellow glow through the frosted glass.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

    • Thrift finds.

FLOORING

    • Original wood flooring.

Thanks Lizzy!

Images: Kristen Lubbe

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