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Name: Meg and Dan
Location: Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Size: 925 square feet
Years lived in: 1 — owned

Meg and Dan, professional classical musicians with the Jupiter String Quartet, travel frequently for their work. So an uncluttered, streamlined home is all the more important.

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In fact, they were remarkably relaxed about the fact that we scheduled our photo shoot only hours before they had to head to the airport for an international work trip. Their organized, colorful home, low on the extraneous, supports Dan and Meg's ability to leave home easily and frequently.

Meg and Dan use bright wall color as the primary and memorable decorative element in their small-ish space, which means less need for lots of furnishings and other decorative objects. Plus, the artwork and fabrics get a better chance to stand out. On a smaller budget and with plenty of low-input, high-output DIY decorative touches, they've created a lovely nest to come home to, again and again.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Eclectic, comfortable and functional.

Inspiration: Places we have been on our travels (Mexico, Texas, Italy, lots of other places).

Favorite Element: Color.

Biggest Challenge: Finding enough space so things don't feel cluttered in such a small apartment.

What Friends Say: "Wow, I would never have thought to paint the dining room pink!"

Biggest Embarrassment: Installing the ceiling fan in the living room. Dan spent hours setting it up and could not get the thing to turn on. He finally relented and called an electrician who promptly took the tape off battery terminal in the remote control. The fan worked right away. (We still got a bill for the visit.)

Proudest DIY: We installed the backsplash in the newly redone kitchen. Got the square foot sheets of glass tiles and all of the tools. It took a long day to complete but saved a bunch of money. We managed to do it without a tile cutter too!

Biggest Indulgence: Redone kitchen but it is worth it because we spend most of our time in the kitchen.

Best Advice: Try not to plan too much! What you like will fit together somehow.

Dream Sources: Boomerangs in Jamaica Plain.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • brand: color
    • Kitchen - Benjamin Moore Natura: Mantis Green
    • Dining Room - Benjamin Moore Natura: Twilight Magenta
    • Living Room - Benjamin Moore Natura: Amarillo
    • Bedroom - Benjamin Moore Natura: Sapphire Ice

LIVING ROOM

    • Turquoise Lamp - Boomerangs in JP
    • Red rug - Ikea hand-me-down from parents
    • Framed butterfly pictures - cut up calendar and framed with art supply store frames
    • "Kurt" painting by Mary Wees from local gallery, "The Hallway"
    • Black and white chairs and ottoman from Ikea
    • Pillows sewn by Meg from fabric bought in Hawaii
    • Wall hangings from travels

DINING ROOM

    • Secondhand Ikea table and chairs - Craigslist
    • Huge Jasper John print - Boomerangs in JP

KITCHEN

    • Kitchen design and installation - iKitchens Etc. with a little DIY help from Meg and Dan
    • Ikea stool covers - DIY by Meg with fabric from Boomerangs

Thanks, Meg and Dan!

Images: Kyle Freeman

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