This is from our Boston finalist, Alyssa. Comment away!
Name: Dee
Location: Harvard Square, MA
Size: 549 sf
Years Lived: 1.5 years
Own/Rent: Own
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Few things are more disheartening than a cold, drizzly morning in early April in Boston - the sun hasn't shone much in the past few weeks. Yet a weight was lifted when I entered Dee's tiny, spotless, cheerful apartment, situated in the fabled Cambridge neighborhood of John Malkovich, Yo-Yo Ma, and countless Harvard University professors. I was instantly drawn to the bright walls and colorful touches sprinkled throughout Dee's home, especially the purple and yellow story in the bathroom...
Dee's apartment is a study in contrasting colors, clutter-free living, and a mix of clean lines and ornate embellishments. Dee, thrilled to give a tour of her recently purchased apartment, explained: "I spent a while with a rather empty space. When I moved in all I had was my bed and my desk. I acquired furniture one piece at a time. It is important that I take the time to find what I'm looking for. It's all about feeling - if it doesn't "feel good" in my space, I don't keep it." Because her apartment needed little renovation other than new paint on the walls when she moved in, Dee could concentrate on filling her new home with personal treasures and new finds.
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Much of Dee's inspiration comes from her travels to Ireland, Turkey, Russia, and China, which are all reflected in keepsakes purchased abroad and carefully framed photographs taken in each country. Her photos, both black and white and in color, reflect a love of texture and an ability to capture the melancholy of daily life. They range from a Chinese woman selling fruit on a blanket by the side of the road to piles of motley rugs for sale in a Turkish market. According to Dee, "Travel is my greatest inspiration. I'm always provoked by my surroundings and I like to pick out things (colors, textures, a mood) from each new place I go and try to incorporate it in my decorating." Such confidence that comes from travel is evident in Dee's home, where she is willing to take risks in choosing colors or buying an expensive but unusual piece.
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Nearly every furnishing in Dee's apartment has personal value that connects her to family and friends. For her housewarming party, her friends painted a blank canvas with personal messages and images to help break in her new home. This painting now hangs in her entryway, linking her new home with fond memories of friends. She has a lovely framed photograph of her dapper and handsome grandfather, taken from his portfolio, framed on her wall. (He had a career as a model during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.) These pieces add warmth to Dee's home.
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Decorating for Dee is an ongoing process. Now that she is established in her new home, she's thinking of painting again, removing the white moldings around the door and window frames, and opening up the passage between her kitchen and living room. In Dee's words: "Change is good. I'm still figuring out my style. I'm always trying out something new, whether it's furniture, clothes, or music."
AT Survey
Style: A mix of simple, modern, and Rococo.
Inspiration: Travel to the East.
Favorite Element: Bathroom sink.
Biggest Challenge: One closet - every piece of furniture must have a dual purpose. Nothing is purely for aesthetics.
Biggest Indulgence: Large mirror with wooden frame for the bedroom.
Biggest Embarrassment: An old stereo from high school, especially since I'm in the music profession.
Best Advice Given or Received: If you don't like it, don't buy it, display it, or use it. It's better to live with little to nothing than with things you don't like.
What Friends Say: They like to hang out here: It's cool and cozy.
Just Purchased: Red mirror in the bedroom.
Dream Source: A trip to Europe to study everything from the effortless, efficient chic of their legendary small apartments to the ornate moldings of their eighteenth century furniture.
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Resources
Pinched from a cleaning out of Dee's grandmother's house.
Furniture: Most of Dee's furniture was passed down from friends and family members such as her leather couch with brass brads - so the pieces have a more intimate feel.
Photos: All taken by Dee during her world travels. Some highlights include a sneaky and daring photo taken at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow (no photos of the interior is allowed) and a wonderful scene of an Irish hillside on a misty morning.
Artwork: Each piece has a personal story behind it, like the Egyptian tapestry brought back from Dee's great grandmother's travels.
For the basics: CB2, Anthropologie, Ikea, and Crate and Barrel.
- Alyssa
(Thanks, Alyssa!)
Reader Vote:
Did anyone else find that there were so many detail shots in this slideshow that it's impossible to get a feel for the house?!!
view juliaonhamilton's profile
juliaonhamilton, I agree
view Keyse's profile
Agreed - plus, I think "detail" shots shouldn't be just extreme close-ups but more story-like vignettes that show a little context at the same time.
view bostonkayla's profile
Exactly! I have no idea what the rooms actually look like, although, conversely, we have a good idea of what the outside of her apartment looks like. Vignettes tell us nothing. Vignettes, really, are easy. What is hard is putting these vignettes together into a cohesive whole. The way the pictures are presented, it looks more like a second hand store than a home.
view LauraE's profile
'...her friends painted a blank canvas with personal messages and images to help break in her new home' - great idea. Nice home selection for your entry - stylish interior without being terribly cliché.
view SMM's profile
I agree too...but from what I saw it was very nice. My favorite was the bathroom sink and the entry way. cute!
view kerri's profile
yeah.. i wish we could have seen the rooms. I did like the purple paint in the bathroom though.
view explauren's profile
I agree with the posters above.
view Sara48's profile
so glad to see someone from boston on here! I am so jealous of the LA and San Fran postings, the houses always look so bright and sunny...
I like the use of the darker colors, especially red sox red in the kitchen!
view mally313's profile
I was a little frustrated with all the vignettes, but the place is lovely (and it's not in a contest), and the writing is good.
view Joan A.'s profile
Yes i totally agree! Enough with all the closeup shots of peoples "stuff". I would prefer to see how they are used in the room. I could not figure out the layout of the space at all in this tour at all!
view suzy8track's profile
Hello all,
I realize that my house tour is unconventional, so I certainly respect your opinions. I was hoping to do something a bit different. The details were what I came away with – they are the beauty and grace of Dee’s style. The close-ups are the only way to show her love of textures, colors, and patterns. They are, in my opinion, very intimate.
Have a nice weekend,
Alyssa
view elw's profile
I thought the writing was pitch perfect. Alyssa has a great voice, and the apartment had some great personal touches, which I found inspiring.
view jdinnyc's profile
I loved some of the details (the red frame, the purple walls with the lovely yellow hand towel) but overall the place seemed to lack cohesiveness and from the pictures i looked kinda bare - a mix match of lovey pieces with leftover college crap.
But YAY for Boston!
view BrookeinBoston's profile
P.S. I am hoping that one of the boston finalist do a peice on a JP apartment!
view BrookeinBoston's profile
I agree about the over use of vignettes, but the place seems very cute from what we can see. Encore with more wide angle photos?
view Caitlin in Seattle's profile
Yup... agreeing with the above. Vignettes make for great art photos, but they really don't give you a sense of the actual apartment. I was a bit disappointed because I feel like I haven't seen the apartment.
view greenish's profile
Alyssa, I totally understand that you wanted to focus on the details and intimacy of Dee's home, and you've done a great job of it, but including establishing shots of the rooms would have added meaning and context to the tour. I don't agree with the above poster that vignettes tell us nothing--there is a great deal to be learned from color studies and object placement--but the story would have been more complete if we could have seen more of the rooms.
view polkadot's profile
It's clean, but no idea how it's all pulled together.
Also, deduction for the Klosterman book.
view Ramstone's profile
I like that blue rug with the tree limb-like pattern. Where is it from?
view UES1818's profile
UES1818, I've seen that rug at cb2 -- don't know if it's still available in powder blue though...
view ndk's profile
Great storytelling! You've captured that very particular Boston mood & color so well. Thanks for the post, Alyssa.
view jp beck's profile
The space is very sweet. I'm a bit more of a modern interior girl but really enjoyed the textures and colors.
PS I understand that this was more about texture and color so full room shots may have detracted a bit even. Nice job.
view AudreyM's profile
There's a simplicity to everything - that makes me feel I could do more around my place.
view mbotemama's profile
I want that sofa.
view dblitz1's profile
I agree with many of the above posters. While I appreciate the story-telling aspect of your vignettes, I think that catering to your readers is important. Many of us return to apartmenttherapy not only for its insight into design, but how details and constructions work in small spaces. It would have been nice to have seen how the apartment gelled. Especially as small as Dee's apartment is, it would have been nice to see how she handled detail within the context of roughly 600 sq feet. However, the post is still inspiring. Thanks Alyssa.
view rreader's profile