Here's Amy A.'s final post! Comment away....
Name: Amy
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Size: around 700 square feet/3-room railroad
Years lived in: 4 years
Rented or Owned: rent
Who else lives here: my husband, and our two cats: Loki and Freya
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Nursing a collecting habit in an apartment can be a dangerous thing. So, my collections have to stay rather small or rather, I end up collecting small things. I have collections of vintage paperbacks, of children’s fiction, of white pottery, vintage toy farm animals, and sand from every beach that I’ve visited. (You can’t get much smaller than a grain of sand.) This small collecting lets me exercise some creativity. Because sometimes in an apartment, there’s only one wall against which that sofa will fit...
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For my final post as an Apartment Therapy Blogger finalist, I decided to show you where I live. I don’t want my home to be too precious. I want things to be lived in, and comfortable. (OK, I just heard a crash from the living room, and put down the computer to investigate. One of my cats had knocked over and broke a floor lamp, so I guess I’m being put to the test. Good thing, I’ve already taken the pictures.)
Survey
How would you define your style:
A mix of mid-century and flea market aesthetic. I try to unify things by using the same colors throughout the apartment—a mix of blues, greens, and whites.
What is your greatest inspiration?
I’m just finishing a Master’s degree in the History of Decorative Arts and Design, which has been an amazing source of inspiration. Actually, the program ended up being a good cure for shopping. After looking at slides all day, I couldn’t bear to go into a store. That seems to be over now!
What is your favorite element of your home?
Why, the collections, of course.
What is the biggest challenge of your home?
I think it’s difficult to choose pieces for a place that doesn’t feel like your permanent home. I’m never sure how long I will stay in a rental. Also, living in a railroad means that our apartment is pretty narrow.
What do friends say about your home?
Your cats are so cute!
What is your home's biggest embarrassment?
It’s beginning to be the sofa. I didn’t have cats when we bought it. The fabric seems to call their names. Usually, I have double stick tape on it—that seems to help a bit.
What DIY project are you most proud of:
Building the bed. I ordered the fittings online and had them shipped. The pipes were cut to size in Williamsburg. I was unprepared for how dirty the pipes would be. It was like they were bathed in exhaust. The whole apparatus is screwed together with an Allen wrench, sometimes it gets a little loose, and I have to tighten all the joints—it’s like having your very own tin man.
What is your Biggest Indulgence:
Hmmm, if indulgence means expensive, then I suppose it’s a tie between the sofa, which is Mitchell Gold from ABC or the table from Moon River Chattel. I recently purchased my first piece of Le Creuset. It was a little unnecessary as I do have a set of perfectly nice pots and pans, so it felt like an indulgence. It has been totally worth it. I can’t wait until the weather gets colder and I can start using it again. (I’m a cold weather cook. I don’t know what to do in the summer, but I can make a mean boeuf Bourgogne!)
Best Advice:
Buy what you love.
Dream Source:
My dream would be to have unlimited budget to shop at Brimfield or some other big antique fair.
Other Inspiration:
The usual blog suspects, designsponge (www.designspongeonline.com), Abbey goes Design Scouting (http://gogoabigail.com/blog/) and many, many more. I’m also a regular reader of Domino, Dwell, and Elle Décor.
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Resources
Furniture—
Living Room:
Sofa—ABC Carpet and Home, Mitchell Gold (http://www.abchome.com/)
barrister bookcase from Two Jakes (http://www.twojakes.com/index.cfm)
coffee table—Craigslist
dining table—Moon River Chattel (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/williamsburg/moon-river-chattel-009220)d
bench—Wud Furniture (http://www.wudfurniture.com/)
Bedroom
Bedding: Dwell(http://www.dwellstudio.com/) (I picked up everything at the Dwell sample sale)
Accessories:
Living room pillows-Hable Construction(http://www.hableconstruction.com/)
Vintage embroidered horse pillow on bed: Ebay
red apple canister from Three Potato Four (http://www.threepotatofourshop.com/)
flowers and air plant from Sprout Home (http://sprouthome.stores.yahoo.net/)
Lighting: living room ceiling fixture from Ebay, all other fixtures vintage
Artwork:
Map--NYPL Digital Gallery (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm)--the majority of the images on the site can be ordered online
Pool photograph—Leigh Merrill (http://www.leighmerrill.com/)
Vintage postcards—In God We Trust (http://www.ingodwetrustnyc.com/)
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sweet tunturi. I've got the same one.
I like the white side table and the dining table, things that are clearly hand-picked one-of-a-kind items that make your apartment yours.
view amt230's profile
Lovely little home! Beautiful colors.
Okay, the slideshows are slowly but surely getting a little more bearable. Is it that difficult to figure out how to caption each individual picture?
view oakland's profile
what a gorgeous place! i am enamoured with its comfortability and all your cool collections. jeez, i love the sand!! and W0RD to your cat shelves. i really want to make that happen for my kidz, too. i think you did a great job. yay brooklyn!
p.s. you didn't really need that floor lamp anyway ;)
view kdkaboom's profile
I really like this apartment. It feels lived it, yet really creative.
And the collections give it character and personality.
Nice job!
view Rebecca Federman's profile
can we make paint color a requisite for the resources list? please? so many great colors!
view sandra's profile
Wow, so many great pieces! I love the analog clock/calendar and the industrial display bookshelf by the door.
view JH4285's profile
Sweet. Nice colors. You did a good job of turning a railroad into a highly livable and functional space. Even your 60's/70's kitchen looks sleek and contemporary.
view cgonza08's profile
where did you get your desk?
view The Sale Rack's profile
ok I want to be a cat in this home. very lovely and peaceful and individual. a really nice job. where did you get the alarm clock? or did i miss that in the text?
view Kat1's profile
I love your sand collection, I've thought of doing this before but always thought it would just turn out tacky. And I love your cats' Icelandic names :)
view nikki354's profile
Guh. I love it. Wonderful colors. Sweet kitties. Did your bathroom actually come with that tub? It's incredible.
view Cassis's profile
Can i ask where the mail holder is from by your front door? I love that.
view louisw's profile
Super adorable yet elegant place! Great use of colors and neutrals, I really love how it is inviting, relaxed, but without sacrificing style. Hurrah!
view Deeger's profile
LOVE the analog clock and calendar. Where did you find it?!?!
view ladejota's profile
I also would love to know where Amy got the analog clock/calendar! Thanks!
view Pteetsa's profile
Nice post, Amy! Thank you for sharing your place and your cats.
view Luisa in Dallas's profile
Amy--
Cute place and some great choices - but a word of advice:
Next time you have the opportunity to order a new sofa - choose a color. (No, Taupe doesn't count as a color.)
view bepsf's profile
wow i love the bathroom. not a fan of the pipe bed (?) but everything else looks great
view bluetoes's profile
oh man, that tub is awesome
view hanako66's profile
Thank you all for your comments. I was very nervous about putting my apartment online, and I appreciate all your encouraging remarks.
Wall ClockâI got the inspiration for this from the Conran store in NYC, but got mine on Ebay. I saw two on Ebay tonight. The search is âcalendar wall clockâ I think mine was just under $100. They do appear from time to timeâ¦
DeskâThe desk is a Library desk and was a gift from my parents when I got my degree in Library Science. It should be pretty easy to find something similar. Look for âLibrary Table/Deskâ
TubâThe bathroom did indeed come with that crazy tub. You pretty much have to stand on a chair to get in it!
Mail Holderâfrom Moon River Chattel. They have a whole line of products of this ilk.
Paint ColorsâI have no idea what colors of paint I used. I wish I kept a record. But four years ago, when I painted the whole apartment, I had no idea that I would ever be putting the whole thing on Apartment Therapy.
Thanks again. And thanks to the Apartment Therapy folks for facilitating these posts for the past two weeks. This is a great community. It's been a privilege.
view AmyE's profile
This is a great apartment - eclectic yet coherent. I especially like your grasp of colour, with those whites and taupes interspersed with bolts of blue, green and turquoise.
view Blandwagon's profile
Love, love, love everything about your place, Amy (maybe it's because we're both librarians!)...can you let us know where the candlestick next to the couch came from, by any chance?
view HeidiW's profile
This is actually the nicest interior I've seen on here for a while. I love the use of colours, they're very calm and cozy. I feel inspired, thanks!
view Esther414's profile
LOVE the sand collection!
view HeatherAB's profile
Hi HeidiW, It's nice to meet a fellow librarian. The lucite candelabrum is from Myxplyzyk. (www.mxyplyzyk.com) Unfortunately, it's not on their website... you would have to call or go in.
view AmyE's profile
Thanks for sharing your home with us -- love all the color -- and thanks for the shout out! Abbey
view design_scouting's profile
And, I love your tub!!!
view design_scouting's profile
sooo inspiring! i'm at a loss as to how to decorate my new railroad.
view theambershow's profile
Like the look and feel and most of all I am smitten by your bathroom.
view click212's profile
love the cat shelves!!!! Great use of space and awesome decor!
view Deidre88's profile
beautiful space! it really doesnt look narrow in the pics.
i love the cat shelves also and want to try that for my boys.
also love the shoe by your great grandfather,priceless!
if you answer more ??s, what approximate year and where was he living when he did it?
be proud, a great job.
view sassydo's profile
Hi Amy,
What did you use to cover the glass on the french doors? They look great.
view dizzy's profile
Hi Sassydo,
Your questions about the shoe made me realize how little I know about it. I only know that it was made as a saleman's sample. My great-grandfather lived in New York City until the '40s (actually in Williamsburg!), then moved to L.A. So it was either made in New York or L.A. in the '40/'50s.... but I'm really fuzzy on the date. I'm realizing that I need to give my grandfather a call and get the whole story. Thank you so much for asking that question and getting me to think about it!
Dizzy,
I went to Canal Plastics, bought multiple sheets of plastic and cut them to size. I used hot glue to stick them to the window (You can peel the glue right off the glass, so it's an ok solution for a rental.) The problem is that when the temperature changes some of the plastic inevitably pops off. So, I actually wouldn't recommend doing it my way. The plastic is a bit too heavy.
I would instead buy a translucent paper--maybe a vellum and use double stick tape. I do love the effect, though. It allows light to pass through during the day (light is all important in a railroad), but gives some privacy at night.
view AmyE's profile