Name: Pamela Beecroft
Location: Washington, DC
Size: 800 square feet
Years lived in: 4 months (at the time of the tour); Rented
When the owner of her rental apartment suddenly decided to move back in, Pam found herself scrambling to find a new place to live. With few options (it was winter...not a lot of available apartments) and very little time to search, she was forced to move from a smaller space with plenty of soul and character to a larger and more impersonal place.
Finding herself confronted with a larger "blank canvas" than she was accustomed to when it came to apartment set-up and decorating, she says for her that the big challenge was to infuse as much comfort and personality into her new apartment as she had in her old one. I would say she succeeded, and then some.
The apartment is full of colors and patterns and objects, but manages to avoid feeling cluttered or busy. Instead it feels warm and welcoming. Everywhere you look there are beautiful or cool or funny things to see. She has traveled a lot since childhood (her father was a diplomat) and she weaves international objects into the decor without it ever getting too folk art-y or museum-like. The grey, yellow and orange that you find throughout the rooms hold everything together.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style/Inspiration: Comfortable modern, with Scandinavian and other international influences. I don't know about any one inspiration, but I'm drawn to texture, bright colors and clean lines. I also love images and art, and have filled my apartment with them. I like to keep things light and made sure certain colors carry through spaces without it looking too designed.
Favorite Element: The light, and the flow of the whole floor plan.
Biggest Challenge: Figuring out what to do with the space between the living room and kitchen. (I eventually got an orange storage bench.)
What Friends Say: "It's so nice! Do you think you can come over and help me pull my place together?"
Biggest Embarrassment: Not much so far (but I'm only four months in!).
Proudest DIY: My "media center," which I made by converting the middle of my three bookshelves into a space to hold my TV, stereo and cable. Not very complicated to do, since it just needed a circular drill to allow wires to go through, but it makes such a difference to have all that equipment "embedded" among my by books and other things, instead of standing out.
Biggest Indulgence: One of my chairs in the living room. Most of my things look nice but are not expensive, but I bought the chair at Room and Board. Not cheap, but I love the fabric and the lines, and it's so comfortable. Worth every penny!
Best Advice: Affordable fantastic art is everywhere, and don't be afraid to mix high and low, serious and silly. Same with furniture and everything else — you can do a lot surrounding very basic and cheap furniture with great accents and images. If it's fun, if you like it, then it's right!
Dream Sources: Blu Dot, Miss Pixie's (a used furniture place in DC), Goodwood (ditto), Room And Board
Resources of Note:
LIVING ROOM
- • Sofa: I can't actually remember anymore! Some European import site. The sofa opens up flat into a bed.
• Coffee table: Overstock.com
• Throw blanket: West Elm
• Striped blanket: Kenya
• Pillows (on couch and armchairs): Ikea fabric, home-sewn, as well as Target
• Floor and side-table lamps: Target
• Grey armchair: Overstock.com
• Pair of armchairs: family hand-me-down, reupholstered with fabric from Fishman's
• Side table: CB2
• Bookshelves: IKEA Billy
• Art: Etsy, wood block art from Minimumwageart, photos are my own, as is the collage and the black and while drawning, masks from the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Mirror with tiles: Tunisia
• Elongated wood sculpture people: Burundi
DINING ROOM
- • Dining table and chairs: IKEA
• Tablecloth: Target
• Pendant lamp: CB2
• Sideboard: IKEA
• Lamp: China
• Photos: mine
HALLWAY
- • Rugs: from Bosnia and Jordan
• Small white bookshelves: Staples
• Lamps: IKEA and Target
• Orange storage bench: Target
• Throw pillows: Target and IKEA
• Standing lamp: West Elm
• Art: a mix of Etsy, an image I picked up at a rock concert (Dorothy being searched by a riot cop), a gift from Vietnam (the woman with the gun and the baby), my photo of NYC, and the felt polar bear was made by my cousin in Norway - it's for sitting on when you go hiking :)
BEDROOM
- • Bed: On-line store - just a plain old metal frame
• Bed linens: West Elm
• Bedside table: Target
• Desk: Container Store
• Green shag rug: K-Mart and it's Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen dorm-room series, of all things!
• Photos: mine
Thanks, Pamela!
(Images: Chris Beecroft)
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— Chris Beecroft
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Really wonderful. So bright and beautiful. I love your artwork everywhere! And how clean and uncluttered your home feels. Can you share how you mounted your tall African stick figures to the wall? I have similar ones that I'd like to hang.
Cute place! (Too many groupings of art for my taste, but it is colorful and fun looking). I love the bedding and the green and blue color scheme. The apartment looks like a great place to relax and entertain.
This couldn't be more timely. I live in the DC area and am in the same exact situation. I was forced to move (two days ago, in fact) when my landlord put the place up for sale. I have been staring at the stark white walls and beige carpet wondering where to begin. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a bright, happy space!
Wow, you are really good at hanging pictures!
I love it. Even though your walls are white (like mine), you showed that there are other ways to have color in your house than always painting and you were able to make your walls as a background so much so that I think of your rooms in terms of color: green, blue, yellow. Well done. Very well done.
*comment deleted nanoseconds before posting, whew.
What a great little space.
Super cool pad. ;)
how come all i can find of orla kielys at target is soap containers??? I cant find the tablecloths anywhere :(
The art totally makes this apartment. I love that you put a lot of your own work up. I love seeing other people exhibit their own art work in their homes, but I'm weirdly self-conscious about doing it myself.
The buttons on the yellow pillow are genius.
You're a gallery wall genius! It looks so effortless. I really love what you did with your apartment, these are my favorite kind of tours!
Ooer. I like I like, this is pretty much how I envisage my next apartment! Love all the bookshelves and artwork.
Ooer. I like I like, this is pretty much how I envisage my next apartment! Love all the bookshelves and artwork.
LOVE seeing that Polygamy Porter six pack holder! Way to represent! Utah has some great micro breweries (believe it or not) and being as bass ackwards as it is it also has a plethora of humorous takes on its weirdass culture. Plus that porter is damn good beer... why have just one indeed! Oh... and your apartment is well done too! ;) Love your artwork!
Very cute place....now can you come over to my place and help me hang some art? You definitely have a great eye for it.
I hang a bunch of art and it looks cluttered! She has a gift for it! Love the whole place,especially all the personal momentos,it has so much personality! Id love to know what that big black and white picture is,all I can make out is "interior".
I like the eclectic look. I am striving for that look, but a color palette of deep red, gold/bronze, black, grey
Love your colors. We've clearly got very similar tastes -- I've got the Orla Kiely tablecloth, the lucite ball lamp, the table next to the bed, the gray shag rug, and lots of photos of wall textures too!
I found Orla Kelley prints at JoAnn Fabrics over the summer. I'm not sure if they still have them, but you could look on JoAnn's website to see.
I love this apartment and its colors and personality.
Love your apartment! On being suddenly forced to move: an acquaintance of mine, a journeyman welder, was told by his landlord that he had to leave so the landlord could move in. He reminded the landlord that, during his last job, he'd paid his rent a year in advance, so the landlord could refund the money or let him stay. He stayed.
Well done! You managed to turn a generic floor plan into something fresh, organized, and fun. I love the art on the walls and the mixtures of textiles and prints.
nice apartment! looks really comfortable and lived in and not at all a 4mth rental, impressive! Using a couple of your pictures as inspiration! Thanks!
also, do you have the name/reference of those white small bookshelves from staples? was looking for something just like that.
What an amazing place!Sounds so sweet!The green carpet in the bedroom is my favorite!Feels like sleeping in the nature!Definitely will have a sweet dream!
Dude!We are totally spiritual sisters! We even have the same magnets! lol! I LOVE your place. All that art is wonderfully gorgeous! It's so fresh and inviting. Great job!
Is that a diy jewel holder on your bedroom door? If so , please show us how. If not, where did you get it. Love your space.
Looks good. Also a good point of 'if your're going to got big with art; in this case, quantity; go small (quantity) with accessories on tables etc. Works!
Hi everybody.
This is Pam. Thanks for all the nice feedback on the apartment! And a shout-out to my brother for doing such a nice job with the photographs. So I saw so many questions, I thought I’d actually get on and answer them:
- Bejewled, I mounted the Africa stick figures with plain old nails - not brads, but the ones that have a nailhead to act as a “ledge” for the sculpture. I actually needed only one nail under the armpit for each, actually, and they've stayed put just fine.
- Seizeandconquer, I saw the Kiely pear tablecloth on a couple eBay offers, so maybe you could try that route too.
- Comicbookheroine, glad you liked the buttons. I had bought them here in DC at something called Rock and Shop – I loved the images, but for a while couldn’t figure out how to use them. Best thing is, if the pillow gets ratty, you can just move the buttons to another one! Endless possibilities... And I've heard making your own buttons actually isn't that hard either, if you want to get really crafty!
- John CB, that big black and white picture is called, “Intérieur d’un Moulin à Vent (Interior of a Windmill).” It’s a Belgian lithograph from the early 1900s that I got, strangely enough, in Belgium, at an antiques market (if ever in Brussels on a Sunday, it's at a square called the Petit Sablon --> go!).
- Ricard, those bookshelves from Staples are the Hayden Laminated Bookcases. They were 50% off when I bought them, but the price isn’t too too bad, regardless. What I liked about them is they’re low and shallow (about a foot deep) – perfect for a long hallway.
- Lucy, why yes, that is a DIY jewelry holder on my bedroom door – well sort of DIY in that I adapted a tool board for jewelry. It comes from a company called Wall Control. They have a ridiculous range of options, very nice customer service, are made in the USA, LEED certified... Highly recommend them: https://wallcontrol.com/Index.htm
Cheers everybody and so glad you enjoyed the space!
Here way of displaying stuff is nice and yet jarring at the same time. Here is my spoonful of:
SALT- I just feel like yes this space is bright which is always a plus, but their is soo much on the walls on the bookshelves..refrigerator, bedroom, everywhere.. How can the eyes relax..
SUGAR- I love the chair.. Nice way to spend some dough. It'll last for decades.
I would love to know where you got the DC flag coasters. I love the entire space but saw them on the side table and thought it was such a fun addition!
Great wall art!
Fantastic place - the art and display, all the personal pieces - it comes together so nicely. Really enjoyed...
Love your place, and i love to see the influences, and pieces from all over the world and work so well together. Probably because they have one common thing, which would be your good
taste!
Red Barn Artworks in NH -- www.redbarnartworks.com. Sold at a DC store Pulp, at least they were last December...
Nice tour! Where is the smaller bookshelf in the corner from? It doesn't look like Ikea Billy. Thanks!
Impressive space accomplished in such a short period of time! Love it!
The book case can work as TV media unit.
That is an awesome idea for small space.
Love it.
This is great. I just moved into a place with off white walls and a front door that is too small and goes into a too small hallway and need to find furnishings I can wedge in there (i.e., smaller, less bulky) and get some color in there since I'm not so sure I want to paint at this point. Your place looks comfortable, quirky, has a lot of color without feeling like the color is "in your face." I also like the way you've put together items from different vendors without apology (esp. the Mary & Kate Olsen dorm collection!) since if the item works, it works! Will be studying your apartment further for good ideas for myself.
Hi Melanie. The bookshelf is Ikea, but nope, not Billy - if I remember right, it's one of the Expedit models...