Welcome to Virginia, a blogger in Baltimore who is trying out for place on the editorial team as a House Tour Contributor. Enjoy her work!
Names: Paul, Krystal and their dog, Johnny Cash
Location: Charles Village — Baltimore, Maryland
Size: 1200 square feet
Years lived in: 1
My first memory of visiting Paul and Krystal's Charles Village apartment had to do with a white gumball machine in a corner next to their sofa. Almost hidden against the room's off-white walls, I was immediately charmed by the playful and clever placement of the antique. It didn't take long for me to discover similar nooks and arrangements throughout their spacious apartment, each telling a story more delightful than the last.
As I got to know Paul and Krystal better, I discovered the two were frequent house re-arrangers. Every subsequent visit to their home was an adventure. At one point, the entrance was a fun, casual dining room, and the bedroom an airy white studio space filled with whimsy.
Each transformation I see brings new light and life to the objects in Paul and Krystal's home. I have been very eager to share photographs of their home and what I would consider a wonderful example of how possible it is to create and recreate warm, inviting spaces on a budget.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: My fiancé lovingly refers to me as a knick-knack connoisseur, but I would describe myself as a sentimentalist. Whether it is my grandfather’s pre-adolescent homemade “shoe shine” box or a photograph of a Mexican wedding party from the early 1900’s, I experience the same kind of awe and wonder. I want to feel a part of that history in some small way.
Inspiration: Photographs of distant relatives leading distant lives, strangers discarded objects and the magic and wonder of the American South.
Favorite Element: As far as our space is concerned, I love the openness of our bedroom and the wonderful natural light. It’s the kind of room I walk into and just melt. On a more specific note, I really appreciate how personal our home has become. Everything that surrounds us is something with a family history or a personal calling. It makes such a different to live in a space where you are constantly engaging with memories. As we move into our life as a married couple, it’s been such a pleasure to blend our pasts and create new ties that are visible and constantly shifting.
Biggest Challenge: Our biggest challenge has been working with a space that we are not permitted to make very many changes to. We are both really excited to arrive at a point in our lives where we can buy something of our own and transform it to fit our comforts and style.
What Friends Say: Everyone that comes to visit really seems to enjoy the space. We really enjoy changing things up. We constantly switch rooms around as the mood moves us. This past New Years, we decided to switch four of our six rooms about eight hours before a party of nearly thirty guests would arrive. Friends always seem to smile at our spontaneity, citing that they are constantly noticing an object or photograph they have never had the change to engaged with before. We enjoy changing things up because it gives our home freshness and allows us to meditate on the changing spaces and how our belongings change meaning for us when there is a big shift.
Biggest Embarrassment: Structurally, there are elements of our apartment that, if we could change we would, but we hang in their beings it’s a space that we’re renting as we transition.
Proudest DIY: Over the years, I have been inheriting some wonderful antique objects and I’ve been learning a lot about maintaining their natural uniqueness. I thoroughly enjoy the process of preservation. But I would have to say I am most proud of bringing a fresh eye to older pieces. Most recently, I’ve really enjoyed taking old photographs, and small objects from our family members and making shadow boxes of certain periods of their lives. I recently found a third grade admission certificate from my grandfather, along with a brown speckled bow tie that measures 3 inches long. It’s making for a lovely time capsule.
Biggest Indulgence: As a budding folklorist, I have the pleasure of finding myself in odd places, meeting a lot of interesting people. I’ve spent the past few years in the American South documenting Outsider/Self Taught artists. My biggest indulgence is buying their work. I find that these types of artists have a unique path to creating artworks and their biographies and work bring a really wonderful energy into our home. I enjoy looking up and feeling their presence. Most of the things in our home are heirlooms, or second hand finds that rarely exceed $20.00. We live on a tight budget in order to support our passions and to have the resources to support others as well.
Best Advice: Don’t look at decorating a space as a form of permanence. Our best inspiration has always come from pulling rooms apart and reassembling.
Dream Sources: I’d say that if we keep acquiring things as we have, from loved ones, alleyways, artists and thrift stores, we’re on the right path.
Thanks, Paul & Krystal!
Images: Virginia Jarvis
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You have some great pieces in your apartment. I especially love the folkart by L.V. Hull above the mantle. She's from my hometown in Mississippi. She was such a sweet lady. Thanks for sharing!
Cute place. Reminds me of me.
For years I decorated in a way that was very similiar - flea markets, antique stores, anything vintage, quirky. Then, one day I looked around and it just looked like junk to me. I couldn't wait to get it all out of there. Now, I'm streamlined - clean surfaces, everything put away, sleek furnishings and not many of them. I feel I can breathe again.
Not that their place isn't great for them, it is, obviously. Just thinking of how my own tastes have changed over the years.
That's what's so great about decorating...it can evolve as you do, and express who you are.
That bedroom's really beautiful! Great sense of humor throughout the rest of the house. :)
Personally too cluttered and scruffy for my own tastes, but that's not what this is about. It's about personal expression and I found a lot of stuff I admired in that realm!
I love the cowboy boot on the door frame. That made me smile. And I loved the use of the blue and green tones in everything from that little dresser/chest and the vintage glass bottles.
too many vignette photos... I can't get a real sense of the rooms and how they flow
You managed to pull this look off without it feeling too cluttered ( always a feng shui issue ). Kudos!
I think it's really sweet and lovely. And yes, sentimental. What keeps it from looking grandmotherly, in my opinion, is the muted, earthy color scheme. The colors are beautiful. The only thing I'm not feeling (and I hesitate to say this!) are the tab-top curtains. They showed up in two or three of the shots. But that's just personal preference. They're a little too "homey" for my taste.
I love the old-world feel and charm, fun pieces.. and bedroom!, wow. The one distraction, to me, is the rug(?) above the couch. Overall, I think its great and you have much talent. Thanks!
I would like to see a photo of the outside of the building...with all of these house tours I always wonder what the exterior looks like and how it compares with the interior.
I have the same obsession when talking to colleagues at work over the phone who I have never met in person...
The best advice I think here is don't decorate in a form of permanence. I have been so afraid of doing something in my space that someone might not like. After living in my space for almost 10 years, I have just discovered that it doesn't matter what others think, I don't necessarily like what they do in their space. At the end of the day I am in the middle of doing my space over - minus any hesitation. My style is evolving and I am loving finding inspiration from places like apartment therapy. Now my only draw back is the budget!
I always admire people who have a talent for thrift shopping. I don't have that talent -- but these people clearly do!
That pay toilet sign is hilarious! Perfect amongst the collections.
i love your aesthetic! and the only thing i didn't like is not something you can change: the dropped ceiling tiles in the bedroom. but everything you did do, i love. bravo
I could not agree more with lindalooby. At the end of the day, I think it's best to surround yourself with what you love and things that make you happy, regardless of whether others think it works well or not.
Too much clutter. Time to edit the junk.
I agree with nik111. There's no point in buying every thing old that you find. To me,a bunch of old stuff does not make interesting scenery. A collection of certain old things is much more interesting. My mantra is "don't turn your place into a thrift shop." But then, I'm not so much of a knick knack person, comes from having to dust them when i was a kid. I buy used things that I need, as in a table or chair or plants, not stuff just for the sake of having stuff.
Love this house!
Im with Ms. Pea! I used to collect a bunch of "stuff" just for the sake of filling in space and having....stuff. Then I realized I was a slave to my "stuff" because there were so many nooks and crannys that I was constantly dusting and cleaning. I realized that it is very cathartic to get rid of your "stuff", keep ONLY what you believe to be useful or beautiful. Seems to be a lot of "stuff" in this home that I imagine would require a lot of time to clean and maintain.
Even though they own a lot of collected things this space still looks tidy and clean. And honestly if they like it that way that's really all that matters, and if all of these objects interest them perhaps they don't mind the maintenance. Just a thought. Some people aren't so interested in "clean lines". And as someone mentioned earlier, our sense of style can change over time and we are all entitled to our different tastes.
My only complaint is a lack of color. I realize their are many colorful objects but there's no color to be seen on the walls, and I think that maybe if they played with that to tie in with their collections it might be really lovely.
On a side note, I love the bedroom, it's colorful and spacious and relaxing!
Yay! L.V.Hull (the Dot Lady of Mississippi) front and center. If y'all think this looks cluttered, you should find some pictures of Miss Hull's place. Or look up Rev. H.D. Dennis, also in Mississippi. Anyway, some people are comfortable with a lot of stuff around, and others aren't, but nobody should have to live a minimalist lifestyle if they don't want to. Not even people who read AT.
This is lovely--personal and intimate, with great sensitivity to color and shape. It doesn't feel cluttered to me; there's no feeling of claustrophobia, or that the pieces are there just fill up space. To me, objects that compete against each other so you don't know where to look in a room create the feeling of junk. But this room is already edited so the objects work together, and give the room several layers of interest. You can look, and look, and it keeps coming into deeper focus.
I love the undercurrent of blue and green. That said, I wish the tour showed visual flow from room to room.
What a a stunning bedroom!
To put my 2 cents in about the "stuff:" Clearly, these objects are telling a story to you, and it is very special to have that kind of 6th sense. Some people walk around with all brand-new stuff, not realizing or not caring that their space has no historical layering.
For me personally, I get my sense of story and sentimental "population" through the thousand books I own. To other people, they'd say, "Honey, you have a book-buying problem. Edit that collection!" and I'd say right back, "I can't *edit* my memories, and my books are a part of that." So even though I wouldn't buy all that stuff, I can see why the OP does.
Love it. I could move in tomorrow and barely need (or want) to change or move a single piece. To me, it feels like a grandmother's hug, warm, loving, and familiar. I get a real sense of peace looking at all this stuff, mainly because it's not just stuff, it's pieces of a story, a story of a home.
great first tour, virginia! i really like this cross between grandma's house and a church (in a good way!).
especially the little jar on three legs and the thing between
the book shelves - is that some kind of dreamcatcher?
"i want to feel part of history" and "i just melt when i enter the room" - must remember those phrases.
I love many of the rustic pieces. But it's too cluttered for me. It reminds me of my stepmother's house who's an artist. An very elderly relative came over for Thanksgiving dinner and she innocently asked, "Are we at a garage sale?"
The bedroom is positively regal! And the birdcages are stunning too.