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Names: Jeromy & Samantha
Location: Oakland, CA
Owned/Rented: Rented
Size: 750 sf
Years Lived: 1

Samantha and Jeromy's home is like a playground: everywhere you look, there's something that grabs your attention, something fun to play with. Or another way to look at it: a compact museum, filled with nostalgic objects that can trigger childhood memories.

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Most of their decor is a result of endless treasure hunting in the Arizona suburbs where they lived for several years. By relying on their personal tastes, Sam and Jeromy chose each piece in their eccentric collection--and the end result? A unique home that truly is a reflection of their personalities and lifestyle.

Initially, space wasn't an issue: They lived in a three-bedroom house with plenty of room for their assortment of 60s vintage pieces mixed with modern day treasures. Jeromy also owned a skateboard shop, 5th Street Rollers, where any overflow from their treasure hunting days would be used as prominent store displays. However, moving to the Bay Area was a huge challenge, especially when it came down to crunching a house full of beloved wares into a one bedroom apartment. In the end, Sam and Jeromy sold off a large portion of their collection; but even now, space is still a challenge. In fact, they've begun to incorporate their ongoing hobbies into their home: Skateboards, snowboards, vintage roller skates and bikes are hung on the wall or displayed on shelves, simply treated as decor.

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Their 1960s Oakland apartment maintains many of the original features—built-in bookshelves, kitchen cabinets, as well as a cool retro pink bathroom tile with original fixtures. While some of these aspects are definitely a plus, there's also a few difficulties like figuring out bathroom decor, dealing with wall-to-wall carpeting, and rules against painting the walls. Like most of us who constantly feel the strain of limited living space, Jeromy and Sam have dreams of moving to a larger apartment (preferably with an outdoor space and hardwood floors); but until then, they're exercising a little bit more restraint when it comes to hunting out vintage finds.

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AT SURVEY

Style:
Mid-Century Modern, Vintage, Freestyle

Inspiration:
Inspired by vintage magazines, books and movies. We love searching for items that bring us back to our childhood.

Favorite Element:
We especially enjoy collecting vintage lamps. Lighting can be the key element when decorating a room. It creates mood and can completely transform an environment. We also love our houseplants. They are a start to our garden that we dream of having someday. We only have a few small windows with good sunlight, so it can be challenging to keep them healthy.

Biggest Challenge:
Trying to find space for everything in our little apartment is very challenging. It can be also very hard to get rid of possessions. We become so attached, but sometimes you have to say goodbye and realize that there will always be more to find.

What Friends Say:
Fun 70's - 80's throwback. Your pad looks like an awesome thrift store

Biggest Embarrassment:
As far as the apartment goes, the dingy beige wall to wall carpet really needs to go. Unfortunately, it is something that is out of our control since we rent the space. In addition, we are not allowed to paint any of the walls, so the only way we can add color is through art and collectibles. We also try to clean up our clutter and be more selective. Collecting is very addicting, so we try to only pick out key pieces that are cohesive with our style and that will last us a lifetime.

Proudest DIY:
The wood paneling in the bedroom was a fun project. We also like to polish and restore any of our vintage pieces that need a little TLC.

Biggest Indulgence:
I would have to say our TV and kitchen appliances.

Best Advice:
Clean, clean, clean. Reorganize and sort through your things on a month-to-month basis.

Dream Source:
The Alameda Flea Market is an unbelievable collective of distributers from around the country. We are inspired by all the amazing vintage collectables every time we visit. It would be incredible to search through flea markets around the world, especially throughout Europe.

Resources:
Flea Markets, Thrift Stores, Ebay, Craigslist, Antique and Vintage Shops

Thanks, Samantha & Jeromy!