Sarah’s Supremely Stylish West Village Home
Name: Sarah
Location: West Village — NY, NY
Size: 650 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 — rented
Sarah is one of those enviable people who make the act of creating a very stylish home look effortless. While all of us who work on our homes know how much time, effort and research goes into a space that looks comfortably chic, when it’s done with this much panache, all thoughts of hard work fall away…
Sarah describes her apartment as classic modern. She says, “Most of my walls and furniture are white and serve as a canvas for bold colored accessories and graphic patterns. My apartment has no natural charm or beautiful architectural details, so I had to create an inviting, interesting and relaxing home from scratch.” Not an easy feat, but one that she’s pulled off, beautifully. Sarah’s home is yet another successful example of the concept that it’s all about curating a mix – in this case, bold colorful pattern with expanses of white and antiques with modern clean-lined basics. Brava!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Classic Modern
Inspiration: It may sound cheesy, but Apartment Therapy. I first learned about the site when I moved in and it has been a great resource for design ideas and tips.
Favorite Element: The Allen Whiting print above my bar. The original painting depicts the view from the house my family rents on Martha’s Vineyard. During cold, slushy New York winters, I can curl up on my couch, look out over the Vineyard marsh and almost feel like it’s summer.
Biggest Challenge: My kitchen. It is about 4’x4′ with minimal counter space. I love to cook and entertain, but it is tough to prepare dinner for eight in such a small space. I usually do all my prep work on the dining room table and transfer to the kitchen for finishing touches. Luckily, I have a tiny dishwasher that helps with the clean up.
What Friends Say: “How do you live with a white couch?” (Carefully.) “Where is your TV?” (I don’t have one.) “Can you help decorate my place” (Of course!)
Biggest Embarrassment: My windows. My previous apartment had large, old windows with beautiful white moldings that added to the charm of my decor. While I have come to appreciate the utility of my current double-paned windows, the brown metal frames are eyesores (and they are impossible to clean).
Proudest DIY: Charcoal gray chevron pattern. When you walk into my apartment, there is no real entryway, so I wanted to create a dramatic landing strip that would draw focus. I painted the pattern using blue painter’s tape, a ruler and a lot of patience. It must have had the desired impact because the next tenant asked the landlord not to repaint over it!
Biggest Indulgence: Lemon Rope fabric from Hable Construction. When I originally found my Louis XV armchairs in a junk shop, they were painted olive green with chartreuse wide-wale corduroy upholstery. After a failed DIY stripping project in my not-so-well ventilated apartment, I knew this was a job for the professionals. I was able to save a little by taking the chairs out to New Jersey to get stripped, stained and reupholstered, but I was unable to find a cheaper fabric that compared to Hable’s bright, whimsical pattern. I’m glad that I indulged–I love the finished product and will have the chairs for a long, long time.
Best Advice: Make a wish list of items that may be outside your budget and watch for sales…you may be able to make it work. I fell in love with a lot of pieces that I considered “indulgences” and by strategically monitoring craigslist, eBay and sample/warehouse sales, I was able to pick up many of them at huge discounts.
Dream Sources: A private flea market before all the early birds have picked over the good stuff. Design Within Reach (if only it was within reach…)
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
• Benjamin Moore: Kendall Charcoal (chevron in entry and office wall)
ENTRY
• Coat Rack: Urban Outfitters
• White Table: Artifacts by Elise (Garwood, NJ) (a huge warehouse of furniture that they will paint, or not paint, to your liking)
• Mirror: Billy’s Antiques
• Tray: Kaas Glassworks
• Brass Grasshopper: highstreetmarket on Etsy
• Magazine Holder: Container Store
LIVING ROOM
• Couch and Ottoman: Room and Board via Craigslist
• Ottoman Tray: West Elm
• Side Table Trunks: Pottery Barn
• Yellow Lamps: Funkiture (Brooklyn)
• Mirror: Frame from Brooklyn Flea/ Mirror from Crosstown Custom Shade & Glass
• Imperial Trellis Pillows: plumcushion on Etsy
• Turquoise Pillows: Crate and Barrel
• Frame: Room and Board (photo is mine)
• Buffet/Bar: theshabbyhouse.net via Craigslist (repainted and replaced hardware)
• White Lamps: Vintage
• Bar Tray: Bungalow 5
• Louis XV Chairs: Frames from Junk (Brooklyn) / Fabric from Hable Construction
• Framed Print: Print from Allen Whiting / Frame from 567 Framing
• Rug: Madeline Weinrib via ABC Carpet Sample Sale
DINING ROOM
• Table and Bench: Olde Good Things via Craigslist
• Chairs: Tolix via DWR Outlet
• White Bowl: Crate and Barrel
• Frames: Room and Board / West Elm (photos are mine)
• Curtain Rod: West Elm
• Curtains: DIY
KITCHEN
• Clock: Howard Miller via DWR
• Teapot: OXO
BEDROOM
• Chandelier: Summit Antiques Center (NJ)
• Curtain Rod: West Elm
• Curtains: Pottery Barn
• Couch: Room and Board
• Pillows: Room and Board / Dwell Studio
• Bedside Tables: IKEA
• Bedside Tray: West Elm
• Lamps: Robert Abbey
• Dresser, Chair and Mirrors: Vintage from friends/family
• Frame: Room and Board (photo is mine)
• Side table: Housing Works
• Bedding: Bloomingdales / West Elm
OFFICE
• Bookcases: IKEA (stacked and bolted)
• Desk: West Elm
• Baskets: West Elm
• Frames: West Elm (photos are mine)
• School Chair: Yesterday’s News (Brooklyn)
• Wine Rack (empty under bench): OXO
• Bike Wall Mount: Cycloc (the most amazing, space saving invention)
Thanks, Sarah!
Images: Sarah
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