Name: Wendy
Location: Hell's Kitchen — NYC
My apartment is a 350 square feet studio apartment located in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. I recently moved in back in February of 2010, so I've been living here about 4 months. I think it would make an great Apartment Therapy House tour because of the limited space as a studio. As most New Yorkers live in small spaces, I think it serves as a great example of how even a small shoebox of a studio can carry a sense of style without being cluttered beyond belief or bare walled and empty.
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My Style: My style has evolved apartment to apartment…and trust me, I've been through quite a few in my 3 years in New York City. I would say right now it's a mixture of romance and country cottage — clean, simple and inviting.
Inspiration: My last few apartments have been very loud and bold (read: bright orange and green walls with zebra rugs etc) so I really wanted to create a "getaway" in a sense for my new apartment. I was very fortunate in finding a Manhattan apartment that actually faces the inside of a garden courtyard instead of the loud bustling streets. I wake up to sunshine filtering in through the trees which casts a lovely light into my apartment in the early morning. Not to mention, the birds (not pigeons) are always chirping. In that regard, I wanted to mirror that same sense of calmness and escape that my surroundings offered me.
Favorite Element: I'm a big fan of exposed brick. I think it brings a certain romantic yet raw edge to any apartment, so I was very pleased when I found this studio. Right now my exposed brick wall is a collecting a series of mismatched IKEA and vintage frames of friends and my own photography. Originally I had a somewhat straight line of frames in the same size/color but decided that was a bit too boring for something as beautiful and unique as exposed brick.
Biggest Challenge: When you've got the decorating bug and live in a 350 square feet studio, you've got to be careful in that you don't over decorate to the point where things stop looking perfectly placed and start looking cluttered. Storage also becomes a challenge too as space is severely limited and often is taken up by the big ticket items such as your bed, couch, desk etc. My solution to this was to get a desk with shelves that mounted to my wall which took advantage of the vertical space available. In terms of storage, I took advantage of the space above my kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. I found that wicker baskets were perfect in terms of storage and carried more style than regular baskets. As you can tell, I'm also a big fan of wicker baskets.
What Friends Say: Most my friends think I am slightly insane for decorating to this extreme when I tend to move every year. I actually finished decorating this apartment (painting, assembling furniture, hanging up pictures, unpacking etc) all in one weekend. The few friends who have actually seen my apartment in person have actually asked me to come evaluate their apartments, so I'll take my insanity as a compliment.
Biggest Embarrassment: My bathroom. It's tiled black and pink. As hard as I've tried, I just can't get it to vibe with the rest of my apartment. For now, I just keep it clean and try to ignore it.
Proudest DIY: Bringing my apartment together in one weekend. I moved in on a Saturday morning to a blank canvas and by Sunday evening, it pretty much looked the way it does in the pictures. I'm very type A when it comes to finishing a project like home decorating. I really can't stop until it's done!
Biggest Indulgence: I am pretty thrifty as most of my home accents are furnished by IKEA, Craigslist, and random vintage shops along the way. That being said, my biggest indulgences are things found in vintage shops that have character. It could be $3 or $300. My latest purchase was a porcelain rose vase for $3.
Best advice: Treat your home like your dream mate. Make it into what you would like to come home to after a long day and what you would like to wake up to in the mornings. Both should bring a smile to your face immediately. That's exactly how I feel.
Dream source: I love anything vintage and old. There's a great shop in the East Village called "The Upper Rust" that I love and would love to outfit my entire apartment in all their unique pieces, however, I'm limited by space so that will have to hold off until I can upgrade to at least a one bedroom.
Thanks Wendy!
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Love the blue color on the walls. And a fireplace is always a favorite focal point for me.
Great wood floors! Where did you get the wall mounted plate rack (if that's what it is) over your kitchen sink?
It's from Ikea -- I have one, too.
I'm moving into a slightly bigger studio and am struggling on selecting the bed size. Yours fits nicely. Is yours a full?
Sooooo cute!
Absolutely adorable. So bright and cheerful and airy. Not usually a fan of that blue, but it's perfect here. Also, you almost make that unfortunate couch look passable. (And I say that as a HUGE compliment, because taken by itself, that couch really is, um, not attractive.)
P.S. I wish you had a pic of your black and pink bathroom because I bet I'd love it. Try painting the walls in chalkboard paint and hanging lots of funky old flea market paintings in vintage frames.
very nice. very well done and homey but elegant.
my three suggestions, as someone who has lived in many a shoebox studio: 1. paint the ceiling blue to make it feel more cohesive ( go 50% lighter so that it doesn't get too overwhelming) 2. move that center picture frame (vertical, metallic frame) down a few inches to make the arrangement more asymmetrical and to eliminate that "trapped white space" in the center 3. switch out that lamp for something that will add to the charm of the brick! i think a chandelier (especially vintage) would look amazing if hung low near the edge of the couch (where the current lamp is). you can find an old chandelier and wire it to plug in really easily with tutorials online, but here are some other floor lamp options that I think could also work (keeping in mind your budget):
http://www.target.com/Pharmacy-Floor-Lamp-Rubbed-Bronze/dp/B002DRDF8W/ref=huc_ic_1_pn
http://www.target.com/Adjustable-Floor-Lamp/dp/B0012M4NU8/ref=huc_ic_2_pn
What size is your iMac? I just ordered one and I've been trying to figure out a way to organize my workspace. I really like what you've done.
I really, really like the lattice behind the desk. Nice touch!
Your studio apartment belongs in Small Cool. Don't move again until next year's contest! And the white ceiling looks great with your white curtains, bedding, cabinets and lattice, etc.
One weekend? Did you have a crew with you??
Very nice use of space. Seems larger than it is.
Where did you get that couch? I love it!
That is a fantastic blue a shade that really looks great with your gold and light wood accents and the brick.
Farrow & Ball has a paint color called Chinese Blue that is very similar to what you used, its a much more sophisticated
then most blues and have been wanting to use it some how some where.
LOVE!
LOVE your apartment, but not the sofa. You need one with skinny arms, or no arms, and with legs so you can see more floor.
Wendy,
I'd love to know who makes that shade of blue, what size iMac you have, and where you got the vertical shelves. You did a beautiful and inspiring job. Many thanks
Really nice! I have a similar blue in my California bungalow. It is Restoration Hardware's "Atmosphere Blue." I painted a large, very sunny room this color, and was worried it would be too gray/uber blue, etc. But, it is perfect. Stunning, both day and night. Someone told me years ago that you can't go wrong with Restoration Hardware colors. Not many to choose from, but you can paint a huge room, or a little one, and not realize you've made a huge mistake. This has certainly been my experience!
I admire you New Yorkers. You can really turn a small space into something that doesn't look small at all. Really cute!
Love the blue walls in the bedroom.
I also think AT should feature your apartment on House Tour. Great work!
Thanks everyone for the comments and helpful tips :) I'll try to address all the questions..
So yes, I know my couch is quite unattractive (thanks to the one person who liked it haha)...I got it on Craigslist for $30 so I guess there's the reason behind the purchase...it was cheap!
My iMac is the standard 21.5 inch one for $1200. I don't see why anyone would need anything bigger. It doubles as my TV.
Yes my bed is a full size. I always bang into it when I'm not paying attention.
The color I used was Behr Monaco Blue. Not sure if the pictures captured the color as well as in person, but it's a very light airy blue....reminds me of vacation!
The desk/shelves are from the Container Store (Elfa - Office in a Closet or something). It's amazing and was only $150.
I moved in one weekend and had a friend helping me :) she's a great friend.
I do have pictures of my bathroom and other parts of my studio, but could only submit 5. Happy to forward along to anyone interested!
Thanks for sharing the blue color that you used. It works so well with the red of the exposed brick.
Very lovely! I actually like the couch, it looks comfy, funky and unique - and I'm usually not a fan of leather couches. Also, the blue and lemony yellows are always a cheerful combination - takes it to its logical conclusion to simply paint the walls with the bright, light and cheery. (Hey, it's sun and sky for you, brought indoors - and don't we always crave the natural?) Lastly - wicker baskets, yes! May I ask where you've found them?
What a pretty paint color. I love organized studios :) Nic.
Love it! Bring on the house tour!
The light wicker baskets on my dresser and desk are from Ikea and the bigger ones on top of my kitchen cabinets are from the Container Store. They are huge and store so much!
Awesome, thanks for the info!
Very pretty!
Hi Wendi! This is a little late but I am a fellow Nyer and I was wondering how you even found your apartment lol. Bravo on everything, it is fabulous!!!
Like UWS_GIRL000 I am late to the punch as well :P
LOVE your apartment - AMAZING what you did with the space...
I recently moved into a studio which is roughly the same size and am having issues decorating/dividing living spaces because it is a complete square.
Favorite feature in my apartment is the working fireplace (rare in nyc!) which like your apartment is flanked by exposed brick. I don't have a mantel, so want to hang things on the brick wall. Did you drill into the brick to get your pictures to stay?
Thanks :)