A Couple Shares a Sharp Apartment in an Old Colonial House
Name: Diecelis, Art and their dog Meatloaf
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
The basics: 4.5 months, rented — 975 square feet
Diecelis and Art met while living in two different cities, New York and D.C., and after a quick stint in D.C. decided to build a new home together in Providence. Their apartment is largely black, white and gray but still feels cozy and interesting.
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I currently live with my boyfriend Art and our dog Meatloaf in a two bedroom apartment located in a two level colonial house in Providence, Rhode Island. I am an immigration attorney by day and an interior design junkie and thrifter in my free time. As a result, our home is full of flea market and vintage store finds, mixed with new items from stores like West Elm. Art works in IT as a government contractor and loves to play soccer and read in his spare time. Hence, there are a ton of books around the entire apartment. Meatloaf is an American Bulldog and Stafford-shire mix who spends his lazy days sleeping, snoring, or eating.
We moved to Providence about four months ago for a change of pace and to be closer to family. Art and I were both raised in Rhode Island, but did not know each other until our mutual friends set us up two and a half years ago. I was living in Brooklyn at the time and Art was living in Washington D.C. with Meatloaf when we met. We carried on a long-distance relationship for some time, but then decided it was time for us to live together in D.C. Although I loved BK (lived there for 10 years and miss it a ton), I ended up relocating to D.C. for a few months in 2016, and shortly thereafter, Art got a job offer near Rhode Island. We then decided to give Providence a try.
What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room in the apartment is the open-concept living/dining room because the space gets a lot of sunlight. The room has a fireplace and the furniture pieces in the room are a collection of my items from BK and Art’s from DC. We are fortunate that we have pretty much the same taste in home décor and furniture.
If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? There are a few things I would do to the apartment if I could. First, I would get rid of the cottage white paint on the walls and the dark grayish trim and paint the walls the same color I had in BK (Bunny Gray from Benjamin Moore) with white trim, or paint all the walls white with white trim. I would also install real marble counter-tops in the kitchen. We did do a quick DIY project on the existing counter-tops when we first moved in because they were an awful mustard color. The last thing I would do is refinish the hardwood floors throughout the house. They have taken a serious beating over the years.
Which fictional character would be most at home in your place? Peggy Olson from Mad Men.
Diecelis’s words of wisdom: My advice for creating a home you love is to only add furniture and home decor pieces to your home that create a cozy, welcoming space.
Thanks, Diecelis !
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