An Apartment Full of Historical Charm, DIY Projects and Perfectly Blended Style

Name: Teri
Location: Arlington, Virginia

Our condo building was built in the 1930s and has beautiful architecture and detail. It was actually marked a historical building this year! I was very attracted to the charm throughout the whole space. The working wood fireplace wasn’t so bad either!

When re-designing our home, my inspiration was mostly my relationship. Before my boyfriend Patrick moved in, my apartment was very youthful and feminine. Before he would feel like this was his home too, the apartment needed a total makeover. We went through a whole style analysis and landed on a plan that blended our styles. He is much more modern and minimalist than I am. I like a lot of color and pattern. So finding our similarities and blending our styles into a gender-neutral and homey space that represented both of us was the fun challenge and inspiration behind this design.

The den probably turned out to be my favorite space. In a mostly white-walled home, I mixed it up with a rich navy color, while still designing with a modern, Scandanavian simplicity. My copper pipe shelves that I built with my dad also turned out really well. In the bedroom, I am in LOVE with my area rug. It is the perfect blend of texture, pattern, color and metallic shine. The raspberry ombre walls are a really fun touch, too! The living room feels so clean and airy. I painted the painting above the sofa, and it is an abstract map of our first neighborhood together.

My plants are my favorite items in my space. It’s crazy how much more fresh our home looks when we have greenery. I also loved all of the DIY and personal touches throughout our home. For instance, in the den, we were searching for just the right pieces but couldn’t find them. So, we decided to make exactly what we needed. The black and white hands in the photo are actually Patrick’s. My homemade desk and shelves are great, and my design pin board is made out of an old reclaimed door. My dining room table was one of the hardest DIY projects I have ever done. I had to sand and scrape down a thick layer of white paint off of the table and legs. Then, I painted the apron and part of the top… (a happy accident!) All of the memories of putting our first home together is what makes me love each piece. There are so many handed down goodies from our families that we pulled together into our own style.

Thanks, Teri!

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