A ‘Standard White Box Apartment’ Now Has Global Bohemian Glamour

published Jul 6, 2020

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Dining room with dark walls, colorful portrait, world map, wooden table, and chairs, accented by a large plant and vase. — Credit: Celeste Cole

Name: Osaze Sandra Omokaro and a large ficus named Lulu
Location: Toronto
Type of home: Condo
Size: 746 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years, renting

Credit: Celeste Cole

Painting the ceiling in the bedroom made the room feel more expansive.

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I am an interior stylist and decorator and my home was a standard white box apartment in a newly built condo when I moved in five years ago. Over time, it has evolved to its current but never final iteration.

Credit: Celeste Cole

The paper lanterns in the bathroom were decorations from an NYE party I hosted. Instead of throwing them out, I flattened them and pinned them up. They became the perfect touch of whimsy and chinoiserie to the floral wallpaper.

I was inspired by the parts of me that felt eternally true. My African heritage, my time growing up in Southeast Asia, my aesthetic that is both forward-looking but grounded in the past, my love of color and drama, my love of artisans and commitment to secondhand in just about every area of my life. I lovingly call my apartment the treasure that people’s trash built. Most of the pieces in it are vintage or secondhand contemporary making the process of decorating it akin to building a plane in mid-air.

Credit: Celeste Cole

I love clothing, especially vintage clothing, and I am constantly trying to keep my collection in check. The den turned closet doesn't help.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Modern Classic Global Bohemian Glamour

Credit: Celeste Cole

The great hall and where I spend most of my time and where my "roommates," Sade and Bitches Brew, artwork by Benny Bing, are featured prominently.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is what I deem “the great hall” aka the living room/dining room. It is the space I spend the most time in, where most of my art lives. It is where I get to gather my friends, host. Also napping on the sofa is where I get some of the best sleep of the apartment.

Credit: Celeste Cole

There's a TV in the room! Hidden behind the print on the console.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last thing I bought for my home was the set of vintage wicker baskets from a consignment store in Toronto called Elle & Eve.

Credit: Celeste Cole

My morning view

Any advice for creating a home you love? Take your time. Going slow is the secret ingredient to a home that is authentic, full of personality, and layered. Allow yourself to be surprised, get items that scare you. And continuously stay in conversation with your home.

Credit: Celeste Cole

One of my favourite pieces is the vintage black glass top coffee table. It combines the expansiveness of a mirror with the depth of black and is its own viewing experience.

Listen when it tells you it is stale, listen when it no longer fits what you are creating for yourself in your life. Changing or adding one item or element can make such a difference.

Credit: Celeste Cole

Circles are a theme in my apartment. From the screen in the living room to all over my bathroom.

This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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