Hilary’s Fun Boston Studio
Name: Hilary
Location: Back Bay/South End — Boston, Massachusetts
My couch, purchased from Zonal Furniture (R.I.P.) in Hayes Valley in San Francisco, California is oddly my pride and joy. I mean, who wouldn’t love a couch made from sustainable materials, delivered by local neighborhood drivers, sold by a Canadian ex-pat from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan?
Maybe it’s become my pride and joy because it fits perfectly in my tiny rental studio apartment in Boston, where I live now. My studio, with a foyer, walk-in closet, master bedroom, living room, office and eat-in kitchen is also something I am really proud of.
Though not completely clear, I have figured out that I live and decorate by the loose philosophy that “there is ‘fun’ in function.” And I think I have accomplished that in my studio. But I don’t have a “style” per se. I appreciate color, mid-century modern design, textures, vintage/retro patterns, economical and recycled pieces. So, yeah, I’m all over the place.
The top 6 things about my “room.”
CLOSET
I move a lot and find flexibility invaluable. Dressers, bureaus, wardrobes are NOT flexible. So years ago I designed and purchased an Elfa closet from The Container Store. And it has been added to and subtracted from for every move. Making the floor to ceiling curtains to “disguise” it, with fabric from IKEA was a fun project for my Mom and me.
BIKE RACK
Blog posts about homemade bike racks pay off – seriously. Kyle Wilson’s blog post has made my hanging bike into a work of art. Sometimes I’ve forgotten to turn off my lights in the evening, and when walking home it always makes me smile to see my old-school, steel is reel bike silhouette in the window.
MICROWAVE
The elation I felt from simply repurposing leftover Elfa shelving to ‘loft’ a microwave and thus creating counter space, was probably more than the average person should feel. But it is my belief that other studio rental dwellers would feel the same.
SHELVES
My perfectly Pinterest’d shelves have paid off. Making wood shelves for my bathroom made getting ready so much easier in the morning. And flipping the ‘regular’ position of the brackets was revolutionary, and just looked cooler
OVER THE DOOR
What? You think that the space over the door is not really useable. Think again. I did. Adding a ‘pretty’ metal shelf from the Container Store over my bathroom door was a huge help for bathroom storage.
RUG
Funny, how much a colorful rug from Wayfair defined space in my ONE room. It looks like the feather’s of a male peacock in courting, courting you to take a seat in the what is so obviously the LIVING ROOM.
I live on St. Botolph St. in Boston’s Back Bay, probably the best street in the city. But, it is a sneaky location as it is the last street in what is ‘technically’ the Back Bay neighborhood. Most think it is the South End. And that confusion is my theory as to why I think I can ALWAYS find parking. Just another reason that makes me happy to come home to my cozy studio.
Thanks, Hilary!
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