Emmy & Andreas’ Airy Attic Abode in Providence
Name: Emmy and Andreas
Location: Providence, RI
Size: 800 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; Rented

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Andreas, a financial coaching fellow, and Emmy relocated from the windy city of Chicago to the creative capital of Providence three years ago when Emmy began her studies as an art history PhD candidate at Brown University. With intentions to pursue a career as a curator, Emmy has applied her discerning eye to their airy third-floor living space, carefully culling furniture and artwork to meet their aesthetic.
I have been a longtime acquaintance of Emmy and Andreas since being introduced to the couple through our mutual friends Linzi and Spencer, whose home was featured on Apartment Therapy last month. When they moved to Providence, Emmy and Andreas started with a bright, blank canvas. Despite the odd roof angles of their once-attic apartment, the sun drenches each room, pouring in from the slanted windows and opening up what could otherwise feel claustrophobic. While the slanted walls limit the amount of artwork that can be hung, the couple is wholeheartedly involved in the arts, both as supporters of local creatives and in their own passion for photography.
Emmy and Andreas have honed in on a cozy modern style. Their advice is to “support local artists by shopping at arts and crafts fairs! We are lucky here in Providence because RISD has one every fall and spring. We also try to invest in good quality things, less often. That said, with our current budget being pretty small, we still turn to Ikea to get some big items like our sofa.” The couple carefully edits their apartment, showcasing modern Craigslist scores, inexpensive Ikea furniture, and splurge-worthy organic textiles, creating a space that feels both personal and attainable.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Cozy modern.
Inspiration: Design blogs and magazines, travel.
Favorite Element: The floor — we love its character. The loft is also pretty neat, since it dramatically increases our storage space. (The loft isn’t high enough to stand in, and the floor up there is made of plywood, which is why we haven’t turned it into an extra living space).
Biggest Challenge: The sloped walls, which prevents us from hanging much art! We still hit our heads once in a while.
What Friends Say: It’s inviting and has great light.
Biggest Embarrassment: Dust! The skylights are great for natural light, but if we leave them open, a lot of dust and pollen gets in, especially on windy days. We also used to kind of dislike our funky bedroom wallpaper, but have recently tried to embrace its tropical theme.
Proudest DIY: Improvements we have made to our kitchen – Andreas has installed extra lighting over the oven and counter, which comes in handy while cooking, and Emmy made the curtains out of some mattress ticking fabric.
Biggest Indulgence: Our Coyuchi linens in the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen – Emmy was fortunate enough to win a giveaway contest by Coyuchi earlier this year, and we’ve been hooked on their organic home textiles ever since.
Best Advice: Support local artists by shopping at arts and crafts fairs! We are lucky here in Providence because RISD has one every fall and spring. We also try to invest in good quality things, less often. That said, with our current budget being pretty small, we still turn to Ikea to get some big items like our sofa.
Dream Sources: Art fairs, Design Within Reach, Thos. Moser furniture from Maine, rugs from ABC Carpet in New York
Resources
LIVING ROOM
- Photographs: by Emmy’s father, whose Wisconsin-based photography business is called Two Hawks Studio
- Entry rug: Crate & Barrel
- Sofa: Ikea
- Rug: Ikea
- Coffee table: made of reclaimed wood and galvanized pipe by Whitney Gaylord in Chicago
- Woven basket: Target
- Blue blanket: Coyuchi– Andreas gave this blanket to Emmy as a Christmas present last year when she’d had her eye on it for a long time.
- Door County pillow: Cat Studio– Door County is the peninsula in Wisconsin that extends out into Lake Michigan. Emmy grew up traveling there often, and she and Andreas are looking forward to visiting her parents when they retire there in several years. It is sometimes described as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest” and is famous for its cherry orchards.
- Dart board: Craigslist- Andreas and his friends enjoy playing darts when they come to visit.
- Gray swivel chair: Crate & Barrel floor sample sale
- Blue Thonet chair: Craigslist- this is definitely our favorite Craigslist find!
- White floor lamp: Ikea
- Striped pillow: Crate & Barrel
- Pillow with button: Pottery Barn
- Candle: K Colette in Portland, Maine
- Buddha Board (for painting with water): Blue Dolphin, Door County, WI
- Orange ceramic dish with birds: Animalia Pottery, bought at the 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park, Chicago when we still lived there during college
- Toast-shaped coasters: MoMA Design Store, New York
OFFICE
- Desk: Ikea
- Wooden file boxes: Ikea
- All bookshelves: Ikea
- White chair: left in the apartment by previous tenant
- Blue flower pot: Anthropologie
- Ceramic ice cream cone: ceramicist Chryssa Udvardy, from the RISD Alumni Art Sale
- Tan chair: Craigslist
- Navy linen pillow: Pottery Barn
- Red blanket: Sundance Catalog
- Wooden folk art plates: from Lithuania, used to belong to Emmy’s grandmother
KITCHEN
- Table and chairs: Craigslist
- Placemats: Coyuchi
- Blue towels: Crate & Barrel
- Yosemite Curry Village print: The couple bought this as a souvenir of their visit to the National Park this summer.
- Fruit picture: DIY tribute to Enzo Mari’s 1963 silkscreen La Mela e La Pera — Emmy loves Mari’s graphic prints but we could not afford to buy an authentic one to enjoy in our kitchen, so she tried to replicate it using India ink.
BATHROOM
- Shower curtain: Matouk factory outlet store in Fall River, MA
- White and blue Turkish towels: Coyuchi
- Rugs: Target
- Blue shelving unit: Ikea
- Roy Lichtenstein reproduction print: The Art Institute of Chicago gift shop
- Handwoven basket with lid from West Africa: the Providence flea — we like going to the flea on Sundays in summer to see what kinds of treasures are there to be found.
BEDROOM
- White coverlet and shams: Coyuchi
- Zigzag pillow: Coyuchi
- Green quilt: Crate & Barrel
- Oval wooden side table: hand-me-down from a college friend
- Nightstand: Target
- Birch dresser: Ikea
- Carved wooden mushroom: from Lithuania, used to belong to Emmy’s grandmother
- Bamboo plant: Ikea
- Hamper: Ikea
- Lamp base: Target
- Jute rug: The Company Store
- Dark dresser: left in the apartment by previous tenant
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