This 625-Square-Foot Rental Is “Pastel Mid-Century Modern Meets Marie Antoinette”
After nearly 10 years of living in studio apartments — and five moves in just over a year after returning to Chicago — finding a 625-square-foot one-bedroom in Ravenswood felt like a breath of fresh air.
“As an extroverted introvert who’s also a homebody (hello, Cancer sun!), I thrive when I have a place to put down roots and create a home,” writes Michelle Shea Walker of the 1929-era rental filled with the kind of layout, light, and extra space she had been craving. A bonus? Ugly gray linoleum in the kitchen had been stripped out and the original wood floors were restored before she moved in.
The walls were a different story. Because she’s not allowed to paint, Michelle has instead renamed the apartment’s beige walls “’90s rom-com yellow.” She’s worked around the rom-com yellow walls and added in color, and her own style, which she calls “Pastel Mid-Century Modern Meets Marie Antoinette” with a little bit of “Sexy Cat Lady Chic.”
A former burlesque performer who now uses tarot and astrology to coach clients, Michelle filled the apartment with color, magical elements, flirty details, and some ’90s nostalgia, too. “If I could transform my space into the Practical Magic Victorian or Catwoman’s pink apartment, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Michelle writes.
She shares the home with her two cats, Harley and Bane, whose occasional inclination towards destruction has only added to the home’s decor charm. “Anything the cats destroy gets covered with elaborately embroidered patches or pink bullion fringe,” she says.
The result is a rental that proves you don’t need paint on the walls to make a place feel wildly personal — just a strong point of view, a sense of humor, and maybe a little fringe.
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- Sofa — Room & Board which I scored on FB Marketplace for $150
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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