Basically Every Inch of This Apartment Is an Explosion of Color and Pattern
Basically Every Inch of This Apartment Is an Explosion of Color and Pattern
When Joel and Kristin Cedar bought this 1009-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in North Portland four years ago, they spent “every day for a month working on projects before moving in,” she begins.

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“In that month, we painted the beat up bottom kitchen cabinets a delicious emerald green. We added molding and painted all the doors to bring them from a deep espresso to a warm white, which helps brighten the space. I used porch and floor paint to stencil a pattern on our chipped cement entryway floors. We also swapped out the builder grade door handles, light fixtures, and faucets.”
And that’s not even the full list of things the couple has done to this small space. The upstairs bathroom renovation was a huge project, including “tiling the floor, making a vanity, and adding beadboard paneling,” she writes.
“We taught ourselves tiling and cut the tile on our balcony. We also flipped a thrifted dresser into a vanity sink. The picture hanging above the toilet is actually a medicine cabinet that we DIYed.”
Kristin always wanted a Smeg pink fringe, but the price tag was way out of their budget. so she used rolls of vinyl wrap normally used on cars to add pink color to both the fridge and dishwasher.
And we can’t not mention all the murals added to the home that add tons of color and pattern. “I started painting murals because I couldn’t afford the wallpaper I wanted,” Kristin admits. “Once I realized that I could paint anything I wanted, I went crazy with color. Over the past few years, I’ve added murals to almost every room.”
Kristin says that most of the home’s projects were finished in the first three years that they lived in the space. “I work a full-time job and would do murals and projects on the weekends,” she describes.
“Over half of our furniture is thrifted, so I have slowly acquired the perfect pieces over the years. Maximalism takes time. Time to collect the right statement items, time to develop a vision, and time to complete the projects.” Kristin has a wallpaper collaboration with Otto Studio that’s fantastic, as well.
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- White Doors, Trim, Walls — Rodda “Artisan White CA013”
- Upstairs Bathroom Molding — Valspar “Raddichio Leaf”
- Kitchen Cabinets — Rodda “Cute Pixie 0711”
- Dresser — Valspar “Classic Coral and Blooming Coral”
- Bedroom Peach Walls — Rodda “Satin Spiced Cider”
- Bedroom Pink Walls — Rodda “Satin Temptress”
- Mural Paint — Chroma Mural Paints
ENTRY
- Cheetah Vase — DOIY Design
- Arched Table — Kaiyo
- Pink Bench — Tov
- Wavy Wallpaper — Wallpapers to Go
- Bar Prints — April Lane Art
- Bar Dresser — Thrifted
LIVING ROOM
- Sofa — Everly Quinn
- Chairs — Vintage
- Orange Rug — Walmart
- TV Stand — Thrifted
- Panther Table — Thrifted
- Zebra Wallpaper — Home Depot
- Fruit Cat Tree — Amazon
DINING ROOM
- Table — Vintage
- Chairs — Thrifted
KITCHEN
- Island — Thrifted
- Espresso Maker — Smeg
- Toaster — Smeg
- Marimekko Peel and Stick Wallpaper — Home Depot
BEDROOMS
BATHROOM
- Vanity — Thrifted
STAIRWAY
- Cheetah Wallpaper — RoomMates Decor
- Wall Planters — Amazon
- Gridwall — Amazon
- Gridwall Mounting Brackets — Amazon
Thanks Kristin!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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