Basically Every Inch of This Apartment Is an Explosion of Color and Pattern

Written by

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
Mackenzie Schieck
Mackenzie SchieckProp Stylist
Seattle-based creative who loves making things look pretty. Stylist of interiors and props, a writer and a photographer.
published Jul 12, 2024
Color Month

Basically Every Inch of This Apartment Is an Explosion of Color and Pattern

Written by

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
Mackenzie Schieck
Mackenzie SchieckProp Stylist
Seattle-based creative who loves making things look pretty. Stylist of interiors and props, a writer and a photographer.
published Jul 12, 2024
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Bedrooms
Square feet

1009

Sq ft

1009

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.”

Biscuit  - 5 year old black cat

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.

How do you spend time in your home? I love to watch shitty reality TV in my cozy living room, paint at my kitchen table, and put together wacky thrifted outfits in my closet room.

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

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

Thanks Kristin!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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