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March 07, 2005
Winners Never Quit.
We loved the place from the start -- tons of palms and yuccas in the courtyard, crazy married resident managers, 50s bright blue tile and checkerboard flooring in the kitchen... And lots of white walls and no furniture.
This is actually my second apartment (had one in college), but the first one I could paint and really make into a home. And since I'm a nest-er to the nth degree, the idea of a paintbrush and some red paint was heaven.
We painted all the walls in Classic Taupe by Behr -- except for one accent wall in the dining area, which got covered in California Poppy. Rrrred. That alone warmed the place up completely and made us feel like grown-ups.
The furniture was from the old apartment -- with a couple exceptions. We got a floorlamp from Ikea, but thought it was a little too sleek for the retro/vintage theme we had going on. Solution? Some $4 trim from Michael's and some Elmer's glue. I glued it in vertical stripes around each section of the lamp and instantly it went from something cold and mass-produced into something unique and fun to look at.
I repeated it again with our chandelier -- three cheap lampshades and some more trim made a nice echo in the dining area.
My coffee tables were from Pier One Clearance -- and they looked kinda cheap. I got some gorgeous silk (on clearance, $2 a yard!!!) from JoAnn's Fabrics and just draped it over each. Instantly added some texture and an interesting accent to the mostly-solid fabrics in the rest of the room.
Took your suggestion re: the torchiere lighting! An $8 shade from Target COMPLETELY changed the look of an otherwise yucky lamp. Very grateful to you for that one.
One of the walls was a real problem. It's huge. And tall. And wide. And . . . huge. And we didn't have much to cover it. And even less to spend on frames. Michael's to the rescue. I'd had a box of 6 pin-up prints that I'd received as a Christmas present. I bought some red duct tape and some 39-cents-a-sheet white posterboard, taped the prints down on it, cut them out, and voila. Looks as though there's red matting around each print. And $3 for duct tape for 6 prints is cheaper than any frame I could dream up.
Bordering these prints are some poems I found at Dutton's Brentwood Books on the 99-cent shelf. "Bad Boy Poems." They're hilarious. I took some of my favorites, tore them out, drew cartoon illustrations on them with a black Sharpie, and stuck them in $2 frames I found on sale at Michael's. Dirt cheap and really fun. I love looking at them.
I'd also found a couple of really gorgeous silver frames on sale for $5 each (complete with REAL glass) at Michael's. (Starting to sound like an ad for them, I know.) Took some funny postcards my mom had picked up at a book stall along the Seine when my parents were in Paris last year, stuck them in the frames -- instant character.
And just as a last little thought -- though I haven't taken pictures of it yet -- in my bedroom, I've actually wound up hanging *fabric* shower curtains from Target over my windows instead of drapes. Cheaper, rrrrrrrreally cute, fun pattern, easy to hang.
Anyway, there you have it. All done on a shoestring budget within a 4-month timeframe, but it comes together to create a living space that I'm really proud of. Thanks for reading!!
-Andrea H.
Los Angeles, CA
Grand Prize Winner of the first ever Apartmentalist Impress Me Contest
Thanks to all who submitted, you really blew me away! Andrea's aesthetic isn't all that much like my own, but she stayed 100% true to the spirit of Apartmentalist: brave, stylish ingenuity on a super modest budget. Congratulations and good work, Andrea! You will receive your book soon!
Posted by Lara at March 7, 2005 01:34 AM
Comments
LAndrea,
You are a huge nerd. But this is why I love you.
-Pete-
Posted by: The Pete at March 7, 2005 12:36 PM
Andi, yet another reason why you rock my world. Want to help me decorate my apartment?
Posted by: Ashley at March 7, 2005 12:59 PM
very nice work, hi-may.
Posted by: Mike at March 7, 2005 03:00 PM
I'm impressed! Very cool contest... would love to see some of the other submissions Lara. This is all inspirinng. :-)
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