karenajane's Profile

I love this so hard. I want to see more. No. I want to move in. This is one of the best house tours I have ever seen on Apartment Therapy. This is the perfect blend of old and new, rustic and chic. Beautiful!

You should start a blog teaching other 20-somethings how to do this. Too often, people go into debt trying to have everything showroom-perfect (ie: boring)....or they don't do ANYTHING because they don't think they can afford to do anything nice. This is a perfect young couple's apartment! Personal, approachable, and chic!

BETWEENBARS: I think this is one of those rooms that could cost a lot -- or a little, if you DIY a bunch of the accessories and/or look for cheaper knock-offs. The overall design is definitely easy enough to replicate - and I think that is what makes it fun! You can personalize it while still staying true to the simple aesthetic. FWIW, I have seen similar rugs from the "home decorators" catalog. We have one in our house that was only $39, I think. TJMaxx, IKEA, HomeGoods, Overstock, and Target would be good sources for a lot of the basics. Books are colorful. Vintage storybooks also have awesome artwork that you can frame with simple white frames and mats. Sock monsters are really easy to make (my daughter makes them all the time) and could be fun accessories. Thrift stores have GREAT quirky figurines, etc. I love this look, but it doesn't have to be intimidating! :)

Absolutely gorgeous. A perfect transformation!

This looks great in this space! Creative, thrifty, eco-friendly and functional.

@Bonete: This is not a unique item. These particular trunks are a dime a dozen. I see one at our local thrift store every week. And if making something "monotonously urban" keeps someone from tossing something into a landfill, keeps it in use, prevents someone from going to Office Max and buying a craptastic plastic filing cabinet....AND makes the person happy -- what is the problem? Not everyone wants to live in an Applebee's.

Incredibly tasteful, artfully arranged and polished...without looking like a lifeless showroom. Nicely done! Ditto on the bookcase, ifmyheart. I had the same reaction!

Ahhhhh. When can I pick up the keys and move in? Really, really nice design. I enjoyed the writing, but the photography didn't do this home justic. Get lower (or higher), try different angles, stage the photo with something in the foreground...study magazines. A wide-angle lens might helps...like a 17-40. And a tripod so you can expose a bit longer and fill the rooms with light. Just some suggestions!

ArtsyGirl -- I agree. I am actually surprised that you are the first person to mention this. There are a ton of cute, unexpected details, but I think a major purge would allow all of those details to come to life.

A tiny space needs lighter, airier objects -- there seems to be a heavy emphasis on boxy, square, heavy things...and way too many of them.

The IKEA shelving system could work if you found a more cohesive way to unify all of the stuff on it -- either with color or pattern or something. And maybe a white pickled stain would give the whole unit a lighter feel.

I don't think the framed advertisements work behind the sofa. I think one large piece of artwork (a framed charcoal print or an abstract photo on canvas) would be so much better there. Maybe the large mirror from the bedroom? That would tie in the white in the room. It's a great mirror would work well with the chair and the pillows.

I love the rug...and I love the chair...but don't care for them together. I also think the rug is too small for that room. And the brown pillow detracts from the chair. The chair is so cute -- let it be!

As for a closet, I would search high and low for an antique armoire. Or purge some clothes and just keep everything in dressers.

Way too many photos on the dresser, in my opinion. If you put the white mirror behind the couch, you could get some matching black frames (in one size, ie: 11x14) with large, white, museum-style mats cut for each photo and create a gallery wall...which would fit the huge space above the dresser.

The area to the left of the bed feels off-balance to me...and not in an artsy way. It just feels lopsided. The trunk is crammed into the corner and overloaded with stuff. The picture shelves seem like an afterthought. I think I would narrow it down to just the trunk, the lamp on the right, the adorable clock. I would eliminate the nightstand, etc. on the right. You could take two of the framed advertisements and place them on either side of the bed...which would give the space some balance without being too matchy-matchy.

The picture shelves could replace the tall skinny mirror above the table in the living room...but with less stuff on them.

The lunch menu signs are adorable and they create a great vignette...but the beachy knick-knacks take away from them. I would take everything else off of the little stand and just put two small framed photos and a lamp there. Preferably a lamp in a bold color. Maybe the green lamp from the bedroom? Or an odd assortment of candlesticks? Something tall that won't interfere with the signs...but will lead your eye up.

I know you are going for flea-market-festive...but I think you need more symmetry, balance and air to make this work. I think tension is wonderful...unless it leads to chaos...and it is very difficult to achieve tension (without chaos) in a small space, imo.

Love the sofa with the lamp and the artwork, but I would keep only the two large prints and eliminate the others.

Lose the coffee table (or replace it with something more contemporary, less garage sale-y). Put something tall and airy on the new coffee table (like an elegant, clear vase with some kind of yellow or green blossoming tree branches). This will balance the tall artwork.

Lose the phone on the end table. Lose the red, white and blue books on the end table and find some with more neutral spines...or a simple, small bowl of some kind.

I would almost guarantee that decluttering this room a little will give the sofa more impact without looking so busy.