tracipants's Profile

We have one in the kitchen that we put our microwave on, and store our serving dishes in the middle, and our pots an pans at the bottom. It creates more "cabinet" space in our wee kitchen.

I also agree with Home Body - some curtains would act as a nice backdrop to your cream couch. I wouldn't go too heavy or dark with the material, though.

In my last apartment, our couch was in front of a set of three windows and it was the perfect and only fit. It was nice and inviting looking.

I also agree about moving or getting rid of that black bulky shelf... it doesn't seem to fit in that area and is breaking up the flow of the room in a bad way.

I think a light gray with some pink/blue undertones.

I agree with most other comments. The white and black seems to keep to the period and seem timeless. If you are truly daring, I would paint the door a very bright color, and add in some lush landscaping to match.

If it were my house, I would keep the white/black and paint the door a very bright hot pink, and add in pink flowers around the exterior. My husband would come around...

It kind of looks like a Michael's craft store project.... no offense! Sometimes there is room for stuff like this... I guess? Maybe in the right context... like adding color/green to the side of a brick building?

When my husband got into Berkeley, I started scoping the East Bay for apartments. I found one - during the day - that was GORGEOUS in Oakland. Huge layout, every room was bigger than any apartment I had lived in. Hardwood floors, very high ceilings, etc. The warning should have been the liquor store across the street, and the shady motels behind our sweet Victorian.

UGH. It has been a nightmare, esp. at night. Crack dealers, crack whores, addicts everywhere. I can't leave at night to walk our dog. Granted, I have found that the neighborhood has gotten worse throughout the year with the recession.

But a nighttime visit would have been useful (I was apartment hunting from Los Angeles...)

Ok, I am still new to Apartment Therapy. I recognize the paintings because one of them is the icon used for Apartment Therapy's site. Is it a specific doodle from somewhere important?

I love the gnome themed patio. How cool that you have that space and have really made it homey (gnomey!) Also, I checked out the Gnome Home blog, cute!

This looks great! Nice job, and it probably didn't break the bank, either. Smart choices nice restraint!

I really like the inspiration pics. With any small space, lighter colors and minimal lines can make it appear much larger. If you are painting the walls, I would go for the lightest hue of the yellow or blue possible. You could even go with a warm gray and it would match your theme well.

From your pic, it looks like you would have to paint your ceiling as well.

We are also in the process of moving and going through this same downsizing process. We recently got rid of a bunch of clutter, and are selling our bulkier pieces. It's nice to start over in a new place, even if it is smaller.