playhouse's Profile

Yes! I love it! I love that it all looks old and worn, which adds a bit of warmth, but the lines are clean and modern. I'll take two of everything please.

Bitdot: Move to Austin :) It's the loveliest place on earth, brimming with creativity. You will never want to leave.

Ken, that last idea sounds terrific. People hate to read long emails, especially when they're getting flooded with multiples. But I'm sure you have a lot that you want to get across. Make it interactive... awesome.

Oohhh... One more thing... As far as a portfolio goes, your own space is the best place to start. Take come pics of your own space and then shop them around. You're looking for a training position, so no one should expect a strong portfolio. At most they will want to get a feel for your style and eye for design.

If you still want to add to your portfolio, talk a friend who needs help into giving you carte blanche and go to town on their unit. It will help you stretch your legs creatively and add to your portfolio.

Talby hit it right on. Follow her advice and you'll do just fine. I love the old building your unit is in (or at least it looks that way from the pics) along with all of the details that reflect it's time period, like the parquet floors. There are certain details though that I find helpful to replace when trying to make a rented space reflect your personality, that's lighting and window treatments, sometimes even cabinet hardware. They're easy fixes but they go a long way in adding personality to your space. Making those changes can be tricky depending on your lease and your landlord, but I've always been able to get away with it. I just make sure to return everything back to the state it was in when I originally rented the unit before I give notice/vacate.

One other note: 15K can go pretty fast but you should easily be able to accomplish your goals for the space (if they're reasonable) within that budget or less. Not sure how you feel about modern design, but you're space seems to be calling out for it. I love using clean, modern pieces (not cold 90's modern, but colorful, now, modern) in older units. You'll need to pair down the clutter to make it work and really put some effort into space saving organization, but I love the look and think it might work well. Blu Dot and Ligne Roset usually show some good examples of that in their advertising/marketing. Also check out remodelista.com for further examples of that look. Of course, AT always does a great job of showing smartly designed spaces of all shapes, sizes, and personalities to fit the modern world... So do your homework.

Good Luck!