HOW I MADE MY 100 SQUARE FOOT BOSTON APARTMENT BEDROOM ACTUALLY WORK
Living in Boston, in the North End especially, doesn't leave you much room to work with. Moving in, I didn't even have a closet in my bedroom! I walked into a a room with white VCT flooring, white paneling, and a whole lot of potential. My room has two windows, so it gets decent light during the day.
Switching out the flooring
First thing was first, I contacted a rep, got some new wood look LVT flooring, and had it sent on over. I spent a Saturday afternoon installing the click floor, and it made a huge difference! The white VCT flooring was cold, broken, and dirty. Having this new LVT flooring made the room feel much warmer, cleaner and just authentically nicer.
White furniture
I purchased my bedroom furniture for my first studio apartment when I was living in Delaware. I unpacked all my things and then headed up Ikea to buy a bed and some storage boxes I use as nightstands and storage for my folded clothes. The white just makes the room feel light and airy. I love the look of white furniture because its going to match and go with any room that you put it in. With the clean lines, it gives the room a modern look, too. I'm pretty sure that after the four moves, these pieces are on their last leg though!
As you guys have seen, Mike being the most amazing person that he is, made me an Art-Deco inspired armoire. I have a slight (usually that loosely haha) obsession with Art-Deco and showed him something that I wanted. He seriously is the best builder. He takes everything into consideration, and it looks exactly how I wanted it to. It's funny, because I'll have this idea for something and how I want it, but then he uses his engineering skills and just makes it even better.
Texture on texture
So, I have a thing for throw pillows and blankets guys. But for good reason! One, have you been in Boston?! ITS FREEZING. So, well, yeah I need a lot of blankets. But also, they add an extra layer of texture and dimension to the space. I have a ruffled grey comforter along with two different throw blankets. Also plants, could you ever have enough? Being a WELL AP, I love bringing the outdoors inside and really honing in on making these places we live healthy.
Storage
I mentioned before that I didn't have a closet, right? Thank goodness Mike is a saint and offered to make me this amazing armoire. I just couldn't find what I was looking for. Either things were too big, too small, didn't have enough space, or just didn't work with what I need to store. He said he would build whatever I designed. Um, so obviously I took this to heart and dreamed up my ultimate armoire. I'm a big fan of the Art Deco style, and I wanted to incorporate some of that into my space. The final touches were some Anthropologie door knobs to bring in some brass.
The most recent addition to my room is the dresser he just made. I designed this a little different in a Mid-Century Modern style. The biggest thing I wanted was something that was bar height, so that I could take all my samples and have a working surface to use. I wanted something that could flip up and be used as a table top, but me being difficult, I didn't want to see the hinges in the front (sorry not sorry). So Mike used sliding gliders and it came out even better than I thought!
Accessorizing
I have a lot of stuff. And before all of my moves, I used to have even more stuff. I've said I've become a "minimalist" but I don't think that keeping shirts you haven't worn in years just because you're scared to toss it cause that one day that you have the perfect outfit for it, makes you one! I added some personalization to the space, by displaying my vinyl's, candles, some photos, and plants.
Cheers!
-Hannah