Months ago, a friend of mine moved out of her current home and into a furnished studio apartment due to circumstances beyond her control. It wasn't an easy move, and her new place was really cute, but when I went to visit one night, have a glass of wine and catch up, it occurred to me that while her new home was cozy, it wasn't "her." If there is anything I have learned from my own "circumstances beyond my control" kind of moves, one needs to feel at home while picking themselves up by their bootstraps. With my kids getting older, I have a little more free time to design again and I decided that her apartment would be my very first design "project" since I became a mom.
I had a $300 budget and managed to pull it off for $390 + donated supplies I already had that were collecting dust in our garage and neglected things my friends dug out of their own places and handed off to me. I spent about 3 months researching, DIYing, shopping, Craigslisting and designing a place I thought she would feel at home in and then I called my friend Rob and asked if he would help me put it all together with a payment of alcohol and the sheer pleasure of spending the day with me. Thankfully he has a sense of humor and said "yes."
I had a $300 budget and managed to pull it off for $390 + donated supplies I already had that were collecting dust in our garage and neglected things my friends dug out of their own places and handed off to me. I spent about 3 months researching, DIYing, shopping, Craigslisting and designing a place I thought she would feel at home in and then I called my friend Rob and asked if he would help me put it all together with a payment of alcohol and the sheer pleasure of spending the day with me. Thankfully he has a sense of humor and said "yes."
It took a lot of work and re-adjusting and figuring out, but in the end it all turned out the way I wanted and most importantly my friend's comment was "I am never moving out." I couldn't ask for a better compliment.
So here it is. The before and after's. Please excuse the random crescent shadow in the middle of some of the images. The downfall to shooting with a super wide and a built in flash. You get the idea though... it doesn't look like the same apartment.
Before Front Entrance
After
Before view from just inside the entrance.
After
Before view from the kitchen
After.
She needed some separation in her space. I created a bedroom with an Ikea Hack of a 5x5 Expedit, an old school Craigslist Ikea shelf that I painted white and contact papered, and some plumbing and electrical supplies to create the curtain rods.
Before view from where the TV used to be.
After.
She can now close herself off into her bedroom for some peace and privacy. The grey curtain on the left of the picture slides to the right and the TV swivels so she can watch TV in bed as well as on the couch.
Before view from where the dining room was.
After.
I hacked the Ikea Expedit to create this TV unit. the base that the TV stands on swivels 360˚ and allows her to watch TV from both rooms.
Detail of the division of space. I love how cozy it all turned out.
As a Stay At Home Mom, you tend to forget that you can do anything more than be a mommy some days and while this project was time consuming and exhausting, it was the most rewarding thing other than being a mom that I have done for a long time. It is a brave thing to let a friend into your apartment and let them tear it apart to make it new, so I am grateful for the opportunity and I am so happy she loves it.
