Model Apartment: Before + After

Last week, I headed out to Denver, Colorado for a quick trip to visit this project which I've been working on for several months.  I met with the landscaper, who is almost finished with the exterior improvements, but the bulk of my time was spent remodeling the model apartment (!!!) as well as having it professionally photographed.  All of it was exhausting, but great, great fun!

There couldn't be a better time for me to share the before and after pictures of the unit. It is, after all, Halloween, and this apartment was *scary*. 

AHHHH!!!

NOOOOOO!!! 

GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

Eeeeeck!!

It looked to me like someone had ransacked the clearance rack of Bed Bath and Beyond, c. 1999.  Not that I have anything against BB+B (or ransacking clearance racks), I actually purchased all the bed linens there for the unit. But really - there were votives and opalescent glassware everywhere!

First thing I did was clear out all the junk. All the ticky-tacky knickknacks were hauled out.  Because I had a tight budget on this, I had to keep most of the furniture - I didn't think the couch and chair, or bedroom furniture, were that bad. But I did remove and replace the coffee table, bookcase, dining table + chairs.  The shopping was fast and furious - it's a mode I love to operate in - long hours on an empty stomach, running on nothing but coffee fumes.  It brought me back to memories of art school finals and trade show set-ups.  I secretly love operating under that level of stress.

I brightened up the couch with new pillows which made a huge difference without having to buy a whole new piece of furniture.  A textured jute rug from Cost Plus added more interest against the wood floors.  I love the magnolia picture above the couch - the colors tie in perfectly with the upholstery - and the best part is, I bought it on clearance at BB+B for $59! ;)

I had fun at Crate + Barrel (one of my favorite stores) buying some items to give the kitchen a feel like "friends are coming to dinner".  The dog bowls on the floor are a reminder to prospective tenants that this is a dog friendly community.

I had originally had my eye on this bedding but when I showed up at West Elm to purchase it, they were closed for some emergency. I ended up having to buy the above set from BB+B for quite a bit more, but in the end, I still love the look. The bulls eye throw pillows are from West Elm and the white picture frames were on sale at Pottery Barn. I just filled them with some b+w printouts of farm animals that I'd shot recently ("cheap-chirp-cheap").

These apartments are all in the process of being remodeled for the first time in thirty years.  The new cabinets and flooring make a huge difference and add to the 'agrarian chic' vibe that we are going for in the community areas as well (clubhouse, fitness center, leasing office).  Construction starts soon in those areas and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. In my mind, you can't go wrong when you have spec'd corrugated metal ceilings, barn doors and farmhouse furnishings!

This day last year: "Fig and Vanilla Bean Jam" - Sing it!

Comments

[Kelly Tirman]

Beautiful job. I seriously need someone like you to come to my house and wave your magic wand over it.

[Cassandra]

Really Nice!!! Sooooo much better. Now can you come over and help me with my bedroom and office please?

[Julia Skvaril]

Lovely! Remodeling is so much fun!

[Joachim Wang]

A wonderful transformation. It's always wonderful to add a bit of spice and color to a home... it's like rearranging a bunch of wiring to let happy energy flow more freely, which in turn makes the living space so much better and inviting.

[Derby Office To let]

Excellent work! The place looks so wonderfully different after you did your magic. I'm also one of those people who doesn't like a "too generic" look for the house. It has to be interesting.