A Jackson Heights Delight

Nestled on a picturesque block of Jackson Heights in Flushing, NY is this spacious 2 bedroom 1 bath coop in a sprawling post war building. Almost two years ago, when I initially stepped into this space to help Client Crafty, a former Google employee turned professional creative (read: artist, seamstress, crafter, DIYer, novelist, botany student - the list goes on!) and her equally talented boyfriend, a self-employed creative advertising mastermind, I liked it immediately. I was coming off of some super high-end projects and this was a fun new challenge. Both of the clients are into thrifting, pops of fun color, DIY projects and fun mid-century vintage pieces. 

For me, the major selling point of the apartment was the expansive entry foyer. You just don't get these anymore! It's basically the size of an average NYC living room. I love how it opens seamlessly into the large, light-filled living room (accompanied by an open yet formally separate dining room, bright kitchen and outdoor space - but I'm getting ahead of myself!). Back to the foyer. 

We decided to re-purpose the couple's media stand (right) as an entry hall piece instead, topped with an up-cycled mirror and some of the client's accessories. Paint color is Benjamin Moore "Horizon".

The best accessory here is Client Crafty's very own painting!

I found this vintage flat-weave rug on Charish.com and it just screamed Client Crafty to me! Luckily the couple agreed and purchased it right away!

A previous bedroom dresser turned hall chest, topped with art collected by the couple is the perfect storage-providing accent.

How cute are the knobs and details on this piece?

The bench was a One Kings Lane find and the floor lamp is Ikea.

Such a warm, bohemian welcome, amirite? It's not to pristine or stuffy and completely sets the tone for the rest of the apartment. So, moving right along...

The slipcovered sofa is from Room and Board, the black and white cube is One Kings Lane. The area rug is from Anthropologie. The throw pillows were from fabrics Client Crafty and I picked out at Mood, and she sewed herself! The coffee table is a second hand find from AptDeco. The table lamp was a steal from Restoration Hardware Outlet.

The leather Eames style Chair and Ottoman were a vintage find from Craigslist.

The etagere is from a thriftstore in the North Fork of Long Island, the accent chair is a Craigslist find, re-upholstered by Client Crafty with a tablecloth from Anthropologie.

Look at this adorable trim detail, done by Client Crafty!

Client Crafty also lived up to her namesake by making these herself! Yes, she made her own roman shades!

We referred to the client's blue and red persian rug as the "Rescue Rug" throughout the project. Client Crafty and her boyfriend rescued it from a dumpster and had it professionally cleaned. Like new! It acted as the basis for our blue/red color scheme in the living and dining and is the perfect intermediary between the entry and living room rugs. The leather lounge chair was another craigslist find by Client Crafty.

Sweet and Simple - the formal dining area is open to the living room. The table and chairs were vintage Craigslist finds, upholstered by Client Crafty.

Fabric was a fun find from Mood. Bottom table cloth from Anthropologie. Top cloth from Pier 1.

The chandelier (swoon!) was a One Kings Lane find.

Now, let's take a look out the window at this adorably amazing view as we venture down the hall to the Master Bedroom.

And, we're there!

I recommended layering a large sisal area rug under Client Crafty's other vintage rug finds. It helped to warm up the room and make it feel bigger while providing a neutral backdrop to have fun with splashes of color. The light fixture is a Visual Comfort flushmount found on Craigslist. The bed is from Room and Board, the nighstands are vintage finds from Chairish and the chair was a sale find from ABC Carpet and Home Warehouse. 

The brass etagere is a vintage find, along with some of the purses and accessories on display!

Warm vintage wood, greenery, fresh blooms and a bright accent rug make this corner a cozy one!

The shades were was another fun Mood fabrics find plus Client Crafty's sewing skills!

Across the room lives quite possibly the best Craigslist hack ever. Such a beautiful secondhand find. Client Crafty spent weeks refinishing this amazing storage workhouse and painted it a deep moody blue, making the brass accents really pop.

The lamps are from West Elm. Table runner and art by Client Crafty.

Such a welcoming hideaway! I'd gladly lay down and take a nice big fat nap in here anytime. I love the way the reading sconces turned out. They were my recommendation due to the beds and nightstands being on the lower side and they allow for more surface area availability on the nightstands. Plus, doesn't get any cozier than a library style lamp to curl up and read in bed with! Last but not least, can we take a minute to worship the hanging plant in the corner?

Almost time to leave. But before we do, let's take a quick peek into the couple's shared office space in the second bedroom. 

Love the pineapple pillow and the fun punchy colors. And yes, that's a little sliver of some "Where the Wild Things Are" art up in the corner.

Fun art and window treatment by, you guessed it! Client Crafty.

So there you have it. Clearly this is a couple that knows how to have fun being creative, both in home decor and life in general. They don't take themselves too seriously, buy what they like and make it work in their space! They also don't break the bank doing it. Works for me! I had so much fun being a part of this project. 

So what do you think? Should we submit it to Apartment Therapy? Or just greedily keep this one to ourselves?

~L.S.

A Boston Kitchen Revisited

If you're a loyal le petit reader, you may remember this DigiDesign Kitchen from last July. (If you don't, have no fear, you can revisit that post here.)

Well, my client was (wicked) Awesome enough to send me along some pictures of her finished kitchen, come to life! Although I wish I could take credit for every single choice in this beautiful Boston kitchen, Client Awesome had already picked out most of her finishes before we began working together.

She had beautiful inspo, like this image below:

I just helped her pull it together by specifying the paint color and finding a runner that worked well with her previous choices to help bring her inspo to life.

Below, some shots she snapped. So, Client Awesome, can we come over for dinner?

~L.S.

I love that this kitchen is classic but still has warmth, style and just a little hint of color! #KitchenGoals

The Biggest Winner

So last week I talked about losing projects (revisit that blog here), and how it's okay to be a Loser sometimes! Today I'm here to celebrate some wins. Keepin' it positive on this sunny, almost Spring day. 

I mentioned a few posts back that I recently was on-boarded with Homepolish. What I didn't mention was the comprehensive selection process that Homepolish requires you to "pass" to design with them. Each designer has to submit a hypothetical client project consisting of two rooms, complete with design concepts for both, floor plans, written answers to questions and a complete budget. 

Above is my "winning" Living Room Design, and below is the floor plan.

For the second room I chose to do a bathroom. Sort of fun, because I don't really design bathrooms much! Here is the design below:

And here is the floor plan:

Clearly this is in a house in the 'burbs somewhere or a mega million penthouse in the city. No one has a bathroom this big and luxurious! 

Last, but almost always the hardest and simultaneously most important piece of a project - the good ole B.U.D.G.E.T. For the Homepolish on-boarding project, the budget had to be under $20K total for both rooms. Sounds like a lot, but you'd be surprised - in interior design - even without using super high-end products, it adds up very quickly. $20K is actually a little tricky for two rooms, so I had to get creative with vendors.

Here it is!

The scariest part about the Designer Assessment for Homepolish (I'm a baby!) is that it has to be submitted within 48 hours of receiving the assignment. This stuff is really time consuming people! Especially the budgeting... but it all is. Putting together the boards, the plans, making sure it all works together. They want to know that you can work quickly and efficiently. I basically dropped everything for two days just to get this uploaded in the nick of time. Phew!

So, what do you think? I wish this was a real project. Maybe I'll use some of the design elements for our sure to be petite new apt in SF, that we have yet to find. 

After a nerve-wracking two days of designing, submitting, an awkward online video interview and a waiting period of way too many hours, I was happy to find out that this all paid off! And that's a win. #worthit

~L.S.