Wednesday, August 11, 2010

rebecca's space...

A couple weeks ago, my friend Hillary and I got to decorate her sister's place.  Rebecca lives in a cute studio apartment in Bellevue.  (I've tried convincing several people to move into this building...great location, super nice staff, decent garage, sweet interiors, etc.)

We'll start with the before pictures.  Oh, and please excuse the photo quality.  I used my small camera and I haven't quite learned how to utilize it to it's fullest.

The view from inside the front door looking towards the hallway & living area.

From inside the main living space, looking towards the hallway/closet & front door.

The kitchen area...& Noah!  Did I mention that we decided to take on this project during one of the hottest days of the summer?!?!  Rebecca had a few fans, but it was beyond hot!  Needless to say, after we left, Rebecca went out and bought herself an A.C. unit...smart girl.  :)

This is the wall opposite of the bed & the kitchen.  If you can imagine walking in, this is the wall on the left side of the room.

This is the view as you enter the main living space.

Hillary was given a $200-$300 budget - I can't remember exactly how much was spent.  We met up one day and did the bulk of our shopping (Joann coupons can save you quite a bit).  Hillary also tackled a few projects before the big day (painted frames from Goodwill, created a chalkboard, had the headboard made, etc.)  Being prepared ahead of time allowed us to decorate and then shop for those items we still needed - all within the same day.

Now for the after pictures!  Again, same camera...so the picture quality isn't all that great.

I didn't really take a "before" picture of the hallway wall.  However, if you look back at the ones I posted above, you'll get an idea as to where this is.  I had 4 mirrors that were just taking up space in a closet at our place.  So, we were able to use a few of them throughout Rebecca's place.  I think the black piece pictured below is something that was already at the apartment...not sure though.  Since it matched, we used it!

As you come to the end of the short hallway, you'll see this!  I love how it all turned out!  :)  Rebecca's colors were black, white, and then a pretty blue-gray.  Noah's still looking pretty cute too.

Here's the view that you see when sitting on the bed/couch.  Hillary had all of the photos printed in black & white...good call.

Now, if you were to stand where Noah is (above) and turn around, this is what you would see.  Hillary decided that since the space has to function as a bedroom and a living room, it would make sense to create a padded headboard and then set it up like a day bed.  It's super comfy and cute too!  There were four pillows to begin with...and we found 2 more (Pier 1) to help give it even more of a plush feel.

Leslie, Hillary & Rebecca's mom, was kind enough to sew us some curtains for the room (just to the left of the bed/couch).  Unfortunately, we didn't do a great job with the measurements for her.  So, she's planning to add a contrasting fabric to the bottom of of these ones.

To the right of the bed/couch is the kitchen area.

We used another mirror above the sink and then installed a small rack (IKEA find) for some kitchen items.  This is where I should give props to Steve, Hillary's husband.  He came in and helped us with a ton of the hardward/hanging/manly stuff!

We put another mirror above the stove and this was an item that Rebecca had already...so it was free.  :)  The mirrors really helped to open up the space a bit.  It made you feel as though there were more windows in the apartment too.  Take note that we also included a few coordinating dish towels.

 I should have taken pictures of the bathroom before, but I forgot.  (To help visualize where this is at, just inside the front door, there's a bathroom to your right.)  Here's what Hillary did to change it up...I think Rebecca said this is now her favorite part of the apartment.  The sconces were something Hillary had and the small wooden wall hanging is a piece that Rebecca had.  The flowers on the wall were something we stumbled upon at Bed, Bath & Beyond - along with the little hand towel.  So simple, but so fun!

 The shower curtain was a great find at Bed, Bath & Beyond...half price!   It matches so perfectly too.

There you have it!  We had a ton of fun doing this and we joked about how HGTV would just love to have us on their network.  Ha, ha...  It was a blast getting to do this for someone else.  I think there was less pressure and that made it more fun.  Seeing Rebecca's response was the best part of the entire experience.  I should have captured that on film.  Next time...

7 comments:

Chelsea Bell said...

this is awesome...can you help me with my place?!

christy said...

Wow... Seriously fun. I want help too! ;)

J Yo said...

As an admittedly obsessed HGTV viewer, let me just say that you've done Genevieve Gorder proud... ;)

Life is Good said...

You did an absolutely incredible job, will be visiting Rebecca soon with my own pup Sophie, we'll see if the two of them can manage to retain the pristine beauty of Rebecca's new environment WOW...!!!

tiffany jeanne said...

will you come do my bedroom? pretty please?? :)

Thanks for the super fun playdate yesterday. I wish I could have chatted more with you girls, but such is life! And, my little ones had SO much fun! Extra good luck in the tri this weekend! Can't wait to hear all about it...especially how you feel after crossing that finish line! It's truly exhilirating! Keep us posted!

Unknown said...

You guys did a FABULOUS job!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.