A Colorful, Crafty Apartment with Cats and Books and Star Wars
My boyfriend and I moved to Seattle a few years ago, and were previously living in a basement apartment shared here. Last May we (Myself, my boyfriend, our cats Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and our goldfish) moved out into Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood (we still miss you, Central District!), into a 1929 apartment with giant windows and hardwood floors, which is somehow cheaper than our basement. While it's missing a few things, it's finally ready for a tour. We are thrifty, crafty, and scroungers. Everything here is second hand, and if it isn't from a thrift store or the side of the road, we made it.
The courtyard outside our building.
Our entryway with the door to the bathroom, which is not included on this tour because it is the ugliest bathroom in the world.
We painted the shelves and walls and planters and Chewie's chalkboard speech bubble (and all the walls in the apartment now that you mention it), and I found the chairs beside a dumpster and reupholstered them.
Did I mention we have iceboxes? And Star Trek art?
Rosie thinks the only reason anyone ever goes into the kitchen is to feed her.
The curtains are also homemade.
Rosie.
I know the cardboard deer have become hugely trendy, but my defense is 1. I had it first 2. We're tree hugging vegetarians looking for something hunting lodge themed to go with our Teddy Roosevelt portrait.
Gilda's tiny couch makes me laugh probably more than anything else in the apartment.
Our fish live as giants in front of the ruins of a post apocalyptic Roman Colosseum.
Shameless cat picture!
We read a lot.
A history major friend came over, looked at Eastern Europe, and immediately dated this globe for us as Post-WWI, Pre-WWII. It is very useful for locating such places as Siam, Persia, Indo China, and Anglo-Egypt.
This lamp is a DIY, made from an old radio casing. I drilled some holes, did all the wiring, and put in a dimmer. It is perfect for watching horror movies by, and hasn't started any fires. Yet.
Behind that building, we are pretty sure, is an excellent view of the space needle. We shake our fists and curse that building often.
This is the bed closet. The bed closet happened when we realized that the bed could fit in the closet, that we didn't need a walk in closet, and that if we moved the bedroom, we could have an office. Call me crazy all you want, but our apartment is under 600 sq. ft. and now it feels like a mansion. Best decision ever. Also, I (with my lovely boyfriend to hold things steady) had to build the new bed frame in the closet, because you can't build it and then fit it in. It comes apart into two stable pieces for moving, and is the safest place in the apartment in an earthquake.
And I actually think it turned out pretty nice. The herring bone pillowcases are a labor of love by me. The quilt at the bottom of the bed is a labor of love by my mother.
This chandelier was born when my bike's front wheel became too bent to ride (but still not visibly warped). I got some icicle lights and just wove them through. The whole thing weighs only a few pounds and would not hurt at all if it fell on us in an earthquake.
I painted this mural with all the left over paint from other rooms. I'm aware it is ridiculous, but our home is all about things that make us laugh.
Gilda sat on my shoulder the entire time I painted it, so she could supervise.
These chairs were also beside-a-dumpster finds. I actually had to cut all new seats for them, not just reupholster.
One of my favorite things is viewing the layers of colors through different rooms.
This is my bff, Kathleen, who happens to be a talented photographer whom I bribed over to photograph my place with promises of snacks and beer.
Also, I got a piece of glass cut to make a work surface for the middle of this vanity and turn it into a desk, but when the cats sat on it, the glass bowed slightly, so I reinforced it with book overflow and now it is very stable.
Our precious bikes.
And a floor plan.
Thanks for looking, it's a real treat to be able to share my home with you all.
The courtyard outside our building.
Our entryway with the door to the bathroom, which is not included on this tour because it is the ugliest bathroom in the world.
We painted the shelves and walls and planters and Chewie's chalkboard speech bubble (and all the walls in the apartment now that you mention it), and I found the chairs beside a dumpster and reupholstered them.
Did I mention we have iceboxes? And Star Trek art?
Rosie thinks the only reason anyone ever goes into the kitchen is to feed her.
The curtains are also homemade.
Rosie.
I know the cardboard deer have become hugely trendy, but my defense is 1. I had it first 2. We're tree hugging vegetarians looking for something hunting lodge themed to go with our Teddy Roosevelt portrait.
Gilda's tiny couch makes me laugh probably more than anything else in the apartment.
Our fish live as giants in front of the ruins of a post apocalyptic Roman Colosseum.
Shameless cat picture!
We read a lot.
A history major friend came over, looked at Eastern Europe, and immediately dated this globe for us as Post-WWI, Pre-WWII. It is very useful for locating such places as Siam, Persia, Indo China, and Anglo-Egypt.
This lamp is a DIY, made from an old radio casing. I drilled some holes, did all the wiring, and put in a dimmer. It is perfect for watching horror movies by, and hasn't started any fires. Yet.
Behind that building, we are pretty sure, is an excellent view of the space needle. We shake our fists and curse that building often.
This is the bed closet. The bed closet happened when we realized that the bed could fit in the closet, that we didn't need a walk in closet, and that if we moved the bedroom, we could have an office. Call me crazy all you want, but our apartment is under 600 sq. ft. and now it feels like a mansion. Best decision ever. Also, I (with my lovely boyfriend to hold things steady) had to build the new bed frame in the closet, because you can't build it and then fit it in. It comes apart into two stable pieces for moving, and is the safest place in the apartment in an earthquake.
And I actually think it turned out pretty nice. The herring bone pillowcases are a labor of love by me. The quilt at the bottom of the bed is a labor of love by my mother.
This chandelier was born when my bike's front wheel became too bent to ride (but still not visibly warped). I got some icicle lights and just wove them through. The whole thing weighs only a few pounds and would not hurt at all if it fell on us in an earthquake.
I painted this mural with all the left over paint from other rooms. I'm aware it is ridiculous, but our home is all about things that make us laugh.
Gilda sat on my shoulder the entire time I painted it, so she could supervise.
These chairs were also beside-a-dumpster finds. I actually had to cut all new seats for them, not just reupholster.
One of my favorite things is viewing the layers of colors through different rooms.
This is my bff, Kathleen, who happens to be a talented photographer whom I bribed over to photograph my place with promises of snacks and beer.
Also, I got a piece of glass cut to make a work surface for the middle of this vanity and turn it into a desk, but when the cats sat on it, the glass bowed slightly, so I reinforced it with book overflow and now it is very stable.
Our precious bikes.
And a floor plan.
Thanks for looking, it's a real treat to be able to share my home with you all.