Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Before & After: NYC Apartment

As mentioned, we walked into my sisters apartment and it looked let's just say...horrible. She & her roommate would agree. 70% of the problem was clothes scattered galore but the other 30% was just a sad, living space. Nothing on the walls, nothing in place...just a white Ektorp sofa in a 10x10 room and a queen bed in a 4x4 room. Obviously not the exact measurements, but you know...nyc = small & expensive. Not to mention, their apt is in the basement. So few windows, nada view.

Enter Type A sis & aunt willing to make it livable get it done and a mom willing to fork over some cash & help organize.

We got a plan of action: Wine at lunch and a to-do list.

We would start at Bed Bath & Beyond for basics...storage bins, sheets, cheap draperies, frames, wall hooks, the works. Then move on to P.Barn, West Elms, and the others for pillows, mirrors, accessories- the finishing touches.

I so wish I had a pic of us entering BB&B. Let's just say I was in perma-smile I was so excited for the mission, aunt in let's do this mode, mom in support mode, and the sister rolling her eyes. Don't get me wrong, she was on board but couldn't imagine why we would want to spend our last day in the city revamping their apt.

Well, 3 shopping carts & 2.5 hours later we were done. It was a one stop shop mission....YES, everything came bb&b.  They had great throw pillows, wall decor, and accessories. Who knew, right?

Here is Lina loving our finds.




So, enough talking...here are the before & afters:

Before Bedroom:


& After:




Side Note: She had the mirror, euro shams, & painting. We switched the mirror from foot of bed to above bed & it instantly made the room larger. We made the bed and added the accent pillow & birdcage frame {both from bb&b}. We also got khaki linen window treatments but have to wait on the "super" (landlord as we call them in the south) to bring out the power drill.

Living Room Before:



Living Room After:




The sunbursts appear dark & brassy in iphone pics but they are the perfect gold to add a focal point for room. The roommates plan on adding a piece of furniture beside the sofa and under the painting as a storage/table.

Forgot to take after shots of the other side as we got a little distracted... found really cute place mats in the clearance section for $1.99 and I suggested we cut them out and put the in frames (4pack for $25) as instant art. Of course- we left the frames at the store. The fact that we got all of the stuff in one cab still & only left one thing baffles me.

So, wrapping up, it was a lot of fun! For $500+ we turned their little abode from dark & dull to fun & welcoming in an afternoons time. Best part, sister and roomie love it !






2 comments:

  1. The apartment looks great! Way to go! Seriously, what a difference!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Um, will you come to my house please

    ReplyDelete