furnished apartment
Scott Bahlmann
Dear M,
Welcome to B204!
Most of the furnishings we decided upon in the month that my fella' was in the apartment by himself living with his desk, chair, and a craigslist futon. We would Skype while adding things to our Pinterest boards that we were interested in.
The week before I arrived, most of the furniture did, with the sofa making the final appearance just after I got there.
This table was the first to arrive, though initially it was the height of the sofa back, so we sawed ten inches off the legs. =]
The sofa was the first piece we decided to get, even before making the move really. My fella' has wanted a tuxedo tufted sofa for ages. It and this table came from the same online shop.
The last piece we got for the main space was this media center. We wanted something with a bit of visual weight, but that didn't take up too much space. My fella' experienced love at first sight when we saw it at a local consignment shop, and we got a 20% discount! It has lots of room in the two drawers (one holds about 60 DVD's) and a cushion we ordered for the couch, but which made it too crowded, acts as a lovely reading space, and extra seating for company.
You can also see our silken shag rug, which we put carpet padding under for extra plushness.
This is our living/entertaining space. The ladder bookshelf has been with me for ages, though this is the first time it's been mounted! We're planning a custom TV stand/coffee table, so the table in the corner is a temporary solution. We also added a gate leg table against the wall to hide some cables, and serve as a surface for games or dinners. There will be more plants along the 'plant wall' once we find some pots we really like, and I haven't forgotten the awesome arc lamp, just scroll down a bit. -.o
I got the arc lamp as a gift from my Realtor just before leaving the state, cuz' she's awesome like that. It came with a plastic globe, but while we were at IKEA we came upon this fantastic shade. The teal color could not be a better match to our sofa table, and the copper interior adds a great warmth and texture to the space. Above the office area you can see the other fixture we just had to have from IKEA. Check out it's magical surprise a bit further down.
The art was a trade with a friend who worked at a gallery, and has great personality. The only trouble with it's location behind the desk is that you can't fully appreciate the great detail in it.
The tufted part of the sofa! And the Mustard part of our color scheme in the stools and pillows. The other throw pillow was a great find as it brings in the teal and orange, and the texture is nice too.
We got permission from our manager to put a light grey on the wall behind the stools to give them an extra pop, cuz' my fella' has that sort of eye for detail.
Here you can see the fun texture of our office rug. I love the feeling of being on the beach with sand swirling in the waves. And the office chairs are perhaps my favorite furniture in the space. I love the tone, the shape, and the comfort!
The desks are fun too, we got a matching set that has an attached shelf section, and the desk surface can rotate so that they rest flat against the wall if we ever have a large-ish shindig. It certainly suited my need for storage, my fella's aesthetic tastes, and an added functionality bonus!
The drink set has a sort of fun story. I got the small tumblers and the pitcher in the window at a vintage shop in Salt Lake, loving the chrome and glass. Then while browsing a vintage shop in Fremont I came upon the tall glasses and the decanter/pitcher on the tray! They were meant to be together. Even more ironically, we stumbled upon a vase in the same style at Fred Meyers, and added it to the decor!
You can also see our fancy teapot, pulling the orange into the kitchen, and our teal tea towel, cuz' it's all about the details. =]
Surprise chandelier! The light fixture above our office was originally a dull dish, whose bulb was just at the right level to accost the eyes. We weren't planning to replace it, but rather find a way to soften the harshness, but when we saw this fixture in it's globe form, it was just too fantastic to leave behind. It even has some orange to go with our color scheme! We leave it in globe form unless we want to show off for guests. -.o
And what's beyond that doorway? We haven't quite finished everything in the bedroom/bathroom spaces, so you'll have to wait to find out!
-S