9.20.2011

White Box Challenge Reveal: Living Room!

How many weekends does it take two DIYers to set up their living room?  TWO!!


Ok, so I'm starting with the after, which is kind of like starting with dessert, but I don't care! I live in a white box, student grad housing, could be very depressing, apartment - but a little imagination goes a long way and here we are!  (I would also like to point out how ladylike Maggie is NOT being.)

See, not much to work with, but sometimes a blank slate is a good thing.  On to more pictures.


This is our little catchall station. Mr. Strongman is assuming his position of authority with a little birdie, mirror, and cane (why not?) to help.

The sitting zone with a lot of old favorites from our last place and one beautiful new couch. The couch is a liiiitle over sized for the scale of the space, but Tim and I were ready for a couch big enough to cuddle on, so design rules be damned (or gently bent). 

Look at those happy cats...

This is our new entertainment center. It's a lot different from our old one because of the total lack of any architectural details in our apartment, but I'm so glad we could incorporate Tim's awesome shelves in a prominent space.

My chandelier also gets prime location and I love love love having this "Room In Use" sign up in our living room! I don't really like words like "home" or "dream", but "Room In Use" is so happy sounding :)

Other treasures find their places, including our beloved radio, to bring together this oh so comfy and happy room.

More from the white box challenge to come soon!  I'm hoping to get the bedroom or kitchen conquered next...

20 comments:

  1. LOVE it!!! I will totally need a design consult with you sometime soonish - def have some good ideas for the bedroom and stole a ton of stuff from the barn this weekend. The Inhabit tiles I bought on fab.com are super cool, but I can't decide whether doing the kitchen walls with them vs using just a couple painted as accent pieces above the sink and stove will be better...

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  2. I love this so much! Your cats definitely look "at home" in this space. Great job!!

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  3. You did a great job with the space given! The shelving looks great against that wall and kinda has fun with the sort of "industrial" basic look of your white box!

    Just curious, are allowed to paint the walls?

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  4. Thanks so much! Sadly, I'm not allowed to paint, but I'm coming to terms with that :)

    Happy to help any time Emma!

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  5. It is looking SO nice! Good job! -- Mom

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  6. Where did the scrabble tiles above the couch come from? I love them.

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  7. The scrabble tiles are a really fun DIY. Here's my tutorial:
    http://www.insideways.com/2011/03/alphabet-soup.html

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  8. This is amazing!!! Love what you did with an otherwise drab apartment.

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  9. Heard recently that it is not necessary to buy small furniture for a small spaces. I think the couch brings a touch of luxury to the space...size be damned.

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  10. Your couch is beautiful. I'm probably moving into a white box type of apartment when I head back to the States and am starting to dream up what my new home will look like. Good work!

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  11. I loved touring both of your apartments! Where did you get your couch? It is gorgeous! We are about to move into our 2nd apartment, and I plan on doing a similar post. I hope my new apartment can look at cozy as yours!

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  12. Great job! Looks so awesome.

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  13. Thank you all so much - really!!
    You can learn more about the couch here:
    http://www.insideways.com/2011/09/new-couch-in-my-life.html
    (newwaytowrite - so right about the luxury)

    Flora and Jen @ Brooklyn Experiment - good luck on your own white boxes! Can't wait to see the results!

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  14. Great shelving! Are those 18" pipes between the shelves and is the width of the unit about 60"?

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  15. @Steve M - Juust measured! Yes, the pipes are 18" and the whole unit is 88" long. The sizes are VERY customizable though.

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  16. LOVE your couch!!! Is this velvet or suede? I'm in love with this color and trying to convince my hubby to let me reupholster our vintage couch this color with faux suede. :)

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  17. @KateLainey, thanks!! We love it too :). It's actually velvet and surprisingly easy to maintain. I'll cross my fingers that the hubby says yes!

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  18. I think you did good with the space you had, so what if the couch breaks the rules...still looks good enough to sit on.

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  19. I really like all the great things in this room.

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  20. OMG that FAB couch! It wore Blue Velvet, whoa whoa whoa. You have great taste.

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