apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hi - love your place! Where did you get the chair in the living room? I have been looking for something similar forever. Thanks!

I'm always amazed at the great things people find at flea markets and on Craigslist. I never find anything that way, so I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

How did he only pay $650 for a custom made sectional sofa?

Oh, and the apartment looks great.

Love the bedroom ceiling: is that original, or an addition? If you put it up yourself, do tell how...

And I love the lamps, in particular. Vintage lamps rock.

Yowza. Lovely.

very lovely! The only way I've gotten lucky with craigslist is patience. It took me roughly 6 weeks to find the desk I ended up buying. I can't imagine what my apartment would look like if I only used craigslist to furnish it (probably very bare).

I too love this home - the color palette, the gorgeous (and well edited) pieces that are allowed to shine and the warmth of the wood.

I've been looking everywhere for an African accent table like the one next to the bed. Any tips on finding one would be appreciated.

Again congratulations on a beautiful home.

Nicely done and well edited. Great color and furniture selections.

Chic and simple. I love the colors. You are so lucky with all of those finds! Good work!

As much as I love it, I still lthink it needs a "final layer".

$3k? That's pretty awesome! Love the steel side table.

I love the serenity and restraint of this place. Very underrated qualities in big cities. I too feel like it needs a final layer to feel more personal. Can I just say you are my hero for doing this on $3000? I would drop some coin on a new bathroom sink, but I am sure that is on the list. Bravo for patience and taste!

you've got such great pieces! i can't believe you only spent $3000!

thats awesome!

Very chic. You have an excellent eye. I like.

Excellent blog.
Nice apartment, harmonious and calm pastel colors.

Another GREAT apartment with a "can do" price tag.

Would LOVE to see more places like this one, as well as tips and ideas on what to look for when it comes to thrifting, scavenging, and browsing Craigslist.

Since furnishing via those sources is based on luck, chance, knowledge, and persistence, over time, it would be so great to hear about the process.

For instance, you start with apartment being empty. What is the first goal? Probably a bed?

When furnishing a room, is it done with a plan? So that you KNOW you will be needing/wanting seating for six, but you are open to all kinds of seating? Or is it "I will need a sectional, and I will need a chair" so that you only search for a chair....and a sectional.

How much of your own abilities play into the selection? Like do you automatically pass over things that will HAVE to be refinished? Or do you look for potential, and make an effort to refinish? Or is it refinished by a professional?

For instance, I cannot refinish or reupholster myself. And I'm guessing it would be quite an additional expense to have this done.

I really would love to have more details, if possible.

Even things on transportation. I don't have a vehicle right now, and I'm not very strong, so lifting and moving things is another problem for me. And no, I have no beefy friends to help or even to pay to help.

All kinds of tips would be helpful, as I am sure that other people are without cars or beefy friends.

I have that same bed! West Elm, if it is in fact the same. You probably got it second hand for a bargain. I got mine in store. Full price. I suck.

Lovely home. Usually when a home has too much beige and neutral, it seems boring, but somehow yours doesn't.

I agree with everyone who has posted a comment thus far. I think that the place looks terrific and I am astonished that you did this on a budget of $3,000! I would love to see pictures of your place in the future after you've had some time to add a bit more personality to the place. Please share where you got your wonderful couch!

Also, thank you for sharing your apartment...My fiancé and I are going to move into a small carpeted apartment this September with only absolutely nothing in terms of furniture and a miniscule budget. This gives me confidence that we're making the right decision to start new with very few possessions.

really great use of three grand.

a jens risom lounge chair, a parzinger(esque?) lamp, a comfortable couch, and that sweet metal table. and i love your coffered ceiling, the arches, crisp white, and the apartment architecture.

i'd do a wall mounted cabinet or a vintage pedestal when you get around to that vanity and i'd probably refinish the cabinetry, as that reddish cherry seems suburban. but i'm just picking here; this is awesome and really shows what is possible on a very reasonable budget from scratch.

Quite lovely and very impressive on your budget!

Am I the only one who has an issue with a non-functioning slideshow? Has anyone at AT ever acknowledged that there's a problem with the slideshows? It's been a long time since I've been able to get the slideshow to work. Maybe it's just me.

Anne, slideshows don't work. I use my arrow keys to advance. And there seems to be a new problem with the thumbnails, in that the ad covers part of several of the images.

Yes, they do know about the slideshows, and they had changed formats awhile back. When the change occurred, the slideshows stopped working.

Now the thumbnails have an annoying ad covering some. The ad has no close feature and does NOT disappear. AT, your presentation of more pics -- both as slideshows or t-nails -- has completely gone in the dumpster of late.

Shasta, there are some of those African drum stools on Dominic's business site:
http://metropolismodern.1stdibs.com/itemdetails.php?id=86360

I'm guessing that he has either borrowed it from the store or paid wholesale, because at those prices, it would have taken more than a third of the stated budget.

You can also Google search for: Cameroon stool (or try the alternate spelling of Cameroun). Or more specific: Bamileke stool. There is no "Camaroon" spelling, which is what is on the Metropolis Modern site.

More stools here:
http://www.trailstobridges.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=272
http://www.nigerbend.com/locdir/catalog_16.php3
http://www.artfromafrica.com/bamilekestool.htm
http://www.yessy.com/africanqueencc01/gallery.html?i=22596
http://www.sujaro.com/i_080stools/010-f018.large.shtml
http://www.east-meets-west.biz/store.cfm?step=display&productid=509
http://www.africraft.co.za/decor844.htm

An eBay seller sometimes has them, no idea what the cost is:
http://stores.ebay.com/greybreaks
http://flickr.com/photos/71909327@N00/2495193020/

These ones are back ordered, but look nice with the contrast of light and dark:
http://www.cherishthepast.com/gallery.htm

It's one of those things that you need the right name to find it, and once you have that name, you can find many of them.

Awesome Apartment!!!! It looks very relaxed and comfortable.

Would it be mean to point out that at the prices he charges at his store, the budget would have to be more like $30k , rather than the $3k quoted?

really nice...and beautifully photographed. the blue chair in the bedroom is especially good looking.

@particlebored, no, it wouldn't be mean.

It's a good example of what can be done, if you have the knowledge base.

It is a lot like being a chef. A chef could select from the same pickings we have available at the store, but the results would be different. Simply because of the knowledge base. They know what they are doing. They have more experience.

So while chowing down at your friend's place, that meal COULD cost $50.00 a plate at the dining establishment the chef works in. Add in some wine and dessert and that gathering at the chef's home would have cost $1,000 at the restaurant.

People like to use their abilities. In fact, it would seem downright strange to find that a person with a good knowledge base in furnishings would choose some of the items that are mentioned in this thread:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/seating-sofas-armchairs/whats-your-nightmare-piece-of-furniture-055214

And you can see what is NOT in Dominic's knowledge base, by reading "Proudest DIY: Painting the coffee table".

Someone else might say "Pffffft, I do that every day, big deal"...but that is because their knowledge base lies in painting furniture.

We are often proud of trying to do something we didn't know for sure we could do. And we should be. We stepped outside our comfort zone and gave something new a whirl.

We CAN learn new things. We started off life knowing next to nothing other than a few instincts. Everything else we learned.

Ever play The Sims 2 people games? Even the toddlers learn things like logic and creativity. We can learn a lot of things in our own lives pretty much the same way. We can read about it, we can practice it, gain experience.

Especially with the Internet, where we don't even have to leave our homes to have instant access to expert knowledge.

The thing I don't want to part with too much is money. Ha. So that the homes that feature nothing but high cost items bought from stores don't interest me nearly as much as homes that are put together via bargain sources.

It takes very little imagination to have a collection of items that are costly and can be bought almost whenever a person wants them.

It takes a LOT of creativity and patience and diligence to furnish via the variety of sources stated in this home tour. There is no online shop for what is at the local thrift store. You have to go and look.

Craigslist search feature works good, but you still have to go and look at the individual items. Not everyone knows what they have, so it makes sense to browse even things that just say "table for sale" if it has an image.

And that is why I really like this home and the Sam Grawe home, because they WERE put together via Craigslist and other sources that are available to everyone.

It's what I would like to see more of, on this site.

I too cannot get the slideshows to work. Would hope it is fixed soon.

Thanks True Blue for your stool suggestions.

Dominic, I love your home! Come do mine!

Why do I never have this kind of luck in yard sales, flea markets and Craigslist?

I know exactly which building you are in. Its the one on LaSalle and Division with the facade painted on the side of the building and the "fake" windows painted on.

Great job with the decor! I love the detail on the ceiling.

I love the wall colors! Could someone tell me what color and brand of paint was used on the walls?