design on a dime

When I made the decision to move out on my own, I looked at a lot of aparments, but something about this place stuck with me. It was the perfect amount of space, had the amenities I was looking for, and my manager is pretty much the best manager EVER!

My two reservations were a) the lack of storage space and b) the long length of the living room. After talking with some friends and family, I was able to solve issue "a" with minimal cost and maximum design.

In late February, my mom, her boyfriend Lester, and their truck containing enough equipment to open both a tool shop and design studio arrived! While I know they really wanted to come and hang out with me, I immediately put them to work putting together a storage space in my living room.

If you look closely at the above picture, you will see the awkward alcove stuffed full of boxes. The space was too small to fit any of my furniture, and because it didn't have a window, I wasn't a fan of making into a reading corner like I ended up doing in my bedroom.

So Lester and his saw worked together, and along with some shelving materials from Office Depot, put the alcove to good use as both a storage unit and bathroom for Annie:

Now that we solved the storage issue, we had to make it look good! This is where my mom came in. We stained a long wooden curtain rod, spanning the length of the sliding patio door and storage unit. My mom then sewed curtains for me using some off-white upholstery material she had left over from a project at her house, along with some gorgeous fabric I purchased.

The end result is more than I could have expected. The curtains soften the room and serve a practical purpose. Getting closer and closer to my housewarming cocktail party with all of this work ... oh, and my mom and Lester are available for hire. Lester really likes Sierra Nevada ...