living room photos

The biggest design challenge in the apartment project was what to do with bedroom #2--which adjoined the kitchen and therefore (in my opinion) needed to function as a combination bedroom/living room. I decided to push the twin bed against the wall and use a throw blanket and a line of pillows to give it a bit more of a "sofa" feel. That way, this room--while still a place to sleep--would also provide an appropriate place to hang out, listen to the radio, read, or chat with a visitor.


Across from the sofa, I really wanted to put a shelf for some books and a clock. I also thought that a little chair over here would really be excellent because without one, there is no place to sit other than at the table or on the sofa/bed. With a tight budget, I decided to use the Salvation Army. I knew we were working with red, orange, and brown so I thought my chances of finding something clean and appropriate to the color scheme were decent. I was thrilled when I spotted this dainty little arm chair for a great price!




We put 3 picture frames around the apartment. Hopefully the new resident can eventually fill these with some family photos, but for now we used some vintage California postcards.


We filled a book shelf with some of the past favorites of the Brilliant Babes Book Club and other nice material.


Here is a view from the front door of what it all looked like together:

Utilities

Angela stocked the utility closet with a broom and dustpan, lightbulbs, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and a swiffer system.Annie brought the baby's vacuum, Megan brought the dustbuster. Now mommy and baby can "clean" together.

Kitchen

This was the kitchen "before." I was so glad I got to check out the space before we got started. The existing furniture was red and beige, so I decided to go with a red/orange/brown scheme for the living areas rather than fight was was already going on.

Here is the kitchen "after." We introduced red and orange decorative elements, as well as important functional items like a toaster, coffee maker, dish drainer and towels.



A few details:

Again, what's inside the cabinets is at least as important as what's outside!


A special kid's cabinet with spoons, snack bins and a sippy cup:


Produce fresh from the farmer's market, thanks to Gina:

Annie made the good call to stock the fridge with pedialite pops, great for teething or upset tummies.

Baby's room

This was the baby's room before:

Our biggest job in here was to provide a new crib, crib mattress, and crib sheets--that was a fair chunk of our budget and we didn't have endless time to hunt craigslist for a gently used number that would meet current saftey standards. Thankfully, a little iPhone comparison shopping assured us the best deal in LA.

After we found the crib, Megan, Gina, and I put on a little improv comedy skit entitled, "how many intelligent, fully-functional adult women does it take to assemble a *$$@#% crib?!?" We'll let you know if we make it to Broadway.


I am not sure that anyone will use the twin bed in baby's room--mom might choose to sleep in there, or she may stay in the other room. We re-arranged the furniture so that we could position the existing dresser as a changing station by adding a waterproof pad to the top.



Thanks to Annie, we put toys all over the place--some geared towards a typical 9 or 10 month-old and some that will also be fun when the baby's a bit older.


I gathered up all the baby toys and supplies that were blue and white and put them in this wicker basket. The frog popping out the top was so cheery--I hope the mom feels special when she sees this box o' loot for her her baby boy. And the basket will probably be a handy way to contain baby stuff as the home becomes more lived in.

Bathroom

I'll start with the pictures in the same place I started with the shopping--the bathroom.

I knew that since we couldn't put anything on the walls or get major furniture pieces, I'd be relying on fabrics for the big pops of color we'd want. I was shopping for this room before I knew the family composition, so I went for something bright and cheery but not too girly. I found these fun bright stripes at Target.




Here's my favorite view in this room. Naomi & Veronica selected the lovely handsoap and Gina had the brilliant idea to display this rainbow of washcloths in the little wicker basket I picked up at IKEA.


The view from inside the cabinet is probably just as important to the family who will live here. Naomi & Veronica made sure the bathroom was stocked with toiletries and first aid supplies.