Although many clients seek my help when moving from a rented apartment into a single-family home, this BLB client requested the opposite in an effort to downsize and destress.
This summer, I met a new client over breakfast at one of my favorite ATL spots, Home grown GA to discuss designing her new home. But there was a slight pivot - instead of decorating her house as mentioned in her initial inquiry, she had a change of venue! With the heavily active housing and seller’s market, Crystal recently sold her 3 bed/2 bath house and downsized into a brand-new, luxury apartment in the heart of the city. Nestled in the bustling Glenwood Park neighborhood, right off I-20 and next to the east side of the Atlanta BeltLine, Crystal’s new home would afford her all the shopping, entertainment, and outdoor conveniences the area had to offer. In addition to working from home during the pandemic, she wanted to create a serene sanctuary that would satisfy her personal needs as well as serve as a work-friendly backdrop to her counseling and therapy patients. In getting to know Crystal, we had so much in common! In addition to sharing similar design styles, she’s also an introvert, Virgo, and fellow South Carolina Gamecock! How could I possibly let her down?! I was so excited to design her living space and master bedroom and exceed all her BLB expectations!
Crystal admired BLB’s work because of my use of mid-century modern style, color, gold, and creating warm and livable spaces. She wanted her home to feel cozy, soft, and romantic, but calming and functional, providing enough storage for her books and belongings post-purge. Crystal was also drawn to neutral tones like creams, beiges, and mauve with a splash of metallics and jewel tones (so dreamy!). Beyond the desired aesthetic, she’d be selling a lot of her bulky furniture and wanted to invest in newer pieces that would not take up as much space but be of good quality and last through future moves and life events. Here’s what I created for her apartment.
MOOD BOARDS:
There are generally a ton of fears people have when decorating a rented or leased space:
“Can I paint?”
“What about peel-and-stick-wallpaper? Will it damage the walls?”
“What about hanging stuff?”
“Can I mount a TV?”
“Can I put holes in walls?”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here…is it worth it?”
“Does it make sense to put in the time and effort for décor at all?”
All of these are valid questions and should definitely be answered by your leasing office or landlord to avoid violating your agreement, being fined, or losing your security deposit.
DURING:
Luckily, Crystal received the green light to paint, so we immediately added beautiful rich colors to her living room accent wall and bedroom setting the foundation for the moody transformation. The living room backdrop would be Sherwin-Williams’ blue-teal Moscow Midnight and the bedroom was painted in its entirety Sherwin-Williams’ mauvy River Rouge. For the living room, we invested in quality furniture pieces from West Elm including the sleeper sofa sectional to accommodate guests, a glam media cabinet for the non-mounted TV, and an abstract, colorful rug to complement the new wall color. From there, we mounted curtains to the ceilings and splashed the room with brass and gold accents including the coffee table, curtain rod, end tables, and wall mirrors on the new accent wall.
For the master suite, we took the romance up a notch! We replaced her old king-size bed with a cream channel upholstered bed from TOV Furniture to contrast with the new, gorgeous wall color. We’d also positioned a cream faux shagreen desk with brass finishes from CB2 in the corner to serve as a quaint work nook in the apartment. Lastly, we sourced a beautiful gold carved wood floor length mirror from my friends at Nadeau in Buckhead that we’d set beside her walk-in closet to use when getting dressed daily. After adding a few moody and metallic touches, Crystal’s new sanctuary was complete, providing her with the perfect place of retreat and relaxation.
I thoroughly enjoyed transforming this blank canvas of an apartment into a crown jewel that Crystal could be proud to live in! Check it out:
AFTER:
Thank you, Crystal, for trusting me with your vision, apartment, and coins and we transformed your new apartment into a stunning space that reflected YOU, and one that you love.
For more photos, head over to my Portfolio or #ProjectGlenwoodPark on Instagram.
Be Blessed,
ACG
Design Deets:
Paint – Moscow Midnight and River Rouge by Sherwin-Williams
Sectional Sofa – West Elm
Area Rug – West Elm
Coffee Table – HomeGoods
Wall Mirrors – HomeGoods
Media Console – West Elm
End Tables – Home Depot
Accent Chair – World Market
Floor Lamp – Target
Velvet Curtains – West Elm
Curtain Rods – Ballard Designs, CB2
Throw Pillows – HomeGoods, Modish Décor Pillows
Vases – HomeGoods
Artwork – Society 6, iCanvas Art, HomeGoods
Planters – HomeGoods
Upholstered Bed – TOV Furniture
Nightstands – West Elm
Bedding – HomeGoods
Desk – CB2
Desk Chair – Opalhouse + Jungalow for Target
Floor Mirror – Nadeau Furniture for the Soul
Picture Frames – HomeGoods
Candles – HomeGoods
Florals – Trader Joe’s
Patterned Curtains – West Elm
Professional Photography – Quture Media
