Thomas transformed this non-descript shotgun style apartment above a retail shop on a main downtown street into an artists wonderland. With custom built in furniture, lighting, various wall treatments and an eclectic mix of vintage decor, the space is now a wild and wonderful testament to the residents love for unique flair. With 850 square foot, Thomas created ten independent spaces within what was initially a four room flat.
Living Room
Originally a bedroom, I decided this large space with huge west windows was better suited as the living room and allowed his to showcase this extensive tropical plant collection. Below you can see what it looked like before and more of what he transformed it into.
I knew there would be a lot going on visually in this room, so it was important to minimize there possible. Painting the walls, trim, ceiling, and shelves in a flat white and grounding the space in a dark grey shag carpeting. The closet was converted into a “disco nook” for the vintage sound system by mixing blue glitter into the paint to create a dazzling niche of music.
A custom 7-seater couch was designed and built to fit the space and the living room also features a Hart & Hive wooden chain pendant light, up cycled dining table turned coffee table, and a one of a “phone chair” done in live edge wood and hand strung danish cord seat.
Kitchen
Working within a massive room central to the apartment, I knew I needed to divide it up into some more distance spaces, creating a more streamlined kitchen on one end and a loft bedroom/closet on the other end, with an intermediate space for counter dining in between. A large art piece was created to fill the space and bring depth and texture to the wall with inspiration from both 1930’s Art Deco and 1980’s Memphis style. Again, a custom signed lamp and counter-balanced ceiling light can be seen in this room. Painting the wall and partial ceiling in a matte almost-black paint differentiates the space and give it a simple modern aesthetic.
Before and after photos of the kitchen end of the room can be seen below. Changing out the 30 year old cabinets was not an option on this project, but painting black around them and replacing the countertop with a matching oak butcher black changed the appeal of the cabinets instantly.
In this final before and after shot of the large middle room, you get a glimpse into the loft bed and walk in closet that was constructed for this space. While unconventional to say the least, building this bedroom connected to the kitchen, allowed for a quieter cozier sleeping space while also diving up the room in more management spaces, and created a distinct front entryway on the left hand side. The near-black paint used in the kitchen, continues into the hallway of the kitchen with black build in shelves beautifully displaying glass pantry jar of dry goods.
