I'm doing my Friday dance extra hard today because I get to share an extra special Reader Design - Cate's!!! Cate is actually moving today out of her and my brother's first apartment together. They moved in over a year ago after their wedding, and while it's on the small side, I absolutely adored everything they, (Cate), turned it into.
It seems that it's a right of passage for your first place to be sub par, am I right? Do you remember your first place when you were just starting out and were supposed to have the world at your fingertips? Was it tiny and infested with vermin? Did you have to drag your groceries up three floors of stairs? Does anyone actually remember their first place and miss it?! And yet, that first place will always hold a sentimental place in your heart.
In honor of that sentimental place, I asked Cate if she'd mind me featuring their first apartment, (a studio loft), as our Reader Design today. It hasn't been the easiest place for them to live, but I know you all will be absolutely amazed at what she did with it!
Living Room
From Cate:
"We are very proud of our newlywed nest; I'm proud that I managed to make my extensive collection of roadside rescue furniture and DIY decor work for a small space. And Caleb is proud that he found us an apartment that, although minuscule, still has more than one bathroom {1.5 to be exact} and a flight of stairs.
We have our extra storage in this faux-front apothecary chest from Kirklands. Above it hangs another engineer print that was converted to a faux pull-down chart, (tutorial here)."
"On our walls hang some original artwork - two acrylic paintings and one art piece made using a photo-to-canvas transfer method from A Beautiful Mess. Suitcases on the wall provide extra hidden storage."
"Extra credit if you spotted the roadside rescue from Chelsea's suitcase table post!"
Yes, we often want eachothers' flips. :)
"Behind the floating sofa is an old metal file cabinet that I spray painted aqua. It provides a great place to hold all my tools since we don't have a garage. Head up the stairs and you'll find the remnants of an old church pew from my childhood church in DC."
Not a typical first place, is it?! With singing colors at every angle and clever ideas from floor to ceiling, this is one of my favorite inspirational spaces. Just wait until you see the upstairs...
Bedroom
"Our bedroom is small and comes with some {BRIGHT} skylights. After extensively researching my options for how to keep such strong sun out so that Caleb could sleep in, I decided on building a ceiling canopy around our bed. The curtains are hung from a rectangular frame made from copper pipe and pipe fittings from Home Depot. There are two curtain panels for the "headboard", one for the top canopy, and 3 pairs {6 total} for the remaining 3 sides."
I know. It's so gorgeous I can't get over it.
Hello, sun!! No wonder Cate had to come up with a solution to block those skylights!
Check this post for more of Cate's creative ideas for organizing and displaying jewelry!
Let's see one more of that stunning living room:
Consider my inspiration tank FULL! Cate, thank you so much for letting me share this today. It's such a treat to get to work along side of you and be inspired by your passion for creating. You are such a blessing to me! Definitely looking forward to where God takes you and what you make of it in your next place! You can follow Cate's adventures on Instagram @cate_stylemutthome.
Don't forget to submit your own spaces so we can share your work and creativity here! You can post right to our Facebook page, or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram. Every Friday we share one new Reader Design - there's no requirement to be a professional decorator or even a fellow blogger. The whole point is to share inspiration with one another and keep it all in one handy spot; our SPACES page, (I could seriously kill a whole afternoon thumbing through the gorgeous tours we've got stashed in there).
Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Easter, everyone! He is risen!
