Charleston Apartment: The Guest Room

Having a second bedroom has been such a game-changer. It is of course so nice to have a separate room for guests, and it’s great having a designated work place (even though I end up working at the kitchen island half the time). In my old apartment, my computer and desk were in the middle of the living space which is fine but I like having it tucked away so that when I’m not working I am not thinking about work.

We had a lot of fun working on this room. I already knew that I really wanted this bed (I had wanted it back in Brooklyn for my bed but it didn’t work with the room), and Erin worked her magic – focusing the room on my Slim Aarons photo (I just love her), and giving the room a really fun, chic vibe. We used my existing nightstands (still available) from my Brooklyn apartment and I bought different nightstands for my room… I love how they look with these rattan lamps.

This room is eclectic and fun – without going overboard… I’m so happy with how it turned out.

PS – the rest of my apartment and the primary bedroom!

Links to everything:

Bed area:

• Room & Board Architecture Bed
• Boll & Branch Signature Colorblock Duvet Set (gifted)
• The Inside Throw Pillows (gifted)
• Jonathan Adler Internet Famous Pillow (a snarky gift from my best friend)
• Slim Aarons Photograph
• West Elm Night Stands
• Erin Gates x Momeni Rug (gifted)
• The Inside Leopard Screen (gifted)
• Serena & Lily Rattan Lamps
• Vintage Yellow Stool (bought at Chairish)
• Framed Hunt Slonem Wallpaper (I had this framed back in New York, I forget the name of the store!)
• not pictured, but facing the bed: Pottery Barn Jute Mirror

Office area:

• West Elm Desk 
• Marcel Breuer Cesca Chair (mine is vintage via 1stDibs but you can buy a new replica here!)

Disclosure: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature things I truly love here. Thanks for your support.

Photography by Margaret Wright.

The post Charleston Apartment: The Guest Room. appeared first on The Stripe.

I really love how my bedroom turned out. I am a big believer that your bedroom should be for sleep and relaxation. And after living in so many studio apartments in New York when I was younger (where your bedroom is also your office, your dining room, and your entertaining space), it still feels like a huge luxury to have a separate space just for sleeping (and reading!). I already had my bed and my dresser. We moved my nightstands to the guest room and I purchased new ones from CB2.

I was really uncertain about what should go over the bed and Erin suggested a giant statement mirror rather than art… I love how it looks. And of course, lots of art… we’ll get into that! Also, the green lamps really make the space so special. I was hesitant about them (they’re big and expensive) but am so happy I listened to Erin as they look so good (and, they add a pop of my favorite color).

PS – Yesterday’s post had a look at the rest of my space… and the guest room/office will be on the blog a little later this week.

Charleston Apartment – My Bedroom

Links to everything!

• Design Within Reach Bed
• gifted Boll & Branch Heritage Quilt Set
• gifted pillows from The Inside
• CB2 Nightstands (I love these – the drawer holds allllll my clutter and the shelf is great for books).
• Wisteria Home Mirror*
• Aerin Lamps
• gifted Erin Gates x Momeni Rug

*I linked to it but would not recommend ordering from this company. The mirror arrived super banged up… the box was falling apart and several of the prongs were out of place.  There were also spots where the gold paint had rubbed off. I managed to move the prongs back with some pliers and gold paint pen remedied the problem and it looks great now (and I truly do love it) but I was really disappointed. It wasn’t cheap and it’s really, really heavy so would have been hard to mail back.

The dresser I’ve had forever, it was custom made when I lived with my ex (I’ve had it for at least ten years now, I don’t remember where we got it). The chair is an old family heirloom!

Art on this wall!

• Cherry Blossoms Painting: this is a limited edition signed print by Damien Hirst. I got targeted from an Instagram ad by Leviathan and was lucky enough to be able to snag one. I chose Courage.
• Striped bunnies (original) by Hunt Slonem. I purchased this from Liz Lidgett.
• Abstract cat (original) by Catherine Howe. I purchased this from Ober Gallery, it was the first original piece of art I ever bought and will always have a special place in my heart.
• Vintage WWII print – a family antique!

Bench is from The Inside, with a pillow from the Inside and a pillow from Paula Dhier. The box next to it is an antique; a family antique!

Art Links!

• Michelle Armas original painting (top). This was a gift from Michelle. You can order her paintings framed, which is really nice (the quality is great and she does fun acrylic frames).
• Catherine Howe original stretched silk monotype. I always get asked about the framing on this. I had the gallery where I bought the painting (Gold Scopophilia) handle the framing as the silk painting is super delicate… So I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. It is an acrylic frame (also covering the front, not just the sides).
• Antique mirror, a gift from my late grandmother.

This is my bathroom! Still adjusting to all this storage space – it is dangerous. Also don’t worry (I say don’t worry because people actually do!) my guest bathroom has a bathtub.

Disclosure: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature things I truly love here. Thanks for your support.

Photography by Margaret Wright.

The post Charleston Apartment – My Bedroom. appeared first on The Stripe.

Finally, almost a year after moving in… I am thrilled to share all the photos of my Charleston apartment (+ links to artists and all my furniture) with you. I’m so, so pleased with this space and how it has turned out. I worked with Erin Gates from Elements of Style remotely for this. And I wanted to keep my colorful aesthetic (I always want anywhere I live to have personality and feel like someone fun lives there) but I also wanted it to feel a little more sophisticated and serene. Today I am going to share the living area. My bedroom can be found here, and later this week I will share the guest room/office.

I have to tell you, balancing color is a real struggle! I love art and fun little objects and want to buy all of the colorful things (they make me happy!) but I went way overboard in my Brooklyn apartment. It took being locked down to feel like “THIS IS TOO MUCH.” My space felt chaotic and cluttered, not inspiring. The challenge with this apartment was to create a space that felt creative and fun without going overboard. More neutrals, but still me. There is definitely a tipping point from interesting and unique into cluttered chaos, and I can have a hard time straddling it. I joked that Erin was my chaperone throughout the process.

There is a lot to tell you, so buckle up!

Above: Maiden Home Sofa, gifted Rebecca Atwood Pillows (these are 5 years old but she has so many newer styles), Room & Board Parsons End Table with Quartz Topper, Kelly Wearstler Lamps, Lulu & Georgia Side Tables, Lemieux Et Cie Coffee Table, gifted Jonathan Adler Tray, gifted Elements of Style x Momeni Rug // Custom Curtains from Loft.

My Charleston Apartment

The boucle swivel chair above is from CB2.

Let’s talk about the gallery wall first! I was really thrilled with how Erin put it together. These are all pieces I owned prior to moving to Charleston and I never would have thought to put them together this way. This apartment has really high ceilings so we were able to have some fun and go BIG.

The Don’t Panic is an original piece by Samuel Jablon.

I purchased it from Ober Gallery in Connecticut (the owner, Rob Ober is a good friend of a friend, I bought my first ever piece of original art from him several years ago – that one is in the bedroom, you’ll see it tomorrow! And I bought this during peek lockdown… I was panicked! Oddly, it soothed me?

The bunnies are all originals by Hunt Slonem, one of my absolute favorite artists.

I have built a small collection of his pieces… when I lived in New York he became a friend. And I always seemed to walk away from his studio buying another bunny. I am up to four now… I have a striped one in the bedroom which you’ll see in tomorrow’s post. No framing needed, one charming thing about his work is that he sources the most beautiful antique frames, which are sold with the painting.

The pink painting gets a lot of questions!

It is actually a print of a silk textile, by Paule Marrot. I didn’t do anything special to it, I purchased it here and opted to buy it pre-framed. The framing really makes it special.

Bottom left is an Alexander Calder lithograph (print).

I purchased this on Chairish and had it framed at this shop in New York. They do a great job and I’d highly recommend them.

Bottom right is where I went a little rogue from Erin. After she had already designed the wall, I bought a tiny original Jill Hooper painting (Jill is a prolific artist here in Charleston, she’s the youngest artist to be collected by the Gibbes Museum). Erin is insisting I find something to put at the top left of the wall to balance it out, but I haven’t found the right piece. I take my time with art.

And next to the pink bunnies and the Jill Hooper is an original painting of The Beverly Hills Hotel by my friend Aly Harte that I commissioned her to paint. Aly is a really talented artist, living in Belfast. She is a dear friend and I think of her whenever I see it.

I keep getting asked for a “review” of my Maiden Home Sofa and I am not planning to do one but I will tell you that I really, really love it.

I did not think I needed new couches but this was something Erin was quite insistent about. And I am glad I listened to her as I love it so much. It is really, really comfortable the fabric has held up well, and it is BIG and cozy… like a second bed. The higher ceilings of the apartment made my old couch look miniature (you can see that here!)

Maiden seems like a great company, and since they make everything here, the production / shipping lead times were great. I ordered it in mid-March and had it by the end of June.

My counter stools are from Design Within Reach.

They’re really comfortable and though they’re real leather they are practical – they easily wipe clean, etc.

The armchair is from Design Within Reach.

This was a big splurge four years ago and I’m glad I went for it. It’s something I will own forever and the perfect reading chair. It’s also incredibly comfortable. I still remember the day my dad tried it out. He initially looked at it with an expression I can only describe as disdain, but then he sat down and his whole face changed. “Oh wow – this is comfy!” Duh, dad. A good goal is to find furniture that looks uncomfortable but is actually incredibly cozy. This chair is that.

My shelves came from CB2.

Erin loves using these as they give you that built in look, without actually investing in built-ins. A renter’s dream, but still very nice. My little rule is that I keep all clutter to these shelves and try to keep the other surfaces clutter free. Contained chaos!

Pillow (gifted) is from The Inside, from their collab with CW Stockwell)

I love cocktail tables as I always want my guests to have a spot to put their drinks. And I love these from Lulu & Georgia. I will tell you that I am glad that I bought them (I truly love how they look – functional sculpture!) but they were an annoying purchase. They took forever to ship (I mean right now everything takes a long time to ship but this was wildly long) and when they did, the delivery team was a nightmare to coordinate with. In hindsight I probably wouldn’t order from them again. West Elm has amazing drink tables too. These and my bedroom mirror (we will talk about that tomorrow) were my only problematic pieces.

My little entryway.

I love this vignette. The rug is quite old (meaning I’ve had it a long time, but it’s also an antique. I bought it 5 years ago from this Etsy shop). The little X-Benches (gifted) are from The Inside. I love these, they add a fun pop of pattern but also make for extra seating when I have friends over.

The console table is from CB2. I bought the mirror several years ago on Chairish – it is an antique French Louis Philippe mirror from the 19th century, there are similar ones here!

The lamp is Kelly Wearstler… and the art is a collage by Melvin G (I am a HUGE FAN and her pieces are pretty accessible) that I had framed on Framebridge, plus a little piece of shell art that my mom made me for my birthday.

This is where I spend a lot of my day.

I really do try not to work from the couch (it’s bad for my back and my productivity) rbut it happens! It’s also the perfect reading/movie watching nook. The blanket is from my sister Rebecca Atwood but sadly she no longer does bedding or blankets.

(Mug is from Workaday Handmade, a cool Brooklyn-based ceramics company).

I love my Fferrone glassware.

It’s so pretty. I buy a couple every year and am building up a solid little collection.

The acrylic pill sculpture was a gift from Jonathan Adler. One of my favorite little objects.

You can’t quite see it but behind it is a charging mat from Courant.

I have these on both side tables, I think it is such a nice touch. I always have a place to charge my phone. Or if a friend is over, they can easily throw their phone down without hunting for a charger. I have these in the primary and guest bedrooms too, I think it’s a really nice touch.

The cat is sadly old and spoken for but this mirror is from Ballard Designs.

It is BIG and I love it. It is on sale right now, too. Highly recommend.

High ceilings (they are 13 feet) were a blessing and a curse as they are dramatic and amazing but you need to find pieces that work with the height, otherwise they feel stumpy and squat.

Disclosure: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature things I truly love here. Thanks for your support.

Photography by Margaret Wright.

The post My Charleston Apartment. appeared first on The Stripe.