Design crew
Sat, 25 Jun 2011
Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers!
Jesse emailed "I'm a big fan of the blog, and wanted to reach out & ask for a bit of advice. I've recently moved into a new apartment & am trying to make it a home. I'm a rustic minimalist but an eclectic at heart." Jesse wanted feedback. Then Jesse sent photos. After I picked myself up off the floor I thought Jesse wants advice? Jesse wants to take it to the next level? OMG the bones are fabulous. There is so much that is wonderful about her new space.
"I guess I was just looking for some general feedback than specific what-to-dos. I would love to hear back from readers in a Design Crew post, I'm just looking for others opinions." This is were all of you come in. Your feedback? The next step? She has motivated me to walk away from the computer and head back to my still unfinished "quick" kitchen redo. Can't wait to see what you guys have to say.
There's even more after the jump.
Reader Comments (35)
Nothing to do. Zip. Know when to walk away! It looks fabulous - worthy of a mag shoot.
x KL
Just lovely and you're right Jo - with bones like that you don't need to do much. Personally all I'd like to see is something living - a beautiful plant or some orange goldfish in a bowl. Well done Jesse!
It's perfect. I love everything. Congrats Jesse!!
Um. Dear lord. Yeah. This is pretty well perfectly done. For me, personally, a trifle spare, but, as KL noted, know when to walk away. I think the very spare-ness of this space is what lends it such a sprightly vitality...and all those Pendleton blankets on the ladder? Worth a g.d. fortune. Seriously. Flaming ball of jealousy right over here. Well done, Jesse!
Wow! really gorgeous space. I agree Sammy, perhaps a plant. The only space that looks like it needs a little tweeking is the bed area, a rug? a matching set of lamps? a picture? a mirror? a throw? I'm sure that the person who put everything else together will know the answer a lot better than me. Well don and thank you for sharing.
Just a question, where is this beautiful flat?
Love everything about it & particularly the way a beautiful large canvas was hung on what would have otherwise looked just like the back of upper kitchen shelves. Formerly a sore spot. Presently a show-stopper. It'd even make more of a statement with one single light (perhaps museum style?) quietly highlighting that painting when the sun goes down. Overall, it feels very personal, has restrained elegance, and it is welcoming. A ten in my book!
Oops. Forgot one lil' suggestion: it all seems so beautifully aged and carefully chosen...that door knob (the one in the photo with the canvas hanging on the back of the upper kitchen cabinet) being changed into something with more personality and along the lines of the rest of the place, maybe? But I do think it read somewhere that this was a rental...perhaps changing it temporarily?
I agree with the plant(s) suggestion, I also think it needs a little bit more colour, preferably in the form of some large artwork on those lovely walls. Also, there are a lot of hard surfaces and not enough soft ones.. but I think that will come in time. It sort of looks just-moved-in not yet lived in. Agree with everyone about the lovely bones of the place. What a great space to get to play in! Good luck!
I love it just as it is. Gorgeous.
Errrr...it's amazing! Love this look........
So pretty! I wish I could just snuggle into that chair and read all of your books. The light is so gorgeous. The simplicity really allows the great light and the beauty of the space shine. You do have lots of cool chairs, but any interest in getting a sofa?
Fantastic! You are able to do things I would only dream of doing as a parent, like the tower of stacked books. Want to come do my place in 12 years when my kid is out of the house?
Really inspiring place! I'd mount the first photo's night tables on the wall just to give them a couple of inches of air underneath. And I'd reunite the two tall lamps somewhere else in the space (I see from the photos that you have a pair). The slightly off-level pallet headboard would drive me nuts - I'd prop it up a bit. Beautiful - I love that ladder of textiles and all the texture!
Beautiful, beautiful home!
Adore the artwork and am especially in love with the..... (would you call it a....) couch? :)
Definitely agree with the idea of adding plants and more rugs:
http://www.designerrugs.com.au/easton-pearson/
http://www.designerrugs.com.au/alex-perry/
http://www.designerrugs.com.au/contemporary-hand-knot/
http://www.designerrugs.com.au/akira-limited-edition/
Congratulations on a lovely home..... hope this has given you some ideas. I'm thinking about submitting my home now. :)
..................... just noticed that only the top address takes you directly to the rug that I thought would suit your home. The website is a great source of rug inspiration so I recommend that you navigate through it.......... very cool.
methinks jesse really just wanted some compliments, not feedback, but here's some anyways - get rid of the wrinkled rug and the small shelves with knick knacks look like they could use something more substantial on them. and that's it. the rest is perfect!
Yup, it's a lovely home. Jesse's home is slotted in the wrong category. It shouldn't be under the Design crew ( no problem there ), but under another one called ' My Inspiring Home '.
I came. I clicked. I saw. I gasped. I fell in love. I died and gone to heaven.
Jesse, please can I move into your place because I utterly LOVE your apartment's space!!!
God! Only a girl can dream. *Starying into a dreaming land*
I think you have an unusually good start, but I'd suggest some additions/changes. I'd take one of the blankets from the ladder and fold it across the foot of the bed to add some interest there. I'd also either move some of the art around or get new, larger, pieces for above the beds and for areas that are large expanses of white. The small art pieces, while nice, look lost on those big walls. You could of course group a number of smaller pieces on one wall . . . . It also looks like your space lacks group seating; a sofa of some sort, and perhaps even more chairs, seem like they would make the space more usable. And I'd consider getting some larger rugs and using them to define the various areas: dining, living, etc. Or use an open shelf system, or high or low furniture, to divide the various areas. You also have room for more side or console tables, or dressers or other storage pieces; if you stick with your theme, they could add a lot of visual interest and useful space. Again, great start, but I agree that it could be even better with some thoughtful additions.
Beautiful place Jesse. Combine the advice from Polish Chick and Cussot and you've got my two cents worth. Oh, and forget the plants.
Plants, big ones. are what's needed.
lovely. a case study in black/white, range of wood colors and patina, and two close palettes of yellow/green and orange/coral. The deep windows and lack of obtrusive heating elements almost demand a simplified design like this. As 'gf' points out, elements of life (kids, home studios with a zillion tangled cords, and serious cooking utensils,) would be out of place here.
I agree with everyone; it's really beautiful. I think I would change the bed, though. I feel it's taking the rustic, recycled a step too far. I would do a basic mattress/boxspring/metal base and then maybe attach a simple muslin-slipcovered padded headboard. And then get a couple little side tables in a dark wood. (Or at least mount the existing boxes on the wall, as was suggested in another comment.) I agree with putting one of the blankets across the bed too.
There are only two things you should do with this apartment:
1. Leave it the way it is
&
2. Let me live with you.
Absolutely stunning.