Curious what $2,000 will get you for an apartment in Philadelphia? Think exposed beams in Old City, a 3 bedroom town home on the edge of Northern Liberties, or a 2-3 bedroom in Fairmount! Click the photo for a brief roundup on Philly Curbed
Sometimes just organizing a room and throwing in some plants, new pillows and a few picture frames does the trick. I love Emily Henderson’s style and how she spruced up this living room- something a quick trip to target, home goods and a plant store/home depot can fix!
Did you know that America’s oldest residential street, Elfreth’s Alley, is located in Philadelphia? This Saturday is the 2013 Elfreth’s Alley Fete Day. Purchase your ticket and step back in time with period characters who used to inhabit the street, and tour 12 of the homes- which are all still lived in today! I love historic houses (check out the Tenement Museum next time you are in NYC!!!!!!) so I can’t wait to check out these homes this weekend!
Chandelier love
My sister has an obsession with crystal chandeliers. I like ones that are a bit quirkier- like one I picked up in Thailand which I have still yet to officially hang that has pom poms, mirrors, and floral embroidery- trust me its amazing. I also love chandeliers in bizarre, non-traditional spots. Like bedrooms. Check out this round up by apartment therapy- the above one is my favorite- I also love color. You can find great chandeliers at thrift stores, consignment shops, etc- they don’t have to be super $$. IKEA even has some cool ones. Go ahead- add some flair to your bedroom!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/roundup-chandeliers-in-the-bed-106021
The past few apartments I lived in all had breakfast bars, but finding cool stools that didn’t take up much space was difficult. In come the Tabouret Stools- colorful, great clean lines, and stackable to get them out of the way when not being used! I found interior designer Benjamin Dhong and love how he used them to add color to this kitchen. Click the photo to go to Overstock.com, where you can purchase them for $89.99 for a set of 2- so many colors to choose from!
I love how the interior designer Emily Henderson uses bright colors and awesome patterns in all of her projects. She recently re-did the home of a woman living in a retirement home and turned it into something I would love to live in! Turqouise, teal and coral… GORGEOUS! My favorite part might be the little detail of building glass shelves into the window sills to create a vertical garden.
I often pass by huge gorgeous old brownstones in Philadelphia and wonder what it was like to live there when it was a single family home- not apartments, a museum, a library… etc that is today. I’ve walked by the Stotesbury Mansion on Rittenhouse, built in 1870 many times and wondered about its history. Did you know that it was a wedding present for Thomas McKean, a descendent of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence? In 1890, Mr. Edward T. Stotesbury purchased the home as an addition to his adjoining residence with the press calling it the largest and grandest townhouse in all of the East Coast.
Click the link for more history (including the squash court added on the 5th floor and entire Georgian ballroom imported from an English manor)!
I think plates with quirkly clean designs are fun- but are usually very $$$ when found at stores like Anthropologie. I found this DIY post on apartment therapy where they used porcelain paint pens to doodle designs on plates and planters. This would be super fun to do for a friends birthday or special occasion with their initials, lyrics etc. Now if only I had better handwriting……
Black Thumb? No space? Need some green in your apartment or home? How about trying out a vertical garden using air plants! This article on Flora Grubb Garden’s site features a few awesome vertical gardens. While theirs are all outside, you can also bring these indoors if you don’t have any outdoor spaces. Click photo to link!
One of my friends has an empty little nook in his kitchen between where the built in cabinets end and the wall is. He is currently keeping his fully stocked bar in the corner of his counter top, taking up some prime real estate. I’ve been trying to keep my eye out for an affordable bar cart, but they all seem to be insanely expensive for what it is. I found these 10 great DIYs of various bar carts. This one, the boldest and brightest, had a former life of being a school AV cart- grey and dingy. I’m sure you remember these from back in grade school when they used to house the projector machine! Click the link to see these amazing projects.
Sam Brandolini 