if you’ve got it, haunt it: how we decorated the building for halloween this year

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We’re just here for the boos! My pre-fiance, Brian, loves Halloween. No, like loves Halloween. So when he asked a few years ago if he could decorate the building, it started off innocent enough with a few tombstones. Then came the handmade coffin, then a smoke machine, then a spider the size of a small car. Each year he’s expanded on his, ahem, inventory – I mean display.

Well this year I was in for a surprise when a box the size of our mattress showed up in August. August! What crawled out of that box was none other than a 12 foot tall skeleton with light up eyes. Brian looked like a dwarf standing next to it! He tried to hide his mischievous smirk when he looked at his new toy and then to me to see if I would scold him for his frivolous (and secret) purchase.

I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I am really disappointed in you.” He kind of chuckled under his breath and then I deadpanned, “I am really disappointed that you didn’t buy two.” I mean, come on, I have to admit that a skeleton that can easily peep right into my second floor bathroom window while I’m showering is kind of a cool addition.

Then we added those good ol’ headstones, the car-sized spider, last year’s purchase: a skeleton horse with a new, black, glittery skeleton rider, and pretty much everything else Brian had squirreled away.

We normally confine the Halloween decorations to only the front yard of the building, but since we remodeled and relandscaped it last year and the trees have grown in, our usual set-up had to be reimagined since it would’ve been hidden behind the tall hedge. So we decided to try something new and instead stage it at the entrance and along the driveway of our building this year.

When we decorate for Christmas, I love to hang oversized white and gold ornaments over the driveway and last year we created a more permanent cable system that is reusable and easier to put up than fishing line. So I had this idea that we could repurpose the cables for Halloween and hang bats and skeleton spiders from up above. Brian had the idea to swag beef net “webbing” over the cables so that the spiders looked like they had created a home for themselves. As a final touch, our ghost girl hovers in the center and watches over the building and I like to joke that she’s a potential new tenant that prefers an upper floor.

We still had a lot of open cables so Brian suggested we hang the faux flame candles that we purchased for another project and didn’t end up using. They had just been sitting in the attic so he drilled some holes and looped fishing line through them so they hung upside down a la Harry Potter. This has been my favorite new element by far this year. To see the soft, warm glow of candles that appear to be floating above the driveway is really quite magical at night.

We tried to create vignettes all along the driveway and for a little property management humor, we set up a spot with a “manager” sitting in a chair holding a “Vacancy Available” sign next to an open coffin with two occupants scrambling for the chance to be interred. A metal arbor with dead tree limbs still attached frames the scene and we added black flowers to the arch of the arbor. We had been storing the arbor that was being thrown away by a restaurant for years when I said, “When else are we gonna use this thing?”

And then, this year, we have a vacant first floor apartment that we’re remodeling so I came up with the idea to create a scene in the windows and use the glow-in-the-dark skeletons that don’t really go with the rest of the outdoor decor. And Brian finally got to put one of those floor fans that tenants always throw out when they move to good use and wired a skeleton to it and turned it on to add some movement.

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We have a few more elements to add to finish it all up (a cemetery sign spanning the driveway), but we’re super happy with the skele-fun we’ve been able to conjure up during such a bummer year. To see the kid’s faces when they run down the driveway with their parents is just pure Halloween excitement. #TrickOrSuite, witches!

What’s your favorite part of this year’s Halloween decor? Let us know in the comments below.

All images courtesy of Brett Erickson I Video courtesy of Dan Magro

front yard makeover: the plan

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Ever since I took over management of the building 10 years ago, re-doing the front yard has always been at the top of my wish list of projects to complete.  But along the way, other projects took priority like exterior painting, landscaping, and apartment updates.  Somehow this project always seemed to get pushed off of the docket and ended up on the “maybe someday” list.  I even applied to a few HGTV makeover shows in hopes that our building would get picked and our front yard makeover would become a reality.  I thought maybe I even had an in when I met the designer and star of one of the shows at an event.  Sadly, even that dream died.

So this project has been about a decade in the making for me and I am beyond excited to tick this one off the list.  Before we take a look at where we’re going, let’s take a look back at where we started.

Back in 2009, the building was green and taupe and hadn’t been painted in at least 20 years.  It had a ton of overgrown foliage, peeling paint, bars on some windows, rusty security doors on a few units, dirt down the center driveway, and a plethora of opportunity to whip this 1950’s-era building back into shape.  We started small by just cleaning up the existing landscaping and then adding some new plants and faux grass down the center driveway.

Then when we painted, the building really transformed.  Take a look at the before and after photos below.

why update the front yard

Well, it’s the first thing every apartment tour, resident, visitor, and neighbor sees and as the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.   The curb appeal of the front of the building sets the tone for what you can expect when you step into one of the apartment suites and we believe that a pretty environment makes for a nicer and lovelier place to call home.

design goals

We like to approach every project we do by first asking ourselves what we can improve on.  Here’s a few things we’d like to accomplish in redesigning the front yard:

Improve curb appeal and building aesthetics

First and foremost, we wanted to redesign the front yard to be pretty – both from the street and from the inside of the community.  We want it to feel like a natural extension of the mid-century building while still updating it to make sure it fits with timeless trends.

Enclose the front yard and building

As it is now, the front yard is very open and exposed.  We feel that by enclosing the front yard, this will make the community as a whole more private, less accessible, feel more secluded, and reduce the amount of walk through foot traffic.

Provide privacy for the lower front units

These two suites have their bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen windows exposed to the street, sidewalk, and neighboring buildings.  While this can be great for people watching from the patio, this isn’t an ideal view for a bedroom or bathroom since foot traffic on the sidewalk can easily peer into these areas if the blinds are open.  We redesigned the front yard with increased privacy for these two units in mind.

Provide a sound barrier between the building and the street

Living in one of the front four units naturally comes with an expected level of street noise.  You hear the intersection, street traffic, pedestrians walking by that can get rowdy after the bars close, and Hamburger Mary’s in all its late night drag queen bingo glory.  There’s nothing to buffer and filter the sound so we also aimed to address this in the new design.

Create an outdoor area for community events and residents

Of the 16 1-bedroom apartments that make up the community, only six of them have outdoor patio areas.  The majority of the apartments have no private outdoor space and the community does not have any common areas for the residents to get together.

Every few years, we like to throw an event in the center courtyard so that all of the residents can meet each other and get to know one another.  In redesigning the front yard, we wanted to enclose it so that we could move these events to a private area that wouldn’t impede the use of the driveway.  This also creates an opportunity for our residents to have a place to be able to read a book in the sun or have a margarita outside with a friend.  We hope that the redesign of the front yard allows our residents to do that while still being mindful of the proximity to neighbor’s windows.

the plan

To prepare for the front yard redesign and for inspiration, I’d often walk up and down the surrounding streets, stopping to take pictures of yards that I admired.  I had pieced together a few different ideas that I liked when one fateful day, as I was driving along my regular short cut through an adjacent neighborhood, an intersection was closed and I was forced to take a different street.  And thank goodness I did because I literally stopped and fell in love with a front yard right then and there that I would have never seen on my regular route.  I used this yard as inspiration for the Sweetzer design.

We’re going to start with a clean slate and will be removing all of the existing boxwood, grass, ficus trees, lighting, and wire fence.  Then, we’ll level off the soil and get to work.

First up, we’ll be building a three-foot tall wall all along the length of the front yard and set back three feet from the sidewalk.  This will enclose the front yard and act as a sound barrier while also providing additional security.  We’ll finish it with smooth coat stucco and paint it to match the building so it looks like it’s been there all along.

As a focal point, we’ll also be adding two six-foot tall pillars on each side of the driveway to define the building’s entry and add some grandeur.  To these we’ll add lighting on top and address numbers.  Eventually, we’d love for these to support a gate, but for now they will act as pretty monuments to define the entry.

We’ll also add two pedestrian gates up front to access the walkways that run along the sides of the buildings.

To soften the hardscape, we’ll add a row of white iceberg roses in front of the wall.  This will break up the space between the sidewalk and the wall with pretty foliage that echoes the already existing white roses in the brick planters and along the parkway.  We’ll also plant some fig vine that will eventually climb up the half wall too.

Behind the wall, on the inside of the property, we’ll plant a row of ficus trees that will eventually grow to form a hedge and add a ton of privacy for both the community as a whole, but especially for the two lower front units.  As the front yard exists now, these suites have their kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom windows exposed to the sidewalk and street, so having a green hedge will completely transform the view in these apartments.  They’ll feel more private and like they’re nestled in their own little secret garden.

To complete the design, we’ll add faux grass on the inside – between the ficus trees and the building.  This will ensure that this area is always green while reducing our water usage and also the need for the gardener to mow (hello, no more noisy and smelly gas mowers).  This open grass area can also double as a communal area.  Imagine putting down a blanket and reading outside in the sun with a glass of rosé in hand.  Now that sure sounds suite to us.

Let us know your thoughts on the design in the comments below.

suite spaces: our client’s 1928 town home gets a close up on architectural digest

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One of my favorite quotes about interior design is by Nate Berkus when he said, “Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love brought together under one roof.”  And it never ceases to amaze me how a little style and panache can completely transform an empty apartment into the most opulent space.  So it came as no surprise when Casey Smith’s home, whom we had leased a gorgeous two story town home to, was featured in Architectural Digest.

The 1928 classic Spanish-style building sits in the heart of West Hollywood’s Historic Courtyard Thematic District.  A cluster of buildings built in the 1920s, the architecture “responds to the region’s mild climate by extending interior spaces into the outdoors and integrates the desire for individual housing and a yard with the practical need for higher density development,” according to the West Hollywood Historic Preservation Committee.

A small building of just seven town home-style units, this apartment was a stunner all on its own with its original hardwood floors, ornate fireplace, and large, picturesque windows.  Each apartment even features a unique stained glass pane located in the center of the living room and master bedroom windows that depict different scenes like a medieval sailing vessel in this particular unit.

Because this type of architecture is so coveted in West Hollywood, the second we put it on the market, we had a ton of requests to come see it and ended up with multiple applicants for just the one unit.  We were even excited to show it to one of our favorite celebrity fashion bloggers who mentioned casually that she would’ve used the second bedroom as a closet, as one does.

When we first showed Casey the town home, he immediately described how he would furnish the space and shared some before and after photos of Arizona homes that he himself had restored and decorated.  They were obviously impeccable seeing as though he cofounded Studio Cavaco with legendary stylist and former Allure creative director, Paul Cavaco.

After he moved in, when Casey invited us over to share a glass of champagne in his new WeHo abode and see for ourselves how he had styled the apartment, we were all too happy to oblige.  We were stunned to see how he had transformed the space from bare blank canvas to high society style worthy of a photo shoot and feature in well respected Architectural Digest.

We love how Casey’s home reflects his warm personality and eclectic, worldly style.  We knew he’d make the space his own and are so happy that he shared it with us.  To see more of this beautiful town home and hear how Casey describes his style, head on over to Architectural Digest here.

What was your favorite part of this home tour?  Let us know in the comments below.

Images:
Building Exterior: Kansas Sebastian I   Vacant Apartment: The Suite Life  I   Furnished: Daniel Kukla for Architectural Digest

suite spaces: making over our bedroom at the family cabin in utah

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Over the river and through the woods to…Brian’s family cabin.  We both love spending time outdoors and we’re really fortunate that his family has a cabin in southern Utah that we absolutely love to visit a couple times a year.  The family goes skiing in the winter (I’m more of a lodge bunny) and ATVing in the summer (I could ride and explore for hours).

Brian’s father, Lynn, built the barn-shaped cabin about 40 years ago as a hunting retreat for him and his buddies.  They’d come up every year to go deer hunting and Lynn was resourceful in how he finished the cabin since he worked in the new home building industry.  He reused materials like cabinets and mirrors and light fixtures that were going to be discarded from houses that were being torn down.  Talk about being thrifty, green, and creative!

Since the cabin was just a yearly hunting haven for “the boys”, naturally it was in need of some decor and interior design as it morphed into the family vacation home over the years.  Slowly, new carpeting and flooring was installed and the bare walls even got a coat of white paint.  Kathy, Brian’s mom, would spend weekends in Big Bear searching for the perfect “cabin-y” sofa and tables to make the place feel more like a home.

The room Brian and I stay in was very sparse with just the essentials like a bed and dresser.  While it was functional, after a couple years I asked if his parents would be ok with us decorating the room since we started coming to the cabin with the family more frequently.  Luckily we were given the green light, so the ideas I had rolling around in my head could finally come to life.

the inspiration

I wanted to design our room to feel like “us” while still fitting in with the cabin.  I wanted it to feel like a modern retreat in the middle of the woods.  I like to call the idea that I was going for “cabin chic”: an upscale version of your typical cabin decor.  I was mindful to steer away from brown as the dominate color and weighty wood and log-inspired furniture to keep the room from feeling too heavy.

I took note of our surroundings for inspiration which were obviously very earthy and rustic.  In winter, the cabin is covered in nothing but an icy white glaze with little pops of wood peeking through the snow from the naked tree limbs.  I also thought about what colors were absent in our environment and thought that a dark blue and stark white would be the perfect juxtaposition against the mostly cocoa-colored backdrop of Utah.  Then I started a Pinterest board to see how the ideas I had in my head all looked together.

design challenges

One of the biggest focal points and challenges in the room is the slanted back wall behind our bed.  Since it dominates the space already, I decided to embrace and highlight it rather than try to hide it.  With this in mind, I made the bold decision to paint the entire wall a deep blue hue for dramatic effect and to contrast with the white bed spread and dresser we picked out.

We also had to work with the existing brown carpeting, small window, outdated closet doors, and electrical panel on the wall.

the final look

After painting the prominent accent wall, we chose a very light grey called “Evening White” by Behr for the remaining three walls in order to soften and brighten up the space a bit.  It also created a very subtle contrast against the white baseboard, furniture, and decorative accents.

Since Brian is great at woodworking, he made us a rustic headboard by hand that helped to anchor the space, break up the dark wall, and add some texture.  Then we layered in a white linen bedspread from Restoration Hardware that has delicate blue stitching along the edges and blue satin sheets that feel like heaven after a long day of ATV riding.  We topped the bedding off with a shearling blanket and pillows for added warmth in the winter and to also bring in that “cabin-y” vibe.  For another texture touch, we added a geometric cowhide rug underneath the bed to hide some of the wall-to-wall chocolate carpeting too.

We added a large white dresser for storage that is a better scale for the room and long wall that we placed it on, opposite the bed.  Above it, we hung a fun geometric triptych picture and accessorized with woodsy accents and a few of Brian’s favorite cowboy books, natch.  A chair in the corner is both functional and pretty and to hide the unsightly electrical panel, we hung a light-colored tapestry over it so that it was hidden but still accessible.  Blue and white sheer panels from Pottery Barn helped to frame the small window and soften the lines of the wall.

All images: The Suite Life

All images: The Suite Life

Now when we walk into our room, it feels like us.  It feels very comfortable and inviting.  And there’s no better feeling than home – even if it’s your home away from home.

Resources

Paint by Behr: “Dark Navy”   I   “Evening White”   I   “Ultra Pure White”
Bedspread   I   Sheets   I  Shearling Blanket & Pillows
Rug Similar Here   I   Curtains  I   Nightstand (Vintage)
Lamp Bases Similar Here I   Lamp Shades Similar Here
Faux Plants  I  White Pots Similar Here   I   Picture Frame
Dresser   I   Artwork Similar Here   I  Blue Vase  I   Clock
Book  I   Book  I   Basket   I   Chair (Personal)

What do you think of this room makeover?  Let us know in the comments below.

these walls do talk: the retro wallpaper we find

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When we’re remodeling an apartment, there’s nothing we get more excited about than stumbling across a gorgeous vintage wallpaper design hidden underneath 65 years worth of paint.

Back in the day, wallpaper was the stylish norm and we wish that we could find pictures of our Old Hollywood-era building to see what the apartments looked like when they were originally built.  What we’ve pieced together after updating a few of our apartments is that the kitchen cabinets were probably an avocado green and the floor a black-and-white checkered linoleum with wallpaper in the dining room (different in each unit as far as we can tell).  We usually find these fun wallpapers just above the chair rail as we’re scraping off layers of paint (and sometimes layers and layers of wallpaper).

To help preserve this 1950’s nostalgia, we started saving intact scraps to frame and hang in each apartment, but we found that some of the designs were too large to get a good salvageable piece and a small scrap just didn’t do them justice.  So we’ve made sure to take photographs of the last layer of wallpaper and mark what suite number we found it in, so we can share them here.

Let us know which design is your favorite in the comments below and be sure to check out our before and after shots of a recently remodeled apartment here.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2016 and has been updated.

these walls do talk: laundry room remodel

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Laundry: Before

Laundry.  It’s loads of fun, right?  Maybe not, but I definitely think that hitting the spin cycle in a pretty space makes it a little easier to get through.  Apartment laundry rooms are notorious for being dark, drab and boring and since we’re all about “elevating apartment life”, we set out to remodel the last of the two laundry rooms at the building we manage in West Hollywood.

We got the other laundry room up and running after 20 years of downtime a few summers back, but this one was still looking all sorts of sad and in dire need of its own so fresh and so clean. Now we’re not one to air our dirty laundry, but we wanted to tell you about how we made over this space.

the before

The first thing we always like to do when tackling a project is to really take a look at the space and identify what the problems are (if any) and think of ways we can improve on them.  The first issue in this room (other than it was just sad and ugly) was that it had an awkward layout with the dryers so far away from the wall that the previous manager had to run the exhaust pipes pretty much across the length of the room.  Not pretty or practical.

Then we had the unsightly water heater in the corner and an old table to set your laundry basket on that was found on the curb (thumbs up for recycling).  The plastic sink wasn’t flush with the sloped floor and was made level by screwing it to a piece of wood that had paint peeling off of it (nice work, MacGyver).  The original 1950’s back splash, while I love vintage charm, was way too big for that small sink and just looked odd because of it.  We know from when we remodeled the other laundry room that both rooms were originally set up to have two cast iron sinks, but we’re not quite sure where they went or why they were removed from this one.  Overall, the layout left us with a tight space with not much room to maneuver and a square room screaming for some perky paint and a new personality.

the design process

Part of the fun of a project like this is getting to design it – it’s a great creative outlet for me.  I knew immediately that I wanted to incorporate a nod to the building’s 1950’s heritage and add in a bit of drama with dark walls.  My color inspiration came from blowout salon, Drybar, since I love their color combination of gray and white with touches of yellow.

I also knew that I wanted to add some cabinets with cubbies inside for the tenants to be able to store their laundry supplies like we did in the other laundry room.  That way they don’t have to carry them back and forth every time they want to throw a load of laundry in.  In the other laundry room that we remodeled, we purchased cabinets from Home Depot and then put in dividers to make individual cubbies and added colorful storage baskets for each of the tenants on that side of the building.  But this time I wanted to do something a little bit different, so I thought we’d change it up and do a Shaker-style door instead.  I know, we got super crazy!  Off to Home Depot we went to pick up the cabinets.

When shopping for accessories for this remodel, Target was one of our first stops.  Now if you’re like me, then you already know that feeling of unadulterated pure joy that can only be felt when going up and down every aisle at Target for no reason at all.  Oh those stylish Nate Berkus desk accessories; those colorful Oh Joy! and Design Love Fest end caps filled with fun little goodies that you just HAVE to have to complete your soul.

Since I was designing this laundry room at the tail end of fall, it was right around the time that “Back to School” accessories went on sale.  Naturally, I needed to browse through these as I dreamt about our future children and their cute little backpacks filled to the brim with brand new folders and pencils (all color coordinated, of course).  I pushed my cart further down the aisle and became legitimately mesmerized at all the colorful locker accessories.  Umm, where were these when I was an awkward teenager navigating the treacherous waters that are middle school?  My locker could’ve used some of this “cool” factor back in the 90’s to go along with my C+C Music Factory and En Vogue tapes, for sure.

Back at the job site later, I reminisced about those super rad locker magnets and mini chandeliers that I saw at Target to my project manager (and boyfriend), Brian.  I think I might’ve even said, “I wish I could go back to school just to decorate my locker!”  Well, then smarty pants Brian looked at me and said, “Why don’t we do lockers for the cubbies in the laundry room instead?”  DING!  That’s it!  That’s a brilliant idea that I didn’t come up with on my own (err…). But I gotta give design credit where it’s due and Brian definitely earned this one.  Back to Home Depot we went to return the Shaker-style cabinets.

We hunted high and low for lockers that were big enough to fit a standard size laundry soap jug and thought that square “box” style lockers were just the ticket.  Only we weren’t able to find them anywhere where they were also counter height.  They were either too tall or too short. Having to abandon my dream of eight individual box lockers stacked two high and four wide, we ended up going to a locker salvage yard and purchasing used double-tier vintage lockers instead.  Oh, the memories they evoked from my Thunderbird days.  The good news was that they were within budget.  The bad news was that they were old, beat up, and blue.  Brian got to work on power washing them and then hammering out some dents in addition to cutting them in half, painting, and securing them together.

 

pulling it all together

Now that we had our lockers and a solid vision, we got to work on pulling the whole design together.  We started by relocating the ugly water heater out of the room and to the other side of the wall where there is an adjacent storage closet.  This freed up a ton of space and let us lay out the room in a more functional way.

We chose white wainscoting for the lower half of the walls to break up the space and give it some fun texture.  Behr “Ultra Pure White” is always our go-to white and it really helped to brighten up the small space.  To give the room some drama, we tested a few samples for the top part of the walls and finally landed on “Legendary Gray”, also by Behr.

We chose a standard Home Depot bathroom cabinet to house the sink and to covertly hide a few cleaning supplies underneath too.  I’m happy to say that when we remodeled the other laundry room, it had those two original cast iron sinks I mentioned earlier.  We saved one for this remodel and after storing it for a few years, we were able to put in back into action.  Welcome back, old buddy!  We gave it a good scrub and anchored it to the wall and cabinet.

To give the space a little glam, we tiled the sink surround with marble tile.  The hexagon shape was another nod to the 1950’s while the material was just the perfect touch to elevate the space a bit.  I think it’s so fun to use fancy finishes in unexpected places like a boring, old laundry room.  And because the amount of tile we needed was so small, we could afford to splurge a little bit here.

the after

They always say “the devil’s in the details” and I definitely think it’s the accessories job to help make the whole design come together in a cohesive way.

For the counter top, we opted for butcher block to warm up the space since Carrera marble felt too cold and like a little bit too much.  Each locker got a butcher block shelf added to it to create a place for two tenants to store their laundry supplies.  Then we labeled the inside of each locker door with yellow numbers that correspond to the tenant’s apartment number.  I still get a nostalgic kick out of that sound of metal hitting metal when opening up the lockers now.  On top of the counter top, we found the cutest vintage washing machine container from Cost Plus.  We used our Cricut to label this as the “lost & found” for stray socks.  When a solemate goes missing and is placed inside, it looks like the little washing machine has a full load of laundry in it.  So cute!

On the wall above the lockers, we added a few Ikea “Ribba” frames and used our Cricut again to design and cut out our own “artwork”.  We used large clothespins for one frame and classic laundering symbols for the other to help illustrate tenant “laundriquette” when using the communal space.

There’s nothing worse than when doing laundry, a neighbor cuts in front of you or (gasp) moves your laundry from the washer to the dryer so that they can use it.  As Stephanie Tanner would say, “How rude!”  To avoid these types of scenarios, we designed a way for the tenants to communicate who was doing laundry and who was next in line.  Each tenant now has their own name tag hung on a bubble-filled drawer pull anchored to the wall.  When doing laundry, they can move their name tag to the clip that says “washing” or “drying” to let neighbors know who is doing laundry and who is next in line.  That way, if a load is accidentally left in the dryer and forgotten about, we know whose door to knock on.  Or a tenant can claim their place in line by putting their name in the “waiting” clip.  Our tenants are very courteous and will knock on each other’s doors to let them know that they’re finished and that the washer is now available.  And for some fun, we added some magnetic poetry to play with while they wait for the machines to stop spinning.

To light the room, we went with an affordable Ikea “Vitemolla” fixture that brought in some texture and then angled each of the lights to spotlight certain parts of the room.  We chose a 50’s inspired trash can from The Container Store and to create an immediate focal point, we added a decal from Etsy that helped to bring in some of that vintage feel as well as break up the gray wall.

On the wall above the sink, we added a wire organizer from Cost Plus that was painted white and inside we added a few small accessories like a plant, vintage-looking hand soap, and a mason jar filled with clothes pins.  Above the self, we hung a metal “laundry” sign, also from Cost Plus, that we repainted yellow.  And since we always like to “surprise and delight” wherever we can, we also added a mason jar filled with Lemonhead candies for our tenants to enjoy while doing laundry.  We think the space turned out pretty sweet (even without the candies).

Let us know your favorite part of the remodel in the comments below.

these walls do talk: a peek into our remodel process

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Not only do we put in a lot of hard work and spend long hours on our apartment remodels, we also put in a ton of thought and a bunch of love.  Built in 1951, this gorgeous mid-century modern building in Los Angeles is home to 16 one-bedroom suites that each get a makeover upon vacancy.

In our last completed remodel, it was also our first suite to get a complete overhaul with an all new kitchen and bathroom – both of which we had never taken on before.  This Harlow floor plan suite had been occupied for more than 10 years and had been lived in hard.  There were four (!) different types of flooring in this one bedroom apartment: old, matted carpet in the living room and bedroom, retro parquet wood flooring in the dining room, original lime green ceramic tile in the bath, and thick, dark Spanish tile in the kitchen.   The white paint on the walls had seen better days and there was custom shelving drilled high along the walls from the previous tenant.  It needed a ton of love to get back into decent shape.

Back in the ’50’s, carpet was considered a luxurious upgrade to an apartment building, but nowadays hardwood floors are way more desirable and much easier to take care of over the long term.  So when we set out to design what our remodeled apartments would include, we made sure to nix the carpet and opt for real maple hardwood floors – no laminate over here, SuiteHearts.  We also wanted to preserve some of that Old Hollywood-era charm while still making sure that the interiors of our suites were updated and functional.  We’ll show you how we achieved both.

the living room

Suite 17_Before_Living Room

The great thing about this floor plan is that it had good bones with a large living area and big windows, two walk-in closets, original crown moulding, and a built-in book shelf.  We didn’t feel that it needed major improving, aside from installing those espresso-colored hardwood floors throughout and adding window blinds.

Of course, paint is a must and has an immediate impact to any space, so we opted for a subtle hue and chose Behr’s “Chocolate Froth” for the walls and “Ultra Pure White” for all of the doors and trim.  We like to keep things uniform throughout all of our suites so this is the standard color we’ve been using for a while now with great feedback from our residents.  We’ve found that it is a nice neutral background that creates a good contrast from the white trim and allows enough color to make the space feel warm and inviting without being polarizing to different decor and color schemes.

We also made some simple changes that had high impact like replacing the doors on the two closets from dated louvered doors to more vintage-inspired and polished 2-panel rounded pre-hung ones.  One of these walk-in closets housed the suite’s water heater which was an odd location, so we took the opportunity before the hardwood floors were installed to relocate it to the closet directly outside the kitchen’s back entrance.  That left both walk-in closets open to a ton of storage possibilities.  (Shoe closet, anyone?)

To preserve the 1950’s character, we kept the gorgeous original crown moulding that runs along the living and dining room ceiling.  While we were torn with keeping the original wood detail of the built-in bookshelf, we chose to update it instead with glass shelving to keep the space open and airy.  Opting for glass also means not having to paint the shelving after each vacancy and adds a nice focal point.

the dining room

 Suite 17_Before_Dining Room

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While the space was pretty simple before, we made some small updates like reinstalling the chair rail that had been removed throughout the years and adding decorative moulding below to better define the space and separate it from the living room.  The moulding also added a luxurious touch to this room that’s reminiscent of the 1950’s era it is from.  Simply swapping out the dated ceiling fan for a shiny new lighting fixture sealed the deal for this divine dining room.

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the kitchen

Suite 17_Before_Kitchen

Suite 17_After_Kitchen

We opted to take the plunge and remodel the entire kitchen out of necessity.  We found that throughout the years (prior to us taking over management of the building), some of the previous residents had decided to take matters into their own hands and customize the space to fit their personal needs.  While this is fine if you own the place or get permission from your Landlord ahead of time, this wasn’t the case for us and the owner of our building was left to fix all of the damage that previous tenants had done over time.

Thick, dark tile was installed on top of the old linoleum floor in the kitchen creating an uneven transition from the parquet covered dining room.  The cabinet doors in the kitchen had been removed and thrown away (we’re still not sure what the tenant was thinking on this one), a resident cut the bottom of one of the cabinets to be able to squeeze a portable dishwasher on top of the counters, and previous to this last tenant, a dog was allowed to scratch and gnaw at the bottom of the kitchen cabinets which were unable to be fixed without having to rebuild the entire cabinet.  They were too damaged to be salvageable, so we knew we had to start over.

With the kitchen being totally overhauled, we took the opportunity to redesign the layout and started with moving the sink from the corner (where a lot of counter and cabinet space was wasted) to moving it underneath the window.  This allowed for more usable counter space while still being able to look out of the window while doing dishes.

In the previous layout, the refrigerator and stove were directly across from each other which could cause some traffic congestion if both appliances needed to be accessed at the same time. So we opted to move the fridge as far over as we could to allow for more space.  We also tucked a tall pantry next to it as well for additional food storage – something that the previous kitchen never had.

After researching a few different suppliers and options, and traveling to a ton of different stores to see them in person, we chose to go with Ikea’s new Sektion cabinets because of their affordability, durability, and longevity.  What really sold us is that if something happens to one of the cabinet drawers or doors down the road, we can easily swing by Ikea and pick up a replacement.  Each cabinet was built and installed by us by hand (there’s extra love in those cabinets we can attest) and includes soft-close hinges and drawers.  Every inch was maximized and there’s even a shallow hidden drawer inside the top drawer of each of those bottom cabinets.

We opted for white Shaker-style cabinets and light colored quartz counter tops to keep the kitchen feeling light and bright.  To add some subtle color, we went with a green glass back splash to bring in a bit of a modern feel and tiled the entire space behind the stove as a focal point.

the bedroom

Suite 17_Before_BedroomSuite 17_After_Bedroom

There really wasn’t much decorative detail in the bedroom to add or improve on.  Simple updates to the paint, blinds, and ceiling fan were standard.  Where we achieved some high impact in this room, was when we updated the closet doors.

The original closet configuration included wooden closet doors that were tired and didn’t slide well.  The storage space up above was deep, but not really easily accessible or practical.  So we started over and installed floor-to-ceiling mirrored closet doors that completely transformed the space.  They immediately opened up the room and made it even brighter.  Inside, we added a closet organizer with shelving to maximize the space and also updated the linen closet cleverly hidden behind the bedroom door with the same Ikea cabinets that we used in the kitchen. Storage galore!

the bathroom

Suite 17_Before_BathroomSuite 17_After_Bathroom

While redoing the entire bathroom was not on the original remodel plan, as the project evolved, it quickly became clear that if we were going to put this much effort into one suite, why not go all the way?  We had always planned on updating the bathroom, just not to this extent.  Bye bye groovy lime green tile, hello stunning Carrera marble!  Go big or go home, right?

While we loved the original tub, it just wasn’t big enough for those Calgone moments, so we opted to go with a stand-up shower configuration instead.  In this small space we splurged a little bit and went with white-and-gray Carrera marble for the shower with a silver band and shower nook accent.  We chose a frameless and trackless sliding shower door to keep the bathroom feeling as open as possible and make cleaning a breeze.  The floor is gray ceramic and the bathroom is accented with brushed nickel hardware – from the toilet paper holder to the towel bar and textured mirror.

The space between the vanity cabinet and shower was tight so we had to get creative and repurpose a piece of furniture from one of our favorite affordable hidden gems, Nadeau Furniture on La Brea.  We customized this piece to fit the plumbing and added an above cabinet sink to complete the overall look.

It was a lot of work but also a ton of fun shopping for and putting together every piece that went into this suite.  The owner of our building loved it so much that they opted to remodel the next two suites coming up just like this one.  Deep breath, we’re off to Ikea again…

What was your favorite part of this remodel?  Let us know in the comments below.

brighten up your apartment with a bouq

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the grace bouq
There’s nothing we love more than coming home to fresh flowers.  They instantly brighten up any room, smell amazing, and give your apartment that whole “put together” vibe.  So when we heard about The Bouqs (pronounced just like bouquet, but without the “et” at the end), we just had to try out their blooms.

The Bouqs makes sending fresh flowers to your apartment (or a friend) easy and affordable. Their signature bouqs come from Equador and are grown on the side of an active volcano which means lots of sunshine and nutrient rich soil (let’s just hope that volcano keeps a lid on it so we can keep getting our shipment of flowers, ok?).  The blooms are cut when you order them and are shipped directly to you instead of sitting in a warehouse cooler like at a regular florist, which means that they’ll last longer.  And each bouq is reasonably priced at only $40 and includes shipping!

We ordered the “Desperado” with hot pink roses and purple filler accents and when prompted if we wanted to double the amount of flowers we received for only $10 more, naturally we said yes! Who wouldn’t want more roses at that price point?

Our shipment arrived the following week in a long gray box and included flower food and directions on how to arrange our bouq to make sure that they lasted as long as possible.  We wasted no time in arranging the roses in a vase and brightening up our desk in the living room. We even upcycled some pretty glass bud vases (reed diffusers in their previous life) and spread the bouqs around to perk up the bathroom and bedroom too.

If you’re a planner (or a bit forgetful), you can even sign up for their “concierge” service where you can arrange to have flowers shipped automatically on important dates, like mother’s day or your boss’s birthday.  If you just want to keep your apartment looking cheerful and put together, you can also subscribe for regular deliveries to your doorstep either weekly, monthly, or every few months.  We think that’s a pretty sweet way to brighten up any room.

Check out The Bouqs here and tell them that The Suite Life sent you.

Do you love fresh flowers in your apartment?  Let us know your favorite kind in the comments below.

 

images: the bouqs

LA inspired decor

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Whether you’re already an official Angeleno or on your way to moving to the West Best Coast, we all have something special in common: We love LA!  And what better way to show off your love for the city of angels than by paying homage to the beaches, the palm trees, and the bright Hollywood lights with a little LA-inspired decor?

Our search for the best accessories started when photographer Catherine McDonald followed us on Twitter and we clicked through to her website.  A few clicks later and we were madly in love with her pics and her pillows!  So much so that we were inspired to find some fun decor to help bring a little bit of LA home to your apartment.

Welcome to the land of fame, excess.  Are you gonna fit in?  Of course you are!  And now so will your apartment with these fun and fabulous LA-inspired decor items.

1: “The View: Los Angeles” canvas print by Catherine McDonald $75.00-$175.00
The city of Los Angeles as seen from Griffith Park Observatory.

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2. “Strength” pillow by Catherine McDonald $30.00-$40.00
Palm Tree in Los Angeles, California.  Pillow is professionally printed with original artwork. One-sided or double-sided printing.

3. “Hollywood” pillow by Catherine McDonald $30.00-$40.00
Hollywood sign in color.  Pillow is professionally printed with original artwork.  One-sided or double-sided printing.

4. Beach rocks glasses by Sisters of Los Angeles (Set of 4) $45.00
Surf’s up at Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu, and Zuma with this set of four beach glasses. The perfect way to celebrate the end of a day, the ultimate wave, or that one-way ticket you just booked to LAX (whoop! whoop!).  Each 11 oz. glass is printed with organic inks right here in Los Angeles.  Because organic and local is so LA.

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5.  DTLA printed shower curtain by Janet Antepara Designs $65.00
Black and white photo of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).  While you’re sittin’ pretty in el baño, you can close your eyes and imagine lip syncing to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” while making your way through LA traffic.

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6. Hollywood sign drink coaster by Zazzle $12.95/each

7. Los Angeles modern wall clock by iluxo $39.99
This modern clock features the iconic Randy’s Donuts, Beverly Hills palm trees, a view of downtown, and LA’s initials.  You can set it to your local time or mount it next to another wall clock with the time in Los Angeles.  You know, so you can get acclimated to your future time zone, dahling.

8. Oscar statue cookie cutter as seen on YumSugar (with recipe) $12.90
Nicole Perry of YumSugar cleverly used a mummy cookie cutter and magically transformed the shape into an Oscar!  You can sit with us, Nicole Perry.

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9. Silver lake candle by Stark Waxing Studio $32.00
Fresh, spicy green, crisp scent with hints of caramel and fruity apple.  Yep, that smells like Silverlake to us.  Notes of cape chamomile, cucumber, tuberose and sandalwood.  Oh yeah, we can smell the hipsters now.  (Is that a hint of kale we detect?) All Stark candles are 100% soy wax with a cotton wick and hand poured in Los Angeles. How very LA of them.

10. Chateau Marmont & Hollywood Roosevelt locket by Myan Soffia $24.00
Using Myan Soffia’s images as three interchangeable lids, Cat from Polarity has created this gorgeous magnetic locket.  Flaunt your LA style with pictures of the Chateau Marmont, LA skyline, & Hollywood Roosevelt hotel (Marilyn Monroe’s ghost not pictured).

11. Vintage black and white street sign of Los Angeles by Z Gallerie $249.95-$399.95
This street sign of Los Angeles lists the locations that every traveler should visit on a trip to The City of Angels. This giclee by Zoey Riley lists all of the destinations that should never be missed in the amazing city in which they are located.  Wait, we have a Main Street?

12. LAX perfume by The Scent of Departure – for women and men
Jet-set to LAX without leaving home.  Just a spritz of this Los Angeles perfume will spark scent-sational memories of sauntering down Robertson.  Conjuring the subtle aromas of life in your favorite urban oasis, this fragrance sparkles with notes of jasmine and gardenia. Each packaged perfume comes travel ready: the bottle is designed to look like a baggage claim ticket.

13. Beverly Hills notebook $8.00
Jot down all of your memories and star sightings in Beverly Hills.  And be sure to get Lisa Vanderpump’s autograph (and Giggy’s paw-tograph) when dining at Villa Blanca.

What’s your favorite item from our LA inspired decor picks above?  Let us know in the comments below.

Head on over to our Pinterest page for even more LA Decor selections including a candle by Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles’ Madison Hildebrand that smells like the beaches of Malibu.  Happy decorating!

5 ways to warm up your suite for fall

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Fall is one of our favorite times of the year.  The leaves turn colors, the weather gets crisp, and all the yummy pumpkin and butternut squash recipes come out at our favorite restaurants.  We love to bring this feeling indoors and make our apartment feel just as cozy. Here are five easy and inexpensive ways to make your home feel warm and comfortable for Fall.

start at the front door Fall entry

Create an instant feeling of warmth before your guests even step inside.  Hang a seasonal wreath on your door (we love this over-the-door wreath hook so you don’t damage the apartment door with nails). Then change out your door mat to a warm color or fun pattern that immediately says “Autumn”.  If space permits, you can also add a large uncarved pumpkin or a cluster of smaller ones by the side of your door or a pot with Fall colored blooms.

suite scents DIY-Votive-Candles-with-Leaves

There’s nothing better than walking into a room that smells of the holidays or mom and dad’s house at Thanksgiving.  We love to choose one seasonal scent and then use that throughout our entire apartment so your nose gets the same fragrance from room to room. Add a few candles, scented bead jars or potpourri to each room, a spray and reed diffuser in the bathroom, and a few scented sachets in closets.  In the bathroom, you can also try this fun product, Poopourri, that even offers holiday scents.  Try not to go too candle crazy – the goal is to have a subtle seasonal scent that makes your apartment feel warm and inviting.

For Fall, try scents like pumpkin, spiced cake, or cranberry sauce.  Then switch to pine, peppermint, cinnamon, or gingerbread in December.

add a warm throw blanket zambia-throw-chocolate-043284624a

Cuddle under a furry blanket in the living room or bedroom when the temp dips lower.  It will instantly warm up any space.  A favorite of ours is from Z Gallerie because it is just so soft and has a warm lining.  Drape the throw over your couch or chair or fold and place at the end of your bed. And remember that faux is always the way to go when purchasing “fur” items.

change up your pillows fall-leaf-pillow-21

Give your daily throw pillows a break and bring out some harvest inspired or Autumn colored ones to spice up your apartment’s decor.   Add one or two to the couch, a side chair, and a few on the bed to make any space more festive. We found these cute DIY pillows on fab blog Positively Splendid.

treat yourself to fresh flowers pumpkin-vase-fall-flowers-sunflower-bouquet-decoration

Fragrant blossoms instantly make any room feel brighter and Autumn offers some beautiful blooms.  In season for Fall are the rich hues of chrysanthemums, calla lilies, roses, dahlias, and gerbera daisies.  Add a small bouquet to your kitchen table, your nightstand, bathroom counter, or coffee table for a fresh and fragrant statement.

How do you cozy up your apartment for Fall?  Let us know in the comments below.

photos: ciao domenica, b lovely events, z gallerie, positively splendid, lush home