Room of the Day: A Place of One’s Own
This renter’s college graduation present was not what you might expect
Some college graduates get a new watch or a leather planner from their parents for graduation. This 23-year-old got the services of an interior designer. “His mom was concerned he was going to live like a slob,” says Courtney Lake, who was hired to help furnish the new grad’s first post-college apartment, in downtown Oakland, California. The mom set the budget, and Lake worked with the son to develop the space.
Watches are artfully displayed on a side table in the studio.
Once they knew what they wanted to accomplish in the space in terms of activities, Lake and her client started to think about what they wanted the apartment to look like. “[We] talked a little less about the items and more about the feel,” Lake says. He wanted a fun space where he could host a dinner party for friends, and he wanted to feel that he could invite a date over or have his mom spend the night. Since this was the client’s first apartment after college, Lake wanted it to feel special and adult, to include pieces that could handle wear and tear, and to be able to evolve with his style.
To get the creative juices flowing, they started with the closet. People often don’t know how to describe the style they are after, Lake says, but they know how to dress themselves and usually have a pretty defined personal style. In the client’s closet, there were well-tailored vintage blazers, lots of khakis, boat shoes and a colorful array of patterned ties. So for the decor, they went with a preppy-chic look with some geometric patterns.
Once they knew what they wanted to accomplish in the space in terms of activities, Lake and her client started to think about what they wanted the apartment to look like. “[We] talked a little less about the items and more about the feel,” Lake says. He wanted a fun space where he could host a dinner party for friends, and he wanted to feel that he could invite a date over or have his mom spend the night. Since this was the client’s first apartment after college, Lake wanted it to feel special and adult, to include pieces that could handle wear and tear, and to be able to evolve with his style.
To get the creative juices flowing, they started with the closet. People often don’t know how to describe the style they are after, Lake says, but they know how to dress themselves and usually have a pretty defined personal style. In the client’s closet, there were well-tailored vintage blazers, lots of khakis, boat shoes and a colorful array of patterned ties. So for the decor, they went with a preppy-chic look with some geometric patterns.
It was important that the client have a good desk because he occasionally works from home. When it came to looking for furniture, they started at the closest source. “We stole from his parents,” Lake says. A solid wood desk from the 1950s had been sitting unused in their basement for years. It was the right aesthetic and budget. “That desk was really the starting point,” Lake says.
Table lamp: Restoration Hardware
Table lamp: Restoration Hardware
The desk also doubles as a dining table. When people come over, he can pull it into the center of the space, moving the vintage coffee table to the side. The dining chairs are stackable, so the extras sit in the studio’s large walk-in closet when not in use. One serves as a desk chair, and one sits in the entryway.
Window treatments: The Shade Store
Window treatments: The Shade Store
Lake pushed the bed into the corner. Having walls on two sides makes it easier to stack pillows and makes the bed feel more like a daybed when not in use. It also gained built-in shelving that doubles as a nightstand. With the bed tucked in the corner, the view into the apartment focuses on the living space instead of the bed.
Bedding: Z Gallerie; artwork: Clars Auction Gallery, Alameda Point Antiques Faire and client’s own
Bedding: Z Gallerie; artwork: Clars Auction Gallery, Alameda Point Antiques Faire and client’s own
The sofa also came from the client’s parents, since Lake first looked at anything they were thinking of getting rid of or needed to repair. The rest of the furniture is a mixture of vintage pieces that will last and new pieces that weren’t too expensive.
Since this apartment is a rental, there was a need for compromise. The art pieces are hung with sticky hooks to avoid creating holes in the walls. However, working with the landlord, they got approval to paint the walls a dark gray.
Renter tip: Get the best paint job possible. “Nothing else is going to look good against a bad paint job,” Lake says. If your landlord is hesitant to let you paint, consider hiring a painter. Engaging a professional, Lake says, tends to alleviate a landlord’s fears.
Wall paint: custom mix from Sherwin-Williams (closest premixed would be Grizzle Gray)
Since this apartment is a rental, there was a need for compromise. The art pieces are hung with sticky hooks to avoid creating holes in the walls. However, working with the landlord, they got approval to paint the walls a dark gray.
Renter tip: Get the best paint job possible. “Nothing else is going to look good against a bad paint job,” Lake says. If your landlord is hesitant to let you paint, consider hiring a painter. Engaging a professional, Lake says, tends to alleviate a landlord’s fears.
Wall paint: custom mix from Sherwin-Williams (closest premixed would be Grizzle Gray)
A vintage periodic table poster hangs in the hallway between the entry and the living area. It’s large and graphic, filling up the wall space, and nods to the fact that the client was a chemistry major.
A mini library fills out a nook next to the entry.
Since the project was completed, the client’s mom has stayed over multiple times, and he has thrown many dinner parties. And about bringing dates over — now the client’s girlfriend lives in the studio too. Besides the bedding, everything in the space has stayed the same. “I think it’s a testament to our overall design,” Lake says.
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Since the project was completed, the client’s mom has stayed over multiple times, and he has thrown many dinner parties. And about bringing dates over — now the client’s girlfriend lives in the studio too. Besides the bedding, everything in the space has stayed the same. “I think it’s a testament to our overall design,” Lake says.
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Studio at a Glance
Who lives here: A recent college grad working at a nonprofit organization
Location: Oakland, California
Size: About 700 square feet (65 square meters)
Designer: Courtney Lake of Monogram Decor
The studio is part of a Victorian home that had been converted into a four-unit apartment building. A long hallway leads from the front door past a compact kitchen and bathroom, to the studio’s main living area. (In this photo, we see the back door.)
To get started, Lake designed a layout that would support how her client wanted to use the space. He wanted a place to work, a place to eat and a place for books, and for the sleeping area to feel tucked away. Lake says that a studio, being only one room, has its limitations, but there’s a lot you can do to make it feel like more than a living room with a bed in it.
Rug: Clars Auction Gallery