11.04.2009

Now the "Fun" Begins

Poor Adam. Because our belongings arrived in Berkeley a few days late I didn't get enough time to unpack and arrange. On Monday he moved into an apartment brimming with boxes!

Adam, though brilliant, is artistically challenged. At the very least, his taste tends to clash with mine. Think empty beer bottle collection and dart board vs. Great-Grandma's bone china and framed print of J.W. Waterhouse's Crystal Ball (with the skull, naturally). That could get ugly real fast. Thankfully Adam is the pliable sort of boyfriend who generously gives his girlfriend free reign over their home (either that or I'm the bullying sort of girlfriend who selfishly squashes her boyfriend's freedom to decorate?).

Since my excursions to Berkeley will be limited to a weekend here and there we're faced with an interesting project: decorating vicariously.

This week we're getting organized: drawing up a floor plan, taking lots of pictures, creating a list and budget of the purchases that will be necessary to spruce the place up. Here's a bit of what I'm working with...

These are pictures of the space taken when we first toured. The (ugly) furniture in the pictures is not mine!!

The Bathroom
For the sake of your eyes, I've cropped out the heinous broken medicine cabinet and fluorescent light (neither will make it to the next stage of decorating).

The "Living Room"
We're going to be using one of the two bedrooms as our living space.
We've already torn out the closet doors so that the closet can be used as an office nook.

The Kitchen
A corner kitchen that will be quite serviceable. A dishwasher! A hood! A disposal! A double sink!
If we focus on these glorious elements we can ignore the plastic cabinets and odd layout.

The Dining Area
This shows any charm that the apartment might have: the bay windows will accentuate my octagonal faux-bamboo table and chairs!

This is a rough floor plan, showing how we've got our furniture laid out currently. I've omitted the boxes :D
This is drawn from memory and to "optimistic" scale (as in, I hope it's as big as I remember it).

Coming up next, a serious debate: which shower curtain??


3 Have Spoken.:

Anonymous said...

Did you decide on a washer and dryer? Where are you putting it?

The kitchen looks quite spacious. Just what you need!

Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Lori

Elizabeth said...

We are still pondering the washer and dryer situation. Currently the only way we'll be able to do laundry is by dropping it off at one of the local laundromats- they don't have any coin-op/self-service laundromats in the area! While temptingly easy, this will be rather expensive...

If we decide to invest in a washer and dryer, the landlord has informed us that they will be placed right next to the oven. I really wanted it in the bedroom closet, but no-go. I'm still not sure I want my laundry room to be integrated with my kitchen, dining room, and entry space, but I've been on the hunt for a vintage closet or armoire that I could adapt to hide the machines.

Ann Foreyt said...

That little angled eating nook is AMAZING! I can't wait to see what you do with it!