I hesitate to share these because a. the pictures are pretty crappy and b. the space is only 60% complete, if that. But then I realized that I probably won’t ever be completely satisfied with the pictures OR the space, so I might as well show you what I’ve done so far.
These pics are from Instagram, which I just joined (@catherine_p_ahern), and typical for me, I have no idea what I’m doing. But as amateur as these are, I know they’re better than what I’d be able to come up with using my old point-and-shoot camera, if I was even able to find it, which I’m not. I have a whole wall of windows in the main space, but unfortunately, I took these on a rainy, cloudy day, which didn’t help anything. Oh well. C’est la vie, right?
Here’s what you see when you walk in:
The sofa is old and will soon be replaced (but I bought it at Reunions, if you’re interested–they often have good consigned furniture). My new-to-me sofa is currently being reupholstered. I told them it wasn’t a rush, but that might have been a mistake because waiting.is.hard. The coffee table is from CL (blogged about here). I’m obsessed with the wood grain and the lines of the piece overall. The vintage desk (you can just see the edge of it on the left) was swiped from my parents’ basement. The brass etagere (on the far right) is from CL (blogged about here). The art is by Pat Barron and is from the Torpedo Factory. I don’t know if it depicts and actual event or real people, but it feels quintessentially D.C. to me, and I love it for that reason. The rug is from Anthropologie and is one of the few real “splurges” I’ve ever made on decor stuff. Never regretted it for a second though. Sometimes you need to splurge.
If you look to the left, you see this:
The chair and ottoman are Plycraft knockoffs of the classic Eames lounger. I got them off CL when I lived in Richmond. I plan on giving them to my little brother some day because form-wise, they’re not really my style, but function-wise, they make for the most comfy reading corner imaginable, so I might not be able to part with them. The brass side table was swiped from my parents’ garage. The wood side table with built in lamp was a gift from my mom in college. I’m 90% sure she got it at the Ft. Myer Thrift Shop, which has never let me down (and you don’t have to be military to go; you just tell the guard when you show him/her your ID). The art was swiped from my parents’ house. It’s an antique map of Newport, R.I., where I was born.
If you look to the right, you see this:
The bookshelf is Ikea’s versatile Expedite. I think the baskets are also Ikea, but I can’t really remember. I’d like to replace them anyway. The books are only like 25% of my collection … the rest are boxed in the awesome storage space behind this wall flanked by those two mini doors (they’re my height). The lamps are from Home Goods. The art is from a thrift store in Richmond, but I can’t remember its name (Update: It was Consignment Connection. I was reminded by today’s “Day of Thrifting” post at YHL. Thanks, Sherry! Good timing!). They were an awesome find at $100 for four framed vintage Cadillac prints (the fourth piece of the series is on the etagere, and you can see it peaking out in the first picture). The brass cranes, vintage glasses and vintage brass caddy holding the glasses are all from the Ft. Myer Thrift Stop.
There’s not much to share in other areas yet, but I’m working on it, I promise. Slow and steady, slow and steady.
DC CL 