le apartment // dining room

the last little bit of the apartment of any interest is the dining room. i say dining room, but really. come on. it's more of a hallway. a pass-through zone at most.

i can count the number of times in the nearly four years i've been here that my table has seated more than three people. there's just not enough room.

i inherited my little collapsible/expandable breakfast table from my grandparents and promptly primed and painted it. i wanted mismatched, but similar, chairs in different colors, so i scoured a few thrift stores and got all four (the fourth green chair is in the office) for less than $30. i try to pick up vintage tablecloths at estate sales when i find them (and when they are in fair condition) and this red fruit cloth is one of my favorites.

i love this little gallery space, which is basically an ashleyg wall. i'm quite fond of her babies and bearded men if you couldn't tell. the other fellow up there? my one and only, ricky gervais by elloh. oh, yes, i am that... kooky? we'll call it kooky.

this is the pastel corner, where everything seems a bit more subdued than the rest of the apartment. but there's still a lot of stuff, clearly.

i recently picked up the three pink and the one blue pyrex bowl at my local thrift store. all four pieces in one day and each no more than $3! it was a good trip. thinking about it, i don't think i've paid more than $3 for any of the, uh, collectibles on my cosco cart.

the rest of the cart is basically visible storage: buttons, yarn, vintage silk thread, bar ware, and old linens and tablecloths, etc. i picked up the cart at an estate sale and, after a good cleaning and scrubbing with steel wool, spray painted it sweet pea pink.

the vintage yellow cosco stool was also a great find. i think i paid $2 or $3 for it at a garage sale. keith helped me clean it up and now it's ready for the kitchen (when i have a kitchen big enough for it).

on the wall above cosco corner are various girly bits that i've picked up here and there. i love the floral bird needlepoint (big surprise, right?) and the little glittery bisque animal medallions were a surprise find at an extremely junky and dirty yard sale. they cleaned up nicely and i strung them all on a length of grosgrain ribbon.

the wooden handle linen cross stitch bag was a birthday gift from a sweet friend a few years ago ♥ (oh, man. i need to find better hooks than clear acrylic thumbtacks)

i have two sets of these owl plaques. one set is by my front door and this set perches above my bedroom door. they crack me up.

on the other side of my cosco cart is an antique armoire that i picked up at an auction several years ago for $90. i love the rounded shape and the best part is the inside.

the inside is still outfitted with the original hardware and labels.

in its first life, this armoire was a gentleman's dressing wardrobe. there are labels for collars, shirts, ties, and more. i use the armoire now for craft, fabric, ink, and computer hardware/software/cables storage.

the top of the armoire is used for displaying a few of my vintage cameras, an old check printing machine (picked up purely for the turquoise/aqua color), and other bits and bobs. see that olive green bowl sticking out on the right-hand side? my mom asked me if i was interested in an "old enamel bowl" that she had gotten as a wedding gift in the early 1970s. it's actually a cathrineholm lotus bowl and i love it so.

at the foot of the armoire, i use my grandparents' old traveling cases for more storage. one holds old photographs and one holds all my embroidery supplies.

i picked up this 1960s plastic shell chair at an estate sale and i'm actually having second thoughts. or, more accurately, sinful thoughts because i really want to change the color. it's a bit drab, but i know spray paint would be sacrilege.

so, that's it! i do have a small foyer, a tiny bathroom, and a plain bedroom, but they're all pretty uninteresting. thanks for indulging me in this little project! (and i can guarantee that the apartment is nowhere nearly as clean right now as it was when i snapped these photos. life.)

le apartment // the kitchen

le apartment // living room

le apartment // office