What I think I’ll miss most about Madison is my condo. It’s 651 square feet of mine and I loved pulling it together over the past two years. Not to mention Ryan and I have many of our beginnings here (our first kiss! our first home!).
Our condo is one of the smallest in the Capitol West building (and also the cheapest – hooray!). Prior to my condo, I lived in an apartment that was about 500 square feet so the extra space was luxurious. I didn’t want something much bigger for one, because of the obvious pricing reasons, and two it’s much harder to clean, and finally, environmental concerns make it important for me to live in a small footprint. The space has a gorgeous view of Lake Monona since Madison is built on an isthmus. I will miss that a lot.
I bought the place before it was even built so it was pretty standard when I moved in. Here are some pictures from the day I closed on the condo:
Once I moved in, I was having a hard time coming up with wall colors – most seemed far too boring. I knew I had chosen some great and versatile furniture pieces… I just needed the color to make them pop! Since it’s a small space however, I didn’t want a bold color to be too overpowering.
Finally, I happened upon two photographs that served as inspiration. One featured a half wall of paint that mimicked a modern chair railing, and the other contained a wall color that was so exactly what I never knew I wanted.
I thought this was a good solution because it allowed color to come into the space, while still allowing the space to breathe and for the focus to remain on the view.
And so the taping and painting started:
Aye! What a mess!
I was so anxious to see how it looked, I wasn’t willing to let it dry… good thing for plastic!
Looks good, except for that corner… hm…
Ah, better! Ta da!
Next, a little rug and some throw pillows to cozy up the joint:
And curtains… oh how I love floor to ceiling curtains…and see how the wind is coming in from the window there? I love that.
The beginnings of my modest art collection and some family heirlooms:
Starting to feel homey, eh?
This is my favorite shot:
Let there be light! A pretty light!
I hung the flat screen TV when Ryan moved in all by myself… big holes with big toggl bolts. Quite terrifying.
Don’t look at the mess. Look at the art! More great art!
A balance between screens and books… see how I sneakily hid the TV cords? YouTube taught me that.
We also painted the bedroom “Ashley Gray” when Ryan moved in. It made a huge difference.
And hung some more floor to ceiling curtains… this time in luxurious velvet! We should be able to wrap ourselves in velvet, don’t you think?
Here’s my legendary library card file that holds all of our little things:
This is a wine rack that Ryan got me for my birthday last year. Isn’t it cool? I had a little trouble hanging it straight, but once I got that settled… wow!
And finally, those finishing touches. Do you see my cute little wall lamp?
Here’s where I got all the loot:
Arlington Sofa, Pottery Barn.
Arlington Ottoman, Pottery Barn.
Peyton Curtain Drapes, Pottery Barn.
Voile Sheer Drape, Pottery Barn.
Quinn Felted Shag Rug, Pottery Barn.
Formosa Tray Table, CB2.
Retro Metal Wall Lamp, West Elm.
Silverado Dining Table, CB2.
Icon Dining Chairs, Callagris.
IQ Hanging Lamp, Century House.
Velvet Drape, Pottery Barn.
Organic Carved Circles Duvet, West Elm.
Organic Percale White Sheets, CB2.
Parsons Console Table, West Elm.
Rosendahl Wine Tube, Century House.
For my birthday this year, among other gifts, Ryan got me this coat rack. I didn’t get to hang it yet because well, we’re moving to DC! I think it would have been the final touch, so perhaps it’s fitting that we’ll get to take it to our new place.
I’ll miss you, home sweet home:
18 replies on “Bye, Bye Condo”
I love seeing how people decorated their homes (hence my addiction to the home tours on Apartment Therapy). It’s nice to get inspiration for our own apartment– Jason and I painted our little rented place gray and turquoise and we bought a red sofa… it was scary doing it! But I love the sophistication of your place. Also, I LOVE organizing books by color, and you’ve done it perfectly!
Just think, you’ll just get to grow a new space in DC, how wonderful!
@ Harriet – Oh, I know. Before Ryan brought his big screen TV in, I didn’t watch television much, but now? Now I am addicted to HGTV. House Hunters! I love your bold color choices – I especially like gray right now. Post some photos on your blog, please! And thanks for the kind words :)
Your condo looks great now; but it is a definitive “relationship” test moving into a new condo in a new city and putting everything together…together ( ; In my opinion, it also makes it more fun to decorate and even choose the condo / extra stuff as now you’ve got a “man’s” opinion to take into account. We recently left our condo in South Florida (we still own it) to move to Dallas, TX. It definitely helped us to learn the city, the stores, our way around, etc. just buying things to decorate / move in. We also had a great time together ‘being stupid’ in the stores, while we were decorating, etc. Made for some good times, great memories…and while I’m itching to get back to South FL – it was a phenomenal experience to move somewhere where we had “no one but eachother”. A definite relationship boost! I’m jealous – I want to move again
@ Jamie — I took his opinion into account for our bedroom! We chose all of that together actually ;) And he’s bought a lot of the accessories for my birthday and Christmas and such. But yes, I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll have the budget to start over, but it will still be fun! In fact, there’s a Crate & Barrel just down the street from our new place and uh… well, all I have to say is poor Ryan! ;)
Wow, I love your condo. It’s beautiful. You did a great job on it. I’m sure the next place(s) you end up with be just as nice too. :)
@ Akirah – Thanks so much! I think I love it so much since I did all the work myself. Each time I accomplished something, I would call my mom and exclaim “Guess what I did!” It’s like grown-up play time :)
I like the look! Gives me neat ideas for my place. I’ll have to send my wife to your blog when she asks me where in the world I came up with such good-thinking design ideas :)
Love the pics Rebecca! My husband and I just moved from a small space in Los Angeles to a larger space in Denver. Your pictures provide great inspiration for decorating ideas. Thank you. I’m so excited for your move to DC. No doubt you and Ryan will make your next home just as lovely as the Madison one. Congratulations!
@ Nathan – Excellent! I am so excited that it’s providing good ideas for everyone. My shortcut way to design was to buy all white (obviously) and then let the paint and accessories pull it all together.
@ Andrea – Oh fun – our new space will be just a teeny bit larger as well. I find larger spaces a little more difficult (and certainly more expensive!) to pull together. How has that been for you? Thanks for the well-wishes :)
Rebecca, so sorry to hear that you are leaving Madison! Love your blog(s) and your place looks so great. Thanks so much for the mentions. On a side note- if you still need the hanging hardware for that coat rack, let me know. Happy to mail it to you… new or old place. Have Fun!
@ Jacob – Thanks so much! Means so much coming from the owner of one of the best stores in town! I think Ryan picked up the hardware for me already :) On a side note, this past weekend I met Erin Loecher from Design for Mankind and she said she knew all about The Century House! (She wanted to know where I had gotten my handbag and it was from CH Gifts). Thought that was neat. Anyway, thanks again!
Rebecca,
Your place is adorable. I can see why you’ll miss it so much. :)
I always want to decorate my home, but my problem is that I’m never in the same place for more than a couple of months, so it never feels worthwhile to invest. I’m in my current apartment for at least a year — so maybe I should think about making it homey.
Thanks for the inspiration and good luck with your move to DC!
@ Teresa – I can understand that dilemma, but I would definitely do some things to make these places a space for you. Once you start, you’ll see how easy it is, and you can repeat what you do in future places. Also, you can focus on buying pieces, art, etc. that are great over time. Eventually, you’ll have a space that has memories of everywhere you’ve been and will be a culmination of all your homes!
So, I don’t know if you’ve ever considered this, but thought I would just mention–you’d be an excellent Realtor. A lot of my job of helping home sellers is to reorganize their space to make sure that it shows well for potential home buyers. This photo montage is a great example of that. From plain white to awesomeness! Enjoy the east coast.
@ Josh – Haha! Well, I already have a great Realtor so I don’t need to become one :) But definitely good to keep in mind for when I eventually sell my place!
@Rebecca – to preface this comment…I am “somewhat” of a decorator ‘snob’ – so our places are typically done in the ‘usual’ Z Gallerie, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Bloomies, etc. BUT something super fun was looking up and going to garage sales; no joke. We went to garage sales in the ‘ritzy’ parts of town and did 2 rooms in all “antiquy” stuff. Kind of like a project. Where are you living / what area? 2 bedroom?
LOVE the thought process and how you did up your home. Coming from India, I naturally move to more earthy, darker colors with tons of shiny stuff, when it comes to choosing accent pieces around the home. In order for them to look good, I’m left with very few wall color choices when I plan to color my home next summer (as I want the pieces to pop).
But I like your approach too. Choose neutral color wall and accent pieces, and play it with a dramatic wall color. I may just do something like this in the guest bedroom.
@ Saber a – Thanks so much! I love rich colors as well, but when I moved in the space was so bright and cherry and the lake view so beautiful, I couldn’t help but try to retain that while still bringing in some personality. Plus, I figured this is the only time in my life where I can own white furniture : )