3/28/14

My Apartment & Studio Tour

Hello and welcome to my humble abode!  As promised, today I am finally sharing a tour of my little apartment and home office for my vintage shop!  Built in the early 1900s, my apartment is on the bottom level of an old Victorian house in the historic district of my town.  With age comes the charm that really made me fall in love with the place, but it also definitely brings a few quirks that I could live without (cough cough, I don't have a shower... only a bathtub)!  There is a bedroom, the main living room/ office area, and then a tiny kitchen and bathroom.  And even with all the odd quirks, I really couldn't have asked for a better place to be the first real place that was all my own!


What would you say is your "design aesthetic"?
I really love bright white spaces with pops of color.  For this apartment, I stuck with neutral whites and grey's and then brought in punches of citrusy- pastel colors throughout with flowers, plants, and artwork.

What is your favorite thing to do in your apartment?
Whew, that's a hard one! I really love mornings here, drinking coffee and reading my favorite blogs or editing photos.  That is definitely my most inspired time of day.  I really love having a super productive day working on the shop too, whether that be writing a bunch of new listings or shooting a lot of new products!  My favorite non work related guilty pleasure to do at home is to get takeout and eat it snuggled in bed watching a show on netflix!

 

Favorite Part of the Apartment: 
My favorite part of my apartment definitely has to be the little breakfast nook table with stools.  Besides the dark hardwood floors and the arched doorways, it's what really made the apartment feel special!  When I first moved in, I did a DIY to make the hanging caged lantern lights using materials I bought off amazon, and later added the hanging plants and a beautiful "Stop and Smell the Roses" print R got me for my birthday this year.

Least favorite thing about the apartment:
The thing I really don't like about this apartment is the lack of natural light, which is probably evident in these dingily lit photos.  Though the windows are above ground level, there are not many, and there is also a hedge (for privacy) that blocks out a lot of the light.  Because my online shop depends heavily on well lit product photos, it makes the editing part of my job way harder!  I think this is what I am most excited about when R and I move this summer.  The new place definitely needs to have lots of bright natural light!

 

How do you balance work and personal space when it is just one small studio?
This is also a touch one, and I hope to have a bit more separation of space when I move this summer.  However, I have definitely found ways to make this work as both a home and an office/studio!  It really came down to creative organization for all of my vintage inventory.  I used to have multiple bulky rolling racks around the living room, but then purchased my huge ikea shelving unit which has been a life saver.  Now after an item is fully cleaned, altered, photographed, and listed, it gets folded and tucked away into a color-coordinated shelf until it is purchased by someone and shipped out.  The second most important thing for me is to always keep things really neat and clean.  In such a small space, everything needs to have a place, and its helpful to put everything away and clean up the days work before breaking for the night.

 

What does a typical shop day look like for you working from home?
It really depends on the day!  I try to do shop tasks in large chunks, focusing on one or two main things for the day instead of trying to dabble in a little bit of everything every day.  For example, one day may be solely focused on altering and fixing up a new batch of vintage with lots of sewing.  Another day may be for photographing items to go in the shop and then editing photos for Etsy listings.  Saturdays are almost always my buying days, as its when the thrift stores in my area usually have the best sales happening.  Whatever the focus of the day is,  it usually begins with a short trip to the gym or a home workout, followed by coffee and blogging or answering emails.  I then get into the main task of the day, and take a break for lunch or to walk to the post office to ship out orders.  Typically I make an easy home cooked meal and end the day relaxing either doing some sort of craft or watching a favorite show.  And my weekend are almost always spent at R's place!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit more about my place and my day to day life! If you have any questions about where anything is from, just leave it in the comment section and I will get back to you!
xo Hannah

25 comments:

  1. Hi Hannah.....Just love your studio!! The decorating is inspired and totally you. I especially like the little touches of the beach that are around....Have my own, so your's jumped right out at me. I can definitely see what made this place so appealing. Look forward to pictures of your new place. I am sure between the decorating skills that you and R have demonstrated it will be pretty wonderful. Hugs, @

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    1. Aww thank you Alyce! And of course I needed a little bit of the beach around inside! :)

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  2. Hi Han,
    Having stayed in your darling little apartment in a PERFECT location (just up the hill from your favorite coffee place), I know it's both cute AND comfy! You're right, it is the perfect first place of your own. Even Dad didn't grouse about no shower!! Plus, you usually have cats or kittens snuggling with you there, too, making it even more purrrrfect!! Love, Mom

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    1. Thanks mom! And yes, the kitty visitors totally make it! :)

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  3. So of course your apartment is absolutely ADORABLE! I'm loving all your pretty colors and especially the way you aligned your hats against the wall like that. This is all so you. :D !!!

    I can't wait to furnish and decorate my own apartment. It's something I'm always dreaming of, eep!

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    1. Aww thank you Ali! I was also SO excited to have my first place to decorate all on my own!!! Yours will come soon enough! :)

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  4. O my goodness, your space is ADORABLE! I love everything about it!
    Jordyn
    Pretty Lovely

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  5. i enjoyed seeing more of your beautiful little place Hannah! it looks like you keep things really well organized, and i noticed that you have a lot of good little shelving areas that i think would really help that (and what J & I lacked in our last place), we'll def have to remember to invest in a bit more storage space when I move to our one-bedroom in Austin. I also really adore white w/ bright accents, so your little space really is a dream space to me! interesting to hear about the lighting, from your past pics i always thought you had lots of great natural lighting, bummer on that! i def know how impt that is w/ picture taking. oh and... before this turns into a book, i only have a tub right now too in my temp place. maybe you do this, but i bought a huge pitcher from the dollar store & it's so helpful when i want a quick shower-like bath haha hopefully not tmi...

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    1. HAHA Dus , totally not TMI at all! I actually use an oversized mason jar for the same purpose... though a plastic pitcher would probably be lighter and better, I am always afraid im going to drop the glass on my head haha! And thank you!!

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    2. oh phew, glad to hear! & yay, great minds think alike! I too originally had the idea of glass but then i remembered how often i drop it in the kitchen.

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  6. Oh my goodness! SWOONfest! I just adore what you've done with your apartment. It's so chic and has a rustic vibe with a modern twist that I love! Come decorate my home next please?

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  7. What a great space! Love your bedroom- w the lights and hats. Dreamy!! Small spaces are so cozy and you've done well at making it homey without looking too cluttered-

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  8. I'm so happy you shared this! Your space is so perfect and it was really fun to learn more about your day to day life. I've always wanted to live in a historic home. It sounds like you have a really good schedule for your shop and I'm so happy for you that you're following your passion- very inspiring! Thanks for the peek into your world!

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  9. What a fun post! Such a a fresh & clean, girly space - love it! :D

    <3 Megan
    http://www.garden-variety.net

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  10. Oh my... there's simply so many things about your apartment that's so lovely that I don't quite know where to start. It is quaint yet you also gave it a breath of modernity. I love the breakfast area, the bathroom and the lights above the bed headboard. I also like that the overall white theme looks really fresh.

    Thank you for visiting my blog too. Now that the GFC glitch is solved, I'm following you via GFC and bloglovin. I hope we could stay connected. =)

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  11. ah, i love your apartment! it's really pretty&lovely, and filled with wonderful things:-) x

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  12. Ooooh Hannah, it's SO pretty!!! I especially love the kitchen and bathroom. I love all the white walls with pops of color. It's such a clean look, and it looks so inviting!

    xox Sammi
    www.thesoubrettebrunette.blogspot.com

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  13. Han, I loved your place this past fall and now it's even more beautiful! Great job with all the colors and turning your small space into such a good home and office. Can't wait to see what you and R come up with together this summer :) ~Kar

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  14. Love your apartment! The breakfast nook (that colorful cactus on the window seal, so cute!) along with the wall art are my favorite :) Your bedroom feels so cozy and warm, love everything there. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I love it all Hannah! I especially love your breakfast nook and Sewing station. It's so beautiful!!!
    xoxo
    Taylor
    http://www.nothigbutapigeon.com/

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  16. I love your pillows, and how you organize your clothes! This whole space feels very Hannah :)

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  17. oh Hannah, i LOVE this! you have such a great eye! the whole space looks really clean and neat with the white, but the color everywhere makes it interesting still. even your studio portion is organized so nicely! I have the hardest time incorporating multiple colors into my decorating without making my room look like a preschool. anyway, thanks for the design inspiration. also- so you can ONLY take baths?! i love a bath every now and then, but every day would be not as convenient.

    did you mention you're already getting ready to move again? what're the deets??

    ♥ perfectly Priya

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  18. Love all the wall art! So much inspiration for our new apartment!!!

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  19. So cute! I freaking love that headboard idea

    http://shaktidove.blogspot.com/

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