east village bachelor pad
This one bedroom apartment languished in shameful decrepitude, passed on from bachelor to bachelor until someone finally hired me.
What was an abysmal den of mess and ill-fitting furniture was transformed into a cozy, cabin-like bedroom with plenty of shelving for books and extra linens. The space had been used as film equipment rental business that the previous tenant also lived in. He passed it to his bud who did this to it:
before
after
Basic navy bed linens from the John Robshaw biannual sample sale and a Hudson Bay Blanket smartened the room for a man about to be married within a year.
I built an alcove bed with ample storage into one of the two closets for a toddler.
I am absolutely not above putting a child into a closet. With access to food, water, oxygen, toys and books, what’s the problem? Millennials pay for the privilege at Podshare.
The living area was a bizarre mix of east village scunge and nursing home. And frathouse.
before
He was internet dating…
before
He sat here to watch TV.
Dates, lucky for them, did have access to a camping chair in bold red. With a cup holder.
in progress…
after
I painted the greasy, slaughterhouse red brick wall a soothing medium grey and I outfitted the two alcoves next to the working fireplace with floor-to-ceiling shelves. An antique child's wagon with one of the sides removed playfully serves up a stepdaughter's books in front of an Angel Thrift find - a floor cushion sample from The Company Store. Yes, you can put your kid on a dog bed in a corner if it looks like this one.
after
I fit an extensive DVD collection into an old shelving unit he brought from Brooklyn and had it centered and mounted to the wall in lieu of art. The sofa was a $300 secondhand West Elm find. I layered flatweave wool rugs one of which mirrored the colors of the stacked books and media, tossed a Madeline Weinrib pillow on the sofa and called it a day.
Ergo ergo stool - craigslist $20
ABC Carpet & Home Moroccan rug - craigslist $300
West Elm Tillary sectional - craigslist $300
Midcentury lamp w/ pleated shade - Pippin Home $65
Side tables - the woods $0
Lounge chair - ABC Carpet & Home $1500 - hole in slipcover courtesy of nervous bachelor
