Welcome to Amplified Apartments: Home Edition, a special edition of ForRent.com’s Amplified Apartments series, featuring amateur interior designers whose winning decor hacks will save you space whether you’re on the first or fifteenth floor.
Blogger Kate Riley’s
Sonoma County home in Northern California is a treasure chest of DIY design. From the bathrooms to the bedrooms and everything in between, Kate, the dedicated mom behind
Centsational Girl, has put her own personal touch on her apartment to create a one of a kind home for her family. Her study, 154 square feet of airy, bright space, tells that story tenfold.
Every corner of the room is touched by the blogger’s skilled DIY hands, from the window seat to the table. IKEA cabinets were repurposed, furniture made from scratch, and still, the jade room is an image of catalog polish. The former lawyer credits the aesthetics to symmetry and space, though years of DIY blogging surely must have played a part.
Read on to learn more from the blogger’s cache of DIY wisdom, and her methods for crafting the pitch perfect space.
What’s the square footage of the room?
This space used to be a formal dining room, but
we converted it to a study for the kids since that makes more sense for our lifestyle. The space is 11 x 14, and we’ve managed to squeeze in
a window seat built with IKEA refrigerator cabinets and paired it with a simple sew box cushion cover. Also included is a small desk, a mini sofette, some shelving, and a DIY X base table.
You’re known for your DIY designs. So much of this room has been refinished. What DIY tools and products can’t you live without?
Definitely my brad nailer, I use it for everything. Also, my power sander and compound miter saw. I also love using Dremel tools and a Kreg Jig too.
When designing each room, do you have all your DIY projects all planned out?
I figure out the space plan, how the room should function and go from there. Usually there’s a jumping off point for the room’s color palette. It was the vibrant rug in this case.
How would you recommend a reader plan out their next budget-friendly, DIY design?
Don’t be in a huge hurry. Do your research. Enjoy the process.(Tweet This)
You’ve mastered the art of shelving. What’s the key to maximizing open shelf space while also making it aesthetically pleasing?
There are a few tricks. The first is to vary the placement of books, store some vertically stacked and others horizontally. Repeat shapes and colors throughout with your decorative objects, layering them back and forth, up and down. Baskets and decorative boxes are functional and attractive, and they also provide symmetry. Leave amounts of empty space between books and objects so the presentation doesn’t look too crowded.
What’s your number one tip for solving the small space problem?
Maximize every inch of vertical space, whether with shelving or artwork.
You’ve got all those inches above your head, use them!(Tweet This)
See more of Kate Riley’s stunning interior creations
at Centsational Girl.
Want to share your space?
Email ForRent to feature your own Amplified Apartment or Home. See your interior design creations on the ForRent.com blog!
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