Studio Apartment Inspiration

On the weekend I got the keys to my new apartment in downtown Toronto. After a long time of searching, I finally found something that was a) not in a sketchy neighbourhood, b) clean, and c) affordable. Although some places were bigger than the apartment I decided to rent, they either didn’t have 24/7 security or were super-grungy with completely out-of-date kitchens, bathrooms, and appliances. The studio apartment I finally decided upon is absolutely beautiful. It’s only 500-square-feet, which makes it a tight squeeze. However, it has white Carerra marble countertops, a stainless steel backsplash, a marble bathroom with glass shower, and huge windows looking out to the city. So it feels bright and spacious, even though it’s not. Plus the way the lay-out is, it makes for numerous different furniture placements, which is a bonus.

On the weekend we spent a day cleaning, moving in boxes, and painting. I chose “white on white”, which is a warm white that instantly made the space feel less clinical. I have yet to move in all of my furniture, and will be doing that at the end of the month.

Initially I had wanted to do the entire space in black, white, brown, and cream. Very neutral. My couch is chocolate brown, and my linens will be white. But I also have a lot of black accent pieces, so that was where my “neutral” theme came from. All I needed was a small round table and two chairs for my breakfast nook! But then, one day on my drive home from work, I found two gorgeous antique wooden farm chairs sitting at the side of the road, painted in the most beautiful Tiffany blue. For free. Yes, I stopped my car, loaded them into my trunk, and had a nice chat with an elderly man who informed me they were dated back to the late 1800s. Amazing! Do you ever watch the show “American Pickers”? I definitely felt like a picker that day. So I brought them home and scrubbed them clean. The paint is chipping, and you can see layers upon layers of coloured paint peeking through. I love how the chairs come with their own personal history, and decided immediately not to pain them (I initially thought they would be gorgeous sprayed white). So now I have “Tiffany blue” as an accent colour in my space, which I think will work well.

When deciding which accent colour to throw in there, along with my neutrals and Tiffany blue, I thought honeysuckle pink might be nice. Just a pop here and there. Maybe a flower vase or a framed piece of pink fabric. What do you think? I will definitely keep the pink to a minimum, but I think it will be a nice contrast to the blue.

Here are some inspiration boards I’ve been using for my studio: