Office Makeover: {Choosing From the Classics}

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When it comes to choosing chairs for the new office {that yes, is still in the works...}, it’s likely we’ll throw all ergonomic rules out the window. Just like a good pair of 5 inch heels, we’re girls who sacrifice function for form. What can we say, our 65 year old selves will hate us, but no pain without a little gain, right?

Narrowing chairs down was pretty easy. We knew exactly where to start and that was with the classics: Eames, Kartell, Wegner. We are also very specific about our color palette: black or white. After going straight to the big boys, we just can’t decide who’s classic chair we love more. It’s almost a design sin to choose one over the other and it doesn’t help that there are such good replicas out there these days, we’re a little tempted to get all four!

get your shop on: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Do we go with the sleek and simple design of the Eames? Wood dowels or eiffel legs? Or do we choose something edgier and eye catching like the Kartell? Sure there are bigger problems to be had in the world than our first world design crisis, but we’re freaking out.

Won’t you help us decide?! We need your vote!

image 1 via Lerkenfeldt Photography // 2 via Fru Fly // 3 via Kenzie Poo

Office Makeover: {Searching for The Perfect Chandelier}

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As we make progress on the new Apartment 34 office, I find myself searching high and low for the perfect statement piece. Since we’re going for a very streamlined approach with our updated design, every choice has to be killer.

For the lighting, we’ve already set the bar pretty high – our hammered brass pendants over the desk were a pretty big hit! Don’t worry, they won’t be leaving the office- we’re planning on giving them a new job! But in the meantime, we have to find something equally, if not more amazing, to go over the new team desk. It’s going to be one of the first things you see when you walk in- talk about the pressure- so a lot of eye catching shapes, big arms and pops of gold are calling out to us!

get your shop on: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Any of these beauties would look amazing over our modern all white work station, but which one is your favorite? If you know of any other gorgeous chandies or pendants, please share.

Here’s our office moodboard one more time just in case you need to refresh your design wheels!

image 1 via Contemporist // 2 via Corinne Gilbert // 3 via Autoban

Big Announcement: {Major Makeover!}

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A new year means it’s time to usher in a new creative project right?! I’m SO excited to announce that we’re undergoing a BIG office makeover this month!! Woot, we’re bringing 2014 in with a whole new look.

As you may remember, I debuted the Loft’s office in Rue Magazine almost a year ago to the day. I will confess it’s a little daunting to think about changing it up so soon. But Team Apartment 34 is no longer just little ole me. We’ve grown so much in the past year. First I brought on interns and we grew. Then I realized I could never let the interns go and we grew. And grew. And grew! The office just wasn’t designed for the rockstar team I have now. So there’s really only one way I can solve this conundrum…

That desk built for one just isn’t going to do the trick any longer. So over the holiday break I began playing my favorite game: room-layout jenga! I mentally moved pieces here, there and everywhere and I think we’ve finally settled on the perfect floorplan. Here’s a sneak peek:

Of course, this makeover won’t just be an exercise in rearranging furniture. My aesthetic has evovled right along with the business these past 12 months, so I’m planning on putting a whole new spin on the space! Here’s another sneak peek for you: the moodboard!

We’re taking our digs in a more minimal, modern direction and I cannot wait. With so much action in a relatively small space, I’m excited to have a neutral color palette to serve as our foundation. It will maximize all the great natural light we enjoy and create an environment conducive to fresh ideas. Of course, signature elements like our brass accents and the in-office bar will not be going anywhere. They just might be reincarnated! There will also be a new bold statement or two, but you’ll just have to wait to see what’s up our sleeve.

All this change can only mean one thing: we’re going to need to make space for our new design a.k.a. part ways with some of our absolute favorite pieces. They are all in perfect condition-sadly, they just won’t fit into the new floorplan. But hopefully, you’ll find a way to make them fit into yours because you’re going to get the chance to…

That’s right-we’re gonna have a sale and you’re invited! We’ll be sharing all the details later this week so be sure to check back.

We hope you’re as excited as we are!

office image: 1 photography by Emily Johnston // 2 photography by Aubrie Pick // moodboard image top to bottom, left to right 1 via Veranda // 2 via Emerson Fry // 3 via Line Klein // 4 via A Merry Mishap // 5 via Emily Johnston // 6 via Mikkel Mortensen

Hey Ya’ll I Tried a DIY – and I Liked It!

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Sound the alarm. Alert the people! Apartment 34 dove head first into the realm of DIY this week!! This is a big deal for a self professed DI-buy girl. I’ve tended to take the “lazy” way out, convinced that my creations could never be as good as anything in a store. But with help from my team, I broke out of my comfort zone {and I hate to toot the ol’ horn but…}, we DIY’d something that turned out so many different forms of amazing, I can hardly believe it!

I must first start with a little confession: things haven’t been as organized around here as we may have led you to believe. From hopping on a plane every week to juggling meetings and projects, let’s just say it’s a miracle I’ve even remembered to eat. Things have been shoved behind closed bathroom doors, crammed into cabinets and buried at the bottom of closets – anything to hide the growing mess.

The office closet has suffered the most. You may remember seeing it here and here, always with the doors tightly closed!! I decided it was time to practice what I preach and get back to basics with a good ol’ clean out and DIY upgrade. Here’s how it went down:

We began with the purge. Everything was cleared out {and laid aside to be sorted. Hours of shredding and trips to Goodwill over the weekend and it’s like a breath of fresh air!}. We went so far as to take out the closet shelves in order to give it a fresh coat of white paint, immediately making her look a million times better. However, that was just the beginning. Your closet is actually a great place to have a little fun with design. We wanted to really bring some fun personality by adding pattern so we set out on Pinterest looking for inspiration.

We came across this and loved the bold statement a stripe makes. We just decided to take it a step or two further. We sketched out our plan of doing one big 4” stripe surrounded by asymmetrical smaller ones, one 2” and 1”, on either side for a little riff on a sporty look!

Once we had our supplies in hand: ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape, paint, a handful of brushes and measuring tools, we were set! We wanted a subtle color palette so we chose Chalkboard White as our base and Benjamin Moore’s Sail Cloth as our accent {with a little gold craft paint thrown in for a glam touch}!

We started by finding the middle of the cabinet and marked off every six inches from top to bottom, setting where our big stripe was going to be. Starting from the top, we followed our marks, taping off the middle section. We found it easiest to just use one big piece of ScotchBlue Painters Tape. Trust your eye, if you see your line going a little crooked, double check your measuring and just lift up the tape and rework it. It’s so easy! Then simply paint inside your ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape column.

When the paint is dry to the touch {about 30 mins for a single coat}, lift up the tape. You’ll have a perfect stripe!

A key to making asymmetrical patterns work is to make sure you’re working with the same spacing on both sides of the middle stripe for balance. So we taped off our most outward stripe of the pattern and worked our way back in towards the middle.

During the creative process we felt like challenging ourselves even more. DIY is all about improvisation, right? So, we strayed from our original sketch a little. Thinking another gold painted stripe would be too heavy, we called an audible and used gold striped Washi tape instead!

We also decided to paint the face of each shelf to give an often overlooked detail a touch of shine and glam! We used Martha Stewart’s Metallics line in gold and really liked the reflective quality it has.

Et voila! There you have it. The perfect backdrop for a beautiful cabinet, closet, wall, dresser…the possibilities of where this look can work are endless.

Here’s a little sneak peek of the finished office supply closet! We’re so excited how the entire project turned out. You’ll just have to stay tuned for the full reveal – we promise it’s coming soon!!

organizational items from The Container Store, Dwell Studio and Muji

And of course we had to do a little happy dance when we were done!!

This post is a collaboration with ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape. To join the creative community, visit www.facebook.com/ScotchBlue. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34 doors open!

original photography for apartment 34 by aubrie pick // styling and art direction by erin hiemstra

Loft Life Update with Daily Candy!

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A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of having Daily Candy stop by for a fun photo shoot of the loft! I had such a great time with them and the photographer, Aubrie Pick, captured some amazing shots. The feature is over on Daily Candy now, but before you head over there, here’s a sneak peek of some of my favorite outtakes!

First stop: our bedroom! I’ve continued to edit it down, really working to keep clutter put away and surfaces clean. I love the zen, hotel like feel. And remember I promised to share how I’m making my bed these days? Here’s the big reveal! I start with a crisp white duvet with a classic gray border from Crane & Canopy. Beneath that I layer a textured cream blanket. Herringbone shams add one more layer and even more texture. It feels clean, crisp and modern and I love it. Apparently Chloe does too! One of the best things about Frenchies is their endless ability to crack you up!! I can never be in a bad mood when I come home to that crazy little dog.

Down in the office, my collection of Vogues continues to grow. I better watch out or it will someday block my office window entirely!

Nothing makes me smile more than a productive day at my desk. It really is my happy place.

You’ll also notice some updates in our living room. I followed Emily’s advice, trying to create a distinct living space using rugs. I tried the layered rugs trend and am loving the look of the jute under my smaller patterned rug. The larger footprint really grounds the room – and Bailey loves the added padding too!

I also lined the window seat with a bunch of super comfy and gorgeous custom pillows {also on the sofa!} from Rebecca Atwood. Classic Hans J. Wegner Wishbone Chairs create a sweet conversation spot by the fireplace that really opens up the room {West Elm has a great budget friendly version}.

I also love having pops of green dotted throughout the loft. I found the perfect Fiddle Leaf plant to accessorize our window seat and Natalie Bowen introduced to me the idea of fig branches, complete with bright green young figs, as a flower arrangement. I’m obsessed!

Chloe and Bailey were such cooperative little models for the day. I love that they are as happy in the Loft 2.0 as we are. Now the question is where do we go from here. I find creating a home to be a constantly evolving process. In my mind, there is no such thing as done. I can’t wait to discover where the design journey takes us next!

I want to thank Daily Candy again for stopping by. I had such a ball! Be sure to check out the full loft tour and interview here!!

photography by aubrie pick // styling and art direction by erin hiemstra for apartment 34

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