As I mentioned in the first post earlier this week about the condo redesign project I recently took on (check out that post here), one of the first steps was to come up with a looooong shopping list. Basically, besides the mattress and rugs Collin already owned, we needed to get everything to furnish this one bedroom + den condo. Here’s a little idea of what the list was looking like:

Bedroom

• bedframe
• bedding
• throw pillows
• night tables
• table lamps
• artwork
• shelves

Living/Dining Room

• couch & loveseat
• coffee table
• side table
• buffet
• table lamp
• artwork/mirror/accessories
• throw pillows
• dining room table
• dining chairs
• TV and sound system
• kitchen stools

Den:

• pull-out couch
• bookshelves
• artwork

See what I mean about kinda starting from scratch?

We didn’t need to do any major renovations or structural stuff to the place, but there was a fair bit of painting to do. I wanted the space to feel contemporary, fresh, and earthy – so this was the colour palette we landed on:

• living/dining room: white (hooray – didn’t need to paint!)
• bedroom: light gray
• bathroom: earthy lime green
• den: white with one wall of wide gray and white stripes

So while Collin got to painting, I got to shopping. My general shopping scheme never really changes. I think it’s important to invest in some quality pieces (the “high”), and then to hunt out other “low” items from thrift stores/antique shops/online classifieds/flea market. It means you get a good balance and some juxtaposition in a space.

First up were the higher end pieces, like the couch and loveseat, coffee table, and kitchen stools. After much hunting around, I found some great Canadian-made sofas with clean, classic lines and ordered them (3-seater and loveseat) in a dark gray – masculine, neutral and will stand the test of time. Shown below in cream, but you get the idea – from Blueprint Home in Ottawa.

To show off Collin’s lovely rug from Afghanistan, I thought a glass waterfall coffee table would be perfect. I grabbed this guy at Structube. Love, love, love.

I sat in a good number of kitchen stools and finally settled on these modern and comfortable beauts (in white for $118 each)…

… and these soft leather brown parsons chairs (both also from Blueprint Home).

Now for some of the lower end (but still lovely!) pieces.

I snagged a gorgeous old dining room table from a small town antiques store for $200. It needed a coat of black paint on the legs, but the structure was solid and the pine top was rustic and beautiful.

Then I picked up a buffet on Kijiji for a mere $20. Holla! It was looking ratty and old, but nothing that a good coat of paint wouldn’t transform. I completely forgot to take a before photo, but it looked a little something like this (but in worse condition!).

For the bedroom, I suggested the IKEA malm bedframe and nighttables. Simple, solid and modern.

For things like accessories, mirrors, table lamps, and throw pillows, I was all about etsy, small little shops, and HomeSense (the Canadian equivalent to HomeGoods). You don’t have to spend a bunch of money to get really amazing, on-trend pieces. Oh, and for frames? My go-to is always the IKEA Ribba frames. Those bad boys are classic and perfect in any space.

Alright now that I’ve given you an idea of how I filled the condo, you’re going to have to wait and see how it all came together. Stay tuned for all the after pics!

Happy weekend, folks!

Tags: designing a condo, high/low room

This entry was posted on Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 7:58 pm and is filed under uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.