Anyone who has ever signed a year lease knows what it’s like to try and decorate a space under those terms. Roommates to collaborate with, Landlord’s rules to follow, bedrooms the size of spacious closets, rickety to no furniture, no money, no built in fixtures? Does this place even have space for a dining table? No closet… anywhere. We’ve all been there at one point or another, struggling to feel at home in our very own space.
Recently featured in Sunset magazine, Interior Designer Kyle Schuneman’s newly released book, The First Apartment Book, can help. In the book, Kyle puts his expertise to work by providing different ideas and inspirations for newly found spaces, with special focus on small spaces and spaces on a budget.
Taking 10 different apartments throughout the country, Kyle shows how each space can be transformed into an ideal sanctuary, regardless of size and budget. The 10 apartments have ranging inhabitants and styles, from a couple moving in together for the first time to the recent college graduate finally ready to take on a place of his own, each setting provides new and elaborate ideas to pick from. Kyle doesn’t stop at providing the ideas for his unique décor, but he gives great tips on where to acquire or how to create most of his favorite design ideas (check out that bookcase on page 111!)
Kyle describes The First Apartment Book as way of showing everyone in their 20’s and 30’s that they can still live in a cool space regardless of circumstance: be it fussy roommates, a depleted bank account, an overbearing land lord, or just a tiny space. “Just because your living in a temporary space, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be expressing yourself in it. Design is problem solving and it doesn’t have to be expensive or mass marketed.” Doesn't hurt that he has a custom bookcase of ours in there as well :)
You may be asking yourself what some of these great ideas are. Go grab the book and find out! You can purchase the book both on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and indiebound.com.