The AZ Bachelor Pad Project is done! Back at the top of August, I was asked to help decorate a gentleman’s new apartment. Here was the scenario… he was moving out of a 2000+ square foot home, having sold it along with all his furnishings, including linens, towels, household items, everything, into a 750square foot apartment. If you’re familiar with what’s going on in Arizona’s real estate market, you know that inventory is very low, and prices are high right now. So although rental prices are high as well, many people are opting to rent until the market improves. So here’s a few “before” shots of the space. They’re not very good, but I am getting a little better at remembering to take them…
There were a few things that made this project a little challenging. One was the size. My client is like 6’4”, so everything needed to be scaled accordingly. He wanted a Cal King bed, and a sofa with a chaise. Finding items that would fit the space was one part of the challenge. The other was, finding items that would fit that wouldn’t take 6+ weeks to arrive. But I did it, yay!!! With the help of my dear friend (who’s more like family now), and my realtor; the reason why I’ve been so successful at buying my homes, Peggie Simmons, Broker/Owner of Realty Marketing Group. Then there was the budget. Between what he wanted and what he wanted to spend, we had to have a couple come-to-Jesus moments before it was all settled. And finally there was the style and décor element. My client… we’ll call him RW, was very specific in his tastes. He wanted light colors, something chic but comfortable, nothing too fussy, and definitely none of that purchased at Goodwill and re-purposed stuff! I got to work, and after 5 weeks (I do have a day job), and multiple back and forth trips to Bed Bath Beyond, Living Spaces, At Home, American Furniture Warehouse, World Market, Target and my beloved HomeGoods, we finally had a finished product.
Welcome to RW's AZ Bachelor Pad
I have to add a disclaimer here… I am in no way endorsing the cabinet or flooring choices in this unit. I don’t know who or how they came up with this combo, but… yeah, nothing I would’ve chosen, but moving on. He wanted comfortable chairs at the island, and minimal décor in the kitchen area. All of the appliances are hidden behind the cabinets. You know me, I hate to see “all the stuff” out on the counter. In addition to decorating the space, I was tasked with purchasing all the kitchen/cooking/household elements, and organizing them behind all those cabinet doors. Everything from dishes, cutlery, glasses, pots and pans, toaster and toaster oven, crock pot, Keurig coffee maker and food storage containers, to cleaning and laundry supplies, iron and ironing board, dust mop, stepladder and all the things you would need to get along from day to day, down to even ziplock bags and batteries. He was literally starting from scratch so I wanted to make sure he had those items as well. The island stools, placemats, napkins and napkin rings are from World Market. The dishes are from Target. All other kitchen decor items are from HomeGoods.
Here’s the little cubby space opposite the kitchen island.
And I have to offer yet another disclaimer… I would love to know whose idea it was to carve out this little space… for what, right?! It really was an awkward area that I decided to use as a little wine bar area up top, and a discreet spot for the apartment complex-provided recycle bin on the bottom. I fell in love with this Amazon-purchased wine rack which fit perfectly there.
The Living Room
Here is the inspiration picture my client selected for the overall feel of the space…
Nice, huh? I thought so. I was a little thrown because knowing it would be a man’s apartment, my first thought was to go black, grey, dark, moody, mixed with some chrome and any other masculine element I could think of. I sent him about 10 living room pictures to select from, and this was the one he chose. Of course I knew we weren’t going to be able to achieve this exact look, due to scale and budget, however, I zoned in on the mixture of textures, lighter and more neutral color palette, and a relaxed elegance, and strove to bring it all together for a similar vibe. Here’s what I ended up with…
I wanted, with his permission of course, a litttle bit of a Restoration Hardware feel. I really, really wanted to paint the wall behind the sofa in a medium-dark gray but… I lost that one. It’s a leased unit, what can I say. The sofa and entertainment console is from American Furniture Warehouse. Shout out to Mark Tutino who helped me get those pieces within a 2-2 ½ week time frame from ordering date. The area rug is from Ross. The faux fig leaf plant, round coffee table, basket greenery, floor lamps and curtains are from At Home Décor Superstore. The wall art and décor accessories are from HomeGoods.
Salle de Bain
That’s French for bathroom, haha!!
Moving on to the bedroom...
So this was the inspo pic he sent me for the bedroom. The same went for this space. I was very surprised at his desire for a light colored bedroom. He was particularly drawn to the vibe in this pic, but without a lot of the decorative pillows and layers. He did want a statement headboard, and textured layers.
Here’s the end result…
The bedroom was quite challenging, mainly because of the size. I lucked up on the dresser and night stands at the Restoration Hardware Outlet, but those of you who are familiar with RH furniture, you know those pieces are big. Thank goodness it all worked out!
The bed is from Living Spaces. The bedding is all from BBB. Lamps are from Target. The curtains (they’re the same as in the living room), the full-length mirror and wall art is from At Home. The over-the-dresser mirror and all other bedroom décor accessories are from HomeGoods.
That's a wrap...
And that’s a wrap on the AZ Bachelor Pad Project. My client was very happy, and that makes me happy. Here’s what he had to say about it…
On to the next Ingrid Bohannon Interiors Project 🙂
