soopastryheart

When the boyfriend and I decided to move in to a larger place together, it took months before we found a place that offered everything we were looking for. Prior, I was living in a place that was 435 square feet (with a walk-in closet, no less), and he was renting a room in a friend’s townhouse. Neither of us had any real furniture (my place came furnished), so the thought of furnishing a place that was a whopping 1350 square feet was needless to say, a bit daunting.

But we were nonetheless excited; this was the first place for both of us to call our own – meaning that everything we brought in would be our choice, our preferences, our reflections and styles.

However, finding furniture wasn’t as easy (or enjoyable) as we had thought it’d be. A part of me secretly had hoped he was the type to leave all the interior design to his girl, but the boyfriend was revealed to be quite the furniture and design enthusiast. We had differences in everything from style, color, and price range (I had no idea couches could cost so damn much).

What I Wanted:

Vintage/Parisian/ Femininity Extreme

What He Wanted:

Mid-century modern/Lime/Rugged classics

After some research, compromise (I agreed I would not let our place become a cottage that Anthropologie’s designed, he dropped his wanting a lime green color scheme), and a generous contribution from my parents, we came to a set that we were both happy with, one that nicely reflects our mid-century modern preferences with our unshakable sense of practicality.

What we agreed on:

Charcoal set from Crate and Barrel, which we got for 15% off during the upholstery sale.

In truth however, we fell in love with a set from Couch Seattle, one that looks remarkably identical to the ones we got, but in the perfect heather gray tweed (it was exactly what we had both envisioned). And though the custom order had similar price range, the minimum 10-12 weeks it would take to complete was too much to bear, as we couldn’t imagine going two months in an empty living room.

How it looks:

What I love most about our place is that when you look around, the individual elements of who we are distinctly clear, like my teacup collection, his bar, right down to the books we have on our shelves (mine: essay anthologies, shitload of fiction, Russian lit, etc. his: biographies, business, nonfiction, poker?). But then there are elements that came together in a collaborative effort, like the DIY chalkboards that Boyfriend graciously built, painted, and hung, a neutral shag rug that I virtually live on, and a giant tray we use in lieu of a proper coffee table. We’ve been especially slow with the art on our walls, because we want them to be thoughtful, not just a mass-produced fixture (in fact, the only one we really have up is a photograph of a deconstructed typewriter, a gift from a friend).

By no means are we complete in our interior design quest (we’re still using file boxes as bedstands in the bedroom), but with the most essential items in place (including a pressure rice cooker, like any respectable Asian household), we’re having fun taking our time to find things we like. We’d rather be patient and find something truly unique to us rather than buy everything off a page in a catalog (though it’s pretty tempting once in awhile). But the important part is that this doesn’t feel like a place for two people to be playing house.

It feels like a home.