Making it Yours (MiY)

First (Tiny) Apartment (MIY: Borghese Dresser)

Making it Yours (MIY) is a new feature for Making it Lovely. I’ll be following one piece of furniture through several stages in an imagined life and presenting a mood board for each. The first item I’m designing around is the Borghese 3-Drawer Dresser.

We’ve seen the dresser follow our imagined girl from her nursery to her teenage bedroom, and now it’s making the move with her to her first (tiny) apartment. Her place may be small, but there’s a little space next to the door where the dresser will fit perfectly. There’s a set of lacquer boxes that sit on top, and an Owl Umbrella Stand on the floor shows a sense of humor.

First (Tiny) Apartment

The girl living in this apartment doesn’t have much of a budget, but she’s slowly getting some nice pieces. The couch may be from Craigslist (or a hand-me-down), but she’s got an awesome side table next to it and an expensive looking lamp that only cost $30. Blue paint on the walls makes the apartment feel fresh and fun, and an orange poster on the wall helps the orange in the couch fabric look like it belongs.

When we next see our girl and her dresser, she’ll be living in her first home…

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  • Sarah
    September 26, 2008 at 9:08 am

    I love how you blend things in together…a couch from Craigslist??? Brilliant. Just brilliant!

  • Jacqui
    September 26, 2008 at 10:28 am

    This whole Make It Yours feature is just about the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a blog! Love it, keep it coming, you’re awesome!

  • Kyle
    September 26, 2008 at 10:58 am

    I love that couch!

  • katelynjane
    September 26, 2008 at 11:01 am

    How have I missed all these entries? Great ideas! I love how the dresser fits all these styles (:

  • amy purple
    September 26, 2008 at 11:03 am

    I love that you grabbed a couch from craigslist because i’m sure most of our first pieces of furniture were hand-me-downs, from a thrift store, etc.

  • Cara
    September 26, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    I’ve been LOVING this idea! So creative! I also wish my first apartment had looked that good!

  • Gràcia
    September 26, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    I love that sofa: seriously. LOVE IT. And how sad is it that for many of us the tiny apartment is our first home? This is a lucky imaginary girl, having the tiny apartment as something temporary… and that sofa… and that dresser…

  • Tracey
    September 26, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    Love it- my favorite part of design is putting boards together. What a fun idea.

  • DecorPad
    September 26, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    You know, I’ve never been crazy about floral sofas, but you made it work! Love this new feature!

  • Cindy
    September 26, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    YAY!! This is fantastic. Way to be realistic and incorporate second hand finds, with pieces she already had ( the dresser) and a couple of whimsical, fun pieces to personalize the space. I am excited to see the next one!!

  • Aminah
    September 26, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    genius.

  • becky from hatch
    September 26, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    You never cease to amaze me! The couch is the bees knees!

  • Michelle
    September 26, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    Your eye for design is right on! Love how you tailor your rooms and pieces to fit the person. What program/software are you using to put these idea boards (?) together?

  • Sarafina
    September 26, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    I love this feature- it reminds me of my blue leather arm chair that began in my grandmother’s living room, moved into my nursery, then into my parent’s living room, then into my teenaged bedroom, then into my sister’s first apartment. I’m in college now, and as soon as I moved out of the dorms and into a rental house with a couple of roommates I reclaimed it. The chair currently resides in my bedroom, and I designed the entire room around it.

    Ach- I love it so much.

  • Amanda
    September 26, 2008 at 11:24 pm

    Okay, I’m officially sold on that dresser. Yes, it works in every possible room/home. I need it.

  • Susan
    September 27, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    I have LOVED the Making It Yours posts. I can’t wait to see more!

  • Severina
    September 27, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    My favourite is the lamp! It’s great, thank you!

  • Chicaholic
    September 28, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    That dresser is soooooo lovely! Great pick!

  • Down Comforter
    September 28, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    I actually like that couch – I’m so used to seeing red flower types from the past – this one is so refreshing!

  • Annette
    September 29, 2008 at 10:56 am

    I am lovin’the MIY posts. Fabulous!

  • Chesterfield Furniture
    October 28, 2008 at 5:32 am

    That sofa is amazing! Craigslist.. hee hee… very funny.

  • Ana
    November 1, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    I loved seeing all of the ways to decorate with the same (gorgeous!) dresser.

  • Gummiboot
    November 9, 2008 at 6:21 am

    Hey, very interesting post.

    My written English is not so good so I write in German:

    “Lieber den Spatz in der Hand, als die Taube auf dem Dach.”

    Yours sincerely
    Gummi

  • Elizabeth
    October 17, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    About a year late seeing this, but oh my god – that couch fabric is the EXACT same fabric my parents had from the time I was born until I was in college on this enormous 90 something inch sofa. WOW!