Retro Modern Downtown Apartment

The Client and Project Overview:

Catreana and Rick are two of the most lovely people. They are welcoming, fun, and focused, and their apartment reflects that about them, for sure. When they reached out to us for home styling services, they said they’d collected tons of vintage knick knacks, art, and accessories, but needed help placing them in their cool downtown apartment.

We were thrilled to see all their pretty furniture in the photos they sent us before our home styling session, but we were not ready for just how many knick knacks they would have laid out on their tables, floor and other surfaces when we arrived for our session! The scene upon entering their home was as good as a super, jam-packed flea market booth–soooo many beautiful, fun, retro items. AND WE GOT TO SITUATION AND HANG THEM ALL! It was a real treat, and we can’t thank Catreana and Rick enough for inviting us into their home to help!

As we do when we start any session, we quizzed them down about their furniture and doodads, and each of their pieces have a great story. Now that everything is in its place, their home is literally the story of them. We love that story. Enjoy the photos of their place, as well as a few tips on how we chose to approach their home. And tell us which of their vintage finds you love the most!

/// We had the opportunity to work on multiple rooms in their home during several sessions, and in this post we are sharing their living room, dining room, and kitchen…more rooms in later posts! ///

Before /// See all the items we had to work with!

Collect what you love, like really really love, and trust it will work out

I love how momentarily overwhelmed I felt when I first saw all the items we were supposed to place in Catreana and Rick’s home. Ha! Once I understood what each piece meant to them and how excited they felt about them, I was caught up in their couple story. These two love to vintage shop! They like to stop in random spots, find a deal, or stumble on a vintage miracle (This is my term for when you find EXACTLY what vintage thing you were looking for. This seems so unlikely and so very much like the universe is winking at you.). If you really really love an item in your home, then we can always find a place for it, always. And we feel really good and proud when we leave a home with valued and loved items on full display.

*The tall ceilings really called for moving art up the walls!*

Gather like items into collections

Catreana and Rick have a gaggle of vintage collections–macrame owls (Like Catreana’s mom used to make!), starburst clocks, and brass bird wall art just to name a few. When you go retro with your look, it’s important to make things sharp and organized. This helps lend a modern and fresh feel to your space overall. We started groupings that they could keep collecting for. We hope they hang SO many more macrame owls all the way up that column, and we can’t wait to hear more about where and when they found each one.

More vintage than modern

We have talked about the home ratio of vintage vs. modern, and I would say that Catreana and Rick lean to the vintage side. You can see though how important the new furniture and plants are to balancing the retro pieces. Their home is a perfect mix, making it feel fun, vibrant, and engaging.

I keep wanting to invite myself (and Palmer) over for a cocktail (Am I doing that right now? On the internet??? In front of God and everyone?! What do you say Rick and Catreana?!). Don’t you just really want to listen to a record, sip something delicious and hear about how to hunt down vintage glassware?

Thinking of hiring us for home styling work?

Just remember, it’s going to be fun, and we help people with a wide range of needs. Also, there’s a good chance I’ll be so in love with your home afterward, you may have to publicly tell me I can’t come have drinks at your home. ;-)

(Catreana and Rick will totally have me over. Right? They will. I’ll let you know if they do!)

SOOOOOO many more photos below: