This Studio Was “White, Stale, and Boring,” but Now It’s Full of Color and Character
What started as a “dirty and stale” Pacific Heights studio apartment with all white walls has been utterly transformed in the past year by renter Grace Hurley, who’s a junior designer for an architecture firm.
Recently graduated from university, Grace says she would spend her days “working at an architecture firm and then come home to a very boring space” when she first moved in. So, one day she decided to “practice what I preach and design my space like how I design for my clients!” And she rehauled the space by using “affordable solutions and a lot of DIY work.”
Built around the 1960s, the apartment today is a far cry from the original boring and blank unit she moved into. Today, it’s a space that “feels like a curated time capsule with a mid-century modern design, but far from predictable.”
She painted all the walls herself, added in plenty of warm wood tones, and revived Facebook Marketplace finds with thrifted vintage fabrics. The result is a mixture of items that “give everything a sense of charm, story, and individuality,” she writes. “Original artwork and pops of color bring it to life, making the space feel expressive and collected.”
Resources
MAIN ROOM
- Desk — Facebook Marketplace
- Bed — Facebook Marketplace
- Coffee table — Facebook Marketplace
- Chairs — Reupholstered myself
ENTRYWAY
- Walls — Painted myself
- Lamp — Thrifted
- Coat rack — Etsy
- 1960s hairpin tables — Facebook Marketplace
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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