Tiny Houzz: Fashion Pro Brings DIY Charm to a 67-Sq-Mt Flat
Personalised touches inspire joy in this light-filled rental in Oakland, California
There’s something so delightful about handmade creations – they have a warm, endearing appeal to them. This is why the owners Kelly Wang and her boyfriend decided to fill up their industrial-style home in Jack London with DIY collections to give the space an inviting, welcoming feel.
Wang and her boyfriend split their time between her apartment and the boat he lives on. “We get the best of both worlds between the industrial look and modern amenities of my apartment and the simplicity and beauty of living on the water,” she says. Her vibrant Jack London neighbourhood is full of great coffee shops, restaurants, farmers markets and event sites. “Jack London was and still is an industrial area; just down the street from me is a wholesale produce market. I love this building because it maintains the feeling and vibes of the area and is convenient to get into the city for work,” she says.
Here’s how to embrace industrial decor
Here’s how to embrace industrial decor
One design challenge of moving into an industrial-inspired studio was figuring out how to make the open space feel cozy, especially with exposed concrete ceilings. “Adding lots of plants made the space feel more alive and less industrial and cold,” Wang says. Another challenge was creating designated areas while maintaining the open feel. Finding pieces like the bookshelf was key to delineating spaces. She loves life in a studio because her home feels like a blank canvas. “It’s fun having an open layout like this where you can move things around,” she says.
Wang and her boyfriend repurposed the legs from an Ikea dining table to create this elevated island table. The existing table “didn’t fit well in the apartment and was too small for four people to sit comfortably,” she says. They replaced the table’s dark black particleboard tabletop with an oak board after routing the edges, sanding it down and coating it with epoxy to make it stain resistant.
Wang and her boyfriend repurposed the legs from an Ikea dining table to create this elevated island table. The existing table “didn’t fit well in the apartment and was too small for four people to sit comfortably,” she says. They replaced the table’s dark black particleboard tabletop with an oak board after routing the edges, sanding it down and coating it with epoxy to make it stain resistant.
The coffee table is a find from the Alameda Point Antiques Faire, also known as the Alameda flea market, four years ago from an artist who refurbishes wood into new furniture. “I saw him just last month at the same stall at the flea market and we chatted about how wonderfully his piece has held up,” she says. “The wood is beautiful and really makes the piece one of a kind.”
The leaning ladder was something Wang’s sister made out of copper pipes and ends. “She is one of the most talented DIY-ers I know and gave this to me when I moved into the apartment,” she says. “A lot of the decor pieces in my apartment are things people have made for me. Seeing them every day reminds me of how loved and fortunate I am.”
Next to the sofa is the cello Wang has played since she was 9 years old. “For a long time I kept my cello packed away in the closet. Now that I have it out and displayed, it encourages me to pick it up from time to time,” she says. A friend bought her the guitar in college. “I find that having the instruments displayed out encourages people who come over to visit to pick them up and play,” she adds.
Check out 9 of the best DIY projects on Houzz
The leaning ladder was something Wang’s sister made out of copper pipes and ends. “She is one of the most talented DIY-ers I know and gave this to me when I moved into the apartment,” she says. “A lot of the decor pieces in my apartment are things people have made for me. Seeing them every day reminds me of how loved and fortunate I am.”
Next to the sofa is the cello Wang has played since she was 9 years old. “For a long time I kept my cello packed away in the closet. Now that I have it out and displayed, it encourages me to pick it up from time to time,” she says. A friend bought her the guitar in college. “I find that having the instruments displayed out encourages people who come over to visit to pick them up and play,” she adds.
Check out 9 of the best DIY projects on Houzz
This little breakfast nook by the windows is a favourite spot in the morning for enjoying a cup of coffee together. “[We] even get in a game of chess, before we start the day,” Wang says.
The flowers on the wall were made for Wang’s best friend’s wedding. “For the year leading up to Carol’s wedding we had handmade hundreds of paper flowers. I kept a few of my favourite ones and sprayed a few of them gold to hang on the wall. They remind me of her whenever I see them,” she says.
Take a look at these ideas to recreate the tropics in your decor
Take a look at these ideas to recreate the tropics in your decor
The style and palette in which she decorated the space is neutral and muted. “I tried to inject colour in little ways, using books, textiles and ceramics to add touches of colour here and there to tie the space together,” she says.
One other major challenge with this studio apartment is the lack of storage. “Full disclosure: I kept my jeans and sweaters in my kitchen cupboard when I first moved in. My boyfriend knows how much I love my clothing and so he designed and made this rack for me,” Wang says. She wanted more space for clothes but also wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing and fun. “He put it on wheels and made it a mix of a clothing rack and shelving so I could display books and other things on it.”
Wang has worked in the clothing industry for 15 years and started out working in visual merchandising, rearranging a store and making window displays. “My job now is still to think critically about how different colours, textures, fabrics and styles come together to create an assortment. My clothing rack is kind of like a mini store display! I change it every few weeks based on what I feel like wearing – rearranging the books, shoes and plants to match. For example, in the summer it was an all-white display; in winter it was shades of indigo, navy and greys. It’s both functional and something fun,” she says.
Learn how to arrange clothes when there is no built-in wardrobe
Wang has worked in the clothing industry for 15 years and started out working in visual merchandising, rearranging a store and making window displays. “My job now is still to think critically about how different colours, textures, fabrics and styles come together to create an assortment. My clothing rack is kind of like a mini store display! I change it every few weeks based on what I feel like wearing – rearranging the books, shoes and plants to match. For example, in the summer it was an all-white display; in winter it was shades of indigo, navy and greys. It’s both functional and something fun,” she says.
Learn how to arrange clothes when there is no built-in wardrobe
Wang usually chooses one item to set the palette and inspire what is displayed on her open clothing rack and shelves. “Right now it’s a mix of rust, mustard tones, paired back to indigo navy,” she says. “I think I had just finished Zadie Smith’s book Swing Time and was loving the yellow colour of the book when I pulled together this assortment.”
Ceramics made locally in Sausalito, California, from Heath Ceramics decorate the open shelf that divides the kitchen area from the sleeping area.
“I’m often burning candles, incense, sage and other things in my apartment,” Wang says. “One of the challenges of living in a studio apartment is anytime you cook anything the smell permeates the whole space.” Four years ago she found a vintage copper match holder at a flea market. “When I found it, it was rusty and covered in patina. A little bit of vinegar and baking soda and some hard scrubbing brought out the beautiful copper colour underneath it,” she adds.
Find out why baking soda is your home’s best friend
Find out why baking soda is your home’s best friend
She also uses the open shelving unit to display travel mementos and knickknacks. “Some of my favourite things are the pinecones from outside my childhood home, the vintage viewfinder I found at a Brooklyn flea market when I lived in New York, and my collection of things to burn, including sage, palo santo and incense,” she says. “When people come over it’s usually one of the first things in the apartment they look at and play with.”
In the narrow entryway hang mirrors, accessories and air plants from Wang’s favourite local plant store, displayed in iron hooks from a hardware store. “Air plants are great in the apartment since they are easy to care for, and can add life and greenery to any space. I hang my necklaces with the mirror as a final check spot to throw on with my outfit for the day,” she says. “I also have my favourite photo of my mom and me from when I was a kid lounging around. I love that it’s the last thing I see before I leave for the day.”
Read more:
Pune Houzz: A Terrace Becomes an Extension of the Home as a Library
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What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Read more:
Pune Houzz: A Terrace Becomes an Extension of the Home as a Library
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Who lives here: Kelly Wang
Location: Jack London District of Oakland, California
Size: 67 square metres (722 square feet)
“My favourite thing about my apartment is the windows,” says Kelly Wang of her studio apartment in Oakland, California. Wang, a senior merchant for women’s apparel at San Francisco clothing brand Everlane, moved there in 2013 and was drawn to the rental unit’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
The open layout space gets flooded with natural light throughout the day, and “the plants love it too,” she says. The previous tenant installed the window treatments – a layer of sheers and a second layer that is a blackout shade to block out the sun when needed.