Thursday 3 July 2008

Our new apartment - after shots

Finally, I can share the after photos! Let me just preface this post with a disclaimer. I am in no way declaring that this space is a) finished, b) fabulous, or c) furnished! Of course it's going to look bigger with no furniture in it, but I am not quite ready to share those photos with you... So, in the meantime, at least take a look at the multitude of sins that a few tins of paint have managed to (mostly) cover up.....


Living Room - again looking from the front door. Yes, it still looks like a bowling alley, but I think the space looks more open and consistent. As you can clearly see, I opted for a light colour, rather than chocolate brown - which I had also considered. I didn't go the dark colour road because, while I think this space is a great candidate for a rich dark colour, we would've had to repaint the place once we were done and ready to leave. And while I had no idea just what a task was at hand when I was chosing the colours, I'm glad I took this path because believe me, I am not painting anything again in a long time!

The second major change is the sisal carpet we had laid wall to wall in the entire space. Mostly to cover up the ghastly tiles in the kitchen/dining, but mostly because as the spaces are joined I wanted them to feel more like one large (and long) space, rather than two smaller connected spaces.

It may be hard to see in these photos, but there were cupboards along one wall which we've converted to bookshelves (as seen on the left side of the below photo) - the doors came off easily and a few coats of paint have allowed us to open up the room ever so slightly, and to display the books my husband and I have amassed between the two of us.


This view (above) is looking back at the entrance from the living room. Those beyond ugly light fittings are still with us, temporarily, until I find a suitable replacement.

From the dining room looking back into the living room. Kitchen is to the left, but as a rental we weren't able to change that or the bathroom, so we have to live with those as they are. Barely visible are the wires for the surround sound system (the black speakers were expelled) that will be installed at some stage (with small white speakers!).

This photo to me shows the greatest amount of change. The front bedroom before was so terribly ugly, and now its actually one of the nicest brightest rooms in the apartment. This photo doesn't show much, but to me its what is not there that makes it so nice (the old bed and built-ins the landlord removed for us).

There is still a bit of work left to do, and lots of cleaning. I'm still finding areas to touch up with paint, and paint spots that need removing. But we're getting there. Next on the to-do list is to get a few pieces recovered so I can perhaps share some real after shots, fully furnished...

10 comments:

Haf said...

This is a *dramatic* transformation!!

driftwood shack said...

thank goodness you decided against that hideous ugly old apartment for this lovely one! Really? Noooooo! oophs!

Lisa D. said...

I enjoy reading your blog & I wanted to let you know that your flat is really coming along! Great color selection & I love the sisal rug. Like they always say, paint makes a huge difference! It’s starting to have that Barbara Barry look! Oh, for myself I’ve been renovating our 1930’s cottage house in Nashvegas! Cheer!

HOBAC said...

Just know it's going to be (b) when it is (c).

columnist said...

Grear improvement, and a wonderful canvas to start prettyfying the rest. Good luck, and am looking forward to seeing future posts on this. No pressure!!

Suzy said...

Thanks for the positive and encouraging comments everyone, its much appreciated. It's not so hard putting your projects out there for others to judge, but when it's your own place (especially one you don't own and don't have total control ovr) its a bit more nerve wracking...promise to keep you all updated with the progress!

Style Court said...

Congrats on your progress Suzy. Look forward to seeing more :)

Alkemie said...

Suzy - how Exciting that you are moving to a new place? Is this still in HK? Can't wait to see more photos as your place is furnished :)

Cheers,

Karen

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzy, did you end up posting pics of the final product? Thanks, Claire

Suzy said...

Hi Claire - no I didn't in the end...I never quite got it how I wanted it to look, and would never post photos of anything that I wasn't 100% happy with/proud of. We've since moved, and I'm hoping to post photos of that in the not too distant future....
Thanks for asking :)