A Small, Historic Apartment Gets A Colorful Paint Job

By  Kate Santos
pink paint in office Lindsay Salazar

For a cramped and dated home from the 1900s, customizing the scale of the furniture was necessary in a renovation that took the space from cave-like to an airy dream. The apartment, located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, was redesigned by architectural studio and custom furniture design firm Alice Lane Home.

At less than 1,000-square-feet, the clients needed the two-bedroom apartment to feel more spacious and personal. That meant organizing the home into sections, adding storage, as well as creating custom furnishings that wouldn't overpower a tight space. "We replaced almost everything to increase functionality, but still made it our goal to maintain that historic charm," Suzanne Hall, VP of Design, said. Overall, Hall refers to the style as "collected traditional": a mix of playfulness and personality with a touch of history.

small living room with green couch Lindsay Salazar

1. Living Room

The firm was able to take this challenge head-on by scaling each piece of furniture in the right way. "We had to learn how to navigate the function of the house overall," Hall said.

2. Living Room

small living room with green couchLindsay Salazar

In the living room, everything from the sofa to the pillows to the coffee table are from Alice Lane Home.

3. Dining Room

dining room with blue wallsLindsay Salazar

In the dining area, custom cabinetry painted in Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue creates extra storage in the small home. The walls are painted in Worldly Gray by Sherwin-Williams.

4. Dining Room

dining room with blue wallsLindsay Salazar

Before the renovation, the dining area "was dingy and dated, the carpet was bad and it all smelled old," Hall said. The transformation resulted in a bright and airy space.

5. Dining Room

dining room with blue wallsLindsay Salazar

Unsurprisingly, many of the dining room furnishings came from Alice Lane Home, including the gold-painted chairs, the modern dining table, and even the large centerpiece. (Although many of the items used in the home are no longer available, Alice Lane Home offers custom ordering through their website.)

6. Kitchen

small kitchen with white and blue cabinetsLindsay Salazar

The kitchen cabinets are painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball, a color that incites a feeling of warmth and tradition. A handmade wool buffalo check rug over the wood floors also delivers a dash of traditional style.

7. Kitchen

kitchen with white and blue cabinetsLindsay Salazar

Even though the firm did have to create many new pieces for the clients, they also wanted to prioritize the personal. "We incorporated a lot of the homeowners' art and personal things from traveling to really make it feel like a well-curated home," Hall told Hunker.

8. Bedroom

bedroom with black wallsLindsay Salazar

A soft black paint, Off Black by Farrow & Ball, may be darker than the rest of the design but is tempered by lighter, more playful hues in the bedroom.

9. Office

feminine office idea with pink wallsLindsay Salazar

In the home office, a light pink paint (Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball) highlights the gold elements in the room. An upholstered bench was custom-designed by Alice Lane Home.

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