With a nod to the 1950s and 1960s and influences from hotels to Thorne’s miniature rooms, this colorful apartment in Dallas is inspired by such varied elements as the all-woman co-working space The Wing to quirky Wes Anderson films. It’s a downtown apartment that’s truly a magical time machine to walk into.

我们first got a taste of Melissa’s bold and vibrant decor style in her house call, where she showed thatthe beauty of living alone is decorating exactly how you want. Well,almostexactly. She admits that renting does mean some limitations (her kitchen, for instance, is very woodsy and outdated). “For today, though, I rent a 1,200 square foot 1950s apartment for me and my cat. I’m going to create a home I love for this spectacular season of life. There’s a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.”

My Style:Witty, Whimsical, Quirky, Collected, and Colorful

Inspiration:The late 1950s and early 1960s, hotels, Italy, Thorne’s miniature rooms, The Wing, Wes Anderson films, and my fictional inspiration: Margot Tenenbaum, Peggy Olson, Elaine Benes, Phyllis Nefler, Tracy Flick, Tami Taylor, Sue Ellen Crandell.

Favorite Element:My apartment is full of subtle, tongue-in-cheek cultural references to movies and books. Vintage pillowcases are embroidered with “Khaki Wishes” and “Cookie Dreams,” a nod to one of my favorite movies, “Troop Beverly Hills.” I needlepointed the pillow on my bed that says “I would prefer not to,” a famous line from a Herman Melville short story that felt too “on brand” to resist. There’s a painting of Peggy Olson in the living room that I commissioned of an iconic scene from “Mad Men,”my favorite television show. Everything is intentional, without being taken too seriously.

这巨大的路易威登lithogr签署aph is probably my best “find” ever. I bid $30 in an online auction based on a tiny thumbnail image. I didn’t read the dimensions. My $30 bid won. I drove out to a dilapidated warehouse to pick it up, thinking it was poster-sized. It’s larger than my wingspan and worth a couple thousand dollars. Who knew? The typography is rad, and I didn’t get murdered picking it up. All in all, a great day.

Biggest Challenge:My kitchen doubles as a time travel machine. It’s mid-century without the modern. It’s… a lot of wood. Because I rent, though, I’m not going to spend money to renovate the kitchen. My solution was to replace the cabinet hardware and the ratty old yellow linoleum floors with white peel-and-stick vinyl tile from Lowes. I also overcame my challenging kitchen by baking a really cute cake to sit on the counter for photos.

What Friends Say:“It’s so you.” “How many pairs of cat shoes do you have?” “If I didn’t live with a man, this is what I’d want my house to look like.”

Biggest Embarrassment:I hope I’m never embarrassed of my home or embarrassed of my age. It’s an enormous privilege to get to grow up, just like it’s an enormous privilege to have somewhere to come home to. In an Instagram age, too often we forget that we’re seeing someone else’s life through a filter. Zoom in and you’ll see the cat hair and cheap-ass metal blinds. Every person featured on Apartment Therapy hid something in the closet prior to the photo shoot. (I hid my cat’s scratch tower because it’s hideous.)

Proudest DIY:当你独自生活,你的生活是自己动手。My proudest DIY, then, is that I created a home I love—that I can be alone within it without being lonely. If I don’t know how to do something, I watch YouTube videos and figure it out. I move my furniture around at midnight if I suddenly decide I hate the layout. You don’t have to wait on somebody else to build a badass life. Do your thing.

Biggest Indulgence:D. Porthault linens! It’s pretty indulgent to sleep on the preferred whites of Jackie Kennedy. I don’t yet own the duvet because it’s literally more expensive than one month’s rent. (So maybe I need to look at my life choices?)

Best Advice:Quit chasing trends. By the time it’s at Target, it’s over. (I’m looking at you, “Modern Farmhouse.”) Also, you don’t have to make design decisions with “forever” in mind. 10 years from now, I might have a husband and children in a traditional Southern home with plantation shutters and proper library. Maybe I will, or maybe I won’t. For today, though, I rent a 1,200-square-foot 1950s apartment for me and my cat, and I’m going to create a home I love for this spectacular season of life, too. There’s a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.

Dream Sources:I’d like to be one of those annoying people who just answer that everything was made “custom,” like, “Oh, the bedding? I had it made.”

BEDROOM
Bed – Room & BoardArchitecture Bed
Nightstands – West ElmPenelope Mini Desk
Radio – TivoliModel One BT radio
Chifforobe – West ElmMid-century Chifforobe
Desk – West ElmParsons Desk
Rug – Rugs USAIsabella ISA-7
Desk chair – WayfairMeelano Vegan Leather Desk Chair
Flush mount – Pottery Barn KidsScalloped White Metal Flush Mount
Pink velvet club chair – VintageShop Vintage Dallas
Needlepoint pillow – Canvas byLycette
Pillow shams – D. PorthaultCoeurs Pink
Embroidered pillowcases – EtsyMy Needle Habit(custom)
Ottoman – Urban OutfittersAlina Storage Ottoman
Curtains – IKEAMARIAM Curtains
Dresser – VintageRoom Service Vintage
Catchall –Bar Hemingway in the Ritz Paris
Newspaper print – The WingBroadsheet Poster
Desk lamp – TargetDean LED Task Lamp
Zebra knobs – AnthropologieCeramic Safari Knob
Door hook – AnthropologieRattan Wrapped Monogram Hook
Tassels – EtsyNature Beads
Flower sculptures —Madison
Rotary phone – Vintage
Lamps – Kate Spade via Home Goods (no longer available)
Mirror – Crate & Barrel Ninna White Wall Mirror (no longer available)
Filing cabinet – CB2 (no longer available)
Quatrefoil throw pillows – Horchow (no longer available)

LIVING ROOM
Book shelves – IKEABILLY bookcase in birch
Sculpture – “Mug Present” by Katie Kimmel viaBlack Book Gallery
狗的花瓶,Katie Kimmel
Zebra – Vintage viaRoom Service Vintage
Candelabras –Furbish(no longer available)
Letterboard – LetterfolkThe Writer Oak
Coffee Table – AnthropologieBrass Starburst Round Coffee Table
Scalloped side table – TargetScalloped Kids Accent Table
Yellow chairs – Vintage viaShop Vintage Dallas
Pink chair – Vintage viaShop Vintage Dallas
Gray loveseat (twin sleeper) – West ElmHenry Twin Sleeper Sofa
Peggy Olson painting – Commissioned; Inspired by an illustration ofPeggy Olson by Alex Sheidow
Floor lamp – West ElmCurvilinear Mid-Century Floor Lamp
Clothing Rack – Urban OutfittersCameron Clothing Rackin lilac
Pierced ginger jars – HomeGoods
Headphones – Amazon
Acrylic headphones stand – Amazon
Vintage books — Half Price Books
Louis Vuitton signed lithograph by Razzia – Vintage via estate liquidation online auction
Wood side table – Plucked from my parents’ house

DINING ROOM
Chandelier – World MarketBrass Starburst Collin Chandelier
Dining table, dining chairs, sideboard, china cabinet – Vintage via my parents’ house
Photographs – by me, printed and framed viaFramebridge in Sonoma
黄金枝状大烛台——目标
Taper candles – World Market
Ice bucket – MacKenzie-Childs
Bowl – MacKenzie-Childs
Pillow – Furbish
Coral cabinet – Vintage

KITCHEN
Table — IKEANORBERG wall-mounted drop-leaf table
Paper towel holder – MacKenzie-ChildsCourtly Check Paper Towel Holder(similar)
Utensil holder – MacKenzie-ChildsCourtly Check Utensil Holder
Bowls – Pyrex – Vintage via Whimseys
Bulletin board – Hobby Lobby
Cabinet knobs – Lowe’sBrainerd Bar Pulls Bayview Brass Rectangular Cabinet Knob
Drawer pulls – Lowe’sBrainerd Bar Pulls
Italian shell back chair – Vintage, purchased off a Facebook neighborhood resale page
Painting – Commissioned

BATHROOM
Comb,hairbrushandbobby pinprints – Rifle Paper Co.
As If print – Urban Outfitters,A Sensible Habit As If
Shower curtain – Target (no longer available)
Garden stool – Home Goods (no longer available)
Italian shell back chair – Vintage, purchased off a Facebook neighborhood resale page

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