Accent Walls in This NYC Apartment Saved It from Being a "Stark White Shoebox"

"There are a lot of un-sexy reasons we liked this apartment, which is probably the case with many people in NYC who don't have an unlimited budget. She even described the initial apartment as being basically a stark white shoebox. Literally everything was white. Dated ugly kitchen and bathroom."

"However, the bareness (or, more romantically, the blank canvas-ness) of the original apartment was what drew Kate in. She wanted to make her mark on the space, but thought it'd be difficult if, for example, the kitchen had already been modernized. There were other bonuses, though, like the natural light streaming throughout the home and the extra space provided by two bedrooms."

"What was a blank canvas is now a home full of color and texture - namely, the peel-and-stick wallpaper on the living room's accent wall, the fringe chairs from Target, and the vintage-inspired temporary floor tiles in the kitchen."

Photographer Kate McReynolds and her fiancé selected their Upper East Side apartment based on practical considerations rather than initial aesthetics. The original space was a stark white shell with a dated kitchen and bathroom. Rather than viewing this as a drawback, Kate recognized the blank canvas as an opportunity to personalize the space without working around existing design choices. The apartment offered natural light and extra bedroom space. Through strategic use of affordable design solutions including peel-and-stick wallpaper for an accent wall, fringe chairs from Target, and vintage-inspired temporary floor tiles, Kate transformed the minimal space into a warm, textured home that feels like a peaceful retreat from the city.

Read at Apartment Therapy