Chicago Apartment Tour

It’s finally here! My most-perfect-wonderful-in-every-way Chicago apartment tour. This apartment may not seem that special to a stranger’s eye, but it represented such an important time in my life. It was the first time I lived alone and the first time I could really experiment with interior decorating. Not to mention, the apartment was cute as heck!

This one bedroom pre-war apartment was located in the Southport Corridor neighborhood, next to Blaine Elementary School. It had a Southern exposure that looked out onto the playground, rather than another building. This meant amazing light throughout the apartment and no nosy neighbors peeking through my windows. It was also $900/month including water and heat. What a DREAM.

I found the place during my daily Craiglist stalk. It was posted an hour before I contacted the landlord, we made plans to see the apartment that night, and I signed the contract on site. I knew I had found an absolute gem and you have to move quickly when you find one of these in Chicago. In typical Bridget fashion, the apartment needed a lot of help. The boy who lived there before me was a slob and had a cat. Why do I always move into apartments that were previously rented by gross boys?! But I could see so much potential in the beautiful arched doorways, the built-ins, and the sunny living room.

My landlord approved repainting as long as I picked light colors. I could work with that. Luckily, paint was all that was needed to really transform this space. Unlike a certain more recent rental *cough*Philly apartment*cough. I spent a few days repainting every wall, the kitchen cabinets, and all the trim with a lot of help from Kristen, Derek, and my mom. Hi guys! Scroll down for all the before and afters!

Living Room

Before

After

Hello “millennial pink” walls. I was very inspired by the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2016 and that is clearly seen by my paint choice. It is such a happy color! I was 27 and single and there is no better excuse than that to paint your walls peach. I’m still a little obsessed with this and might have to use it somewhere in the new house. Yes or no? I imagine Colin is yelling “hell no” at his computer while reading this! Color: PPG Flamingo Peach.

Kitchen

Before

After

The kitchen was extra tiny, but very quirky and cute with built-ins and a Hoosier cabinet. All the cabinets had been painted many times so I decided to add a layer of fresh white paint to the dirty greying cabinets. It really brightened up the space. Had I stayed here long-term, I may have tried replacing the plastic yellow tiles or putting in butcher blocks countertops. The formica counters were so stained and warped from years of rentals.

Dining Room

Before

After

Baby blue is just gross. I don’t recall ever seeing this color used well. It’s particularly bad when paired with grey-white trim and tan linoleum floors. I wrote a whole post about transforming this room here. To sum it up quickly, I painted the walls and trim, and ripped out the linoleum to expose the hardwood. And TADA- a beautiful dining area appeared! Color: PPG Maggie’s Magic.

Bedroom

Before

After

I’m sure that someone was very proud of those painted lines on the wall, but it was a no for me, dog. I decided to stick with a clean white paint for the bedroom. I wanted the dark stained wood doors with glass knobs to stand out. And they did! Gosh, everything was just so cute.

I loved this apartment for so many reasons. It was affordable, cute, and in a great neighborhood. More importantly, it helped me grow as a person. I was totally independent for the first time in my life. I learned to love cooking in this apartment. I found the joy in staying home alone on a Friday night to watch movies and drink wine. I pushed myself creatively as I spruced up and decorated the space. When my dad passed away, I craved alone time to heal, and found so much comfort in my surroundings. This apartment reignited my love for DIY and decor and ultimately led me on the path to starting this blog. I can’t believe I’m writing a love note to an apartment. But it really meant a lot to me.

On a less sappy note, this apartment was featured on Apartment Therapy- SWOON. If you want to read the article and see pictures taken by a professional photographer, click this link! You’ll also be treated to seeing me awkwardly “acting natural” for photos. Thanks for coming along on my Chicago apartment tour. And as always, thank you for reading my blog! I am truly grateful!