INNER SPACE: Dark to light, bright and airy

On the west side of Manchester, a local photographer with a keen eye for interior design has been fixing up her apartment over the past 2 years. She has graciously shared the fruits of her labor with Manchester Oblique. For privacy purposes, she has asked for her name to be omitted.

What kind of building is the apartment in?

It's a 1917 New Englander. It was converted from a 1 family to a 2 family and has a lovely, big back yard.

Do you know any history about the building?

I have a picture from 1922 (which I can't find at the moment.) It was one of the first houses on the street and it was owned by the same family for 60 years. It was last renovated in the sixties or seventies I believe. The father was a woodworker so he built all of the wainscoting and molding throughout the living room, office and bedroom. My bedroom today would have been the living room and my kitchen is disproportionately big because it's the original size, I believe.

How would you describe the place before the renovations?

Good bones, but too dark and very outdated. It had been a rental property for ten years so it needed lots of attention and love.

Did you find anything weird about the apartment when you started working on it?

Of course! The basement bathroom vent emptied into the heat vent in what is now the laundry room, which is obviously DIY gone wild.

There was newspaper for insulation in the kitchen. There is a secret, flat cabinet on the floor of one of the kitchen cabinets too which is really odd. The bedroom closet didn't have walls. It was simply a series of wood paneling layered together.


What kind of aesthetic and feeling were you looking to get from the place and what did it take to obtain it?

I wanted light, bright and airy. I loved all of the detailing of the built-in cabinets, wainscoting and molding, but wanted to freshen everything up making it a mix of traditional and modern. It took several tons of paint (and sanding), removing a sliding glass door that separated the kitchen from the living room, adding new floors that reflect light, new windows, relocating the exterior side door, replacing all of the lighting and adding more, and cleaning everything.

It's still not finished as you may be able to see from the photos. I am still in the process of decorating and adding furniture. I need a bed frame for example and a few pieces for the room with the orange wall. And I need to finish the kitchen- counter top, back splash, new oven, stove top, sink, and faucet. All in time though. It's very liveable in it's present state, just not perfect.

What's your favorite room in the apartment now?

I would have to say the kitchen because it spacious and I adore the color green of the cabinets. I also really love my bedroom because of the gorgeous muted pinky/ purple color which is only heightened by softest, glowiest, abundant natural light. It's also the first grown-up bedroom I've had and that feels good.

What's your favorite little detail?

There so many unique details in this house that it's really a series of unique details. If I had to choose one that came with the house it would be the wall oven. If I had to choose one detail that I'm responsible for it would be the door knobs. They were mismatched and brass mostly and didn't match the house.

More photos after the jump.

Have an innovative, creative, modernized, retrofitted, renovated, experimental, inventive or unusual living space? Share it with Manchester Oblique. Email your information to daniel dot brian at gmail dot com.