What it is: I live in a one-bedroom-plus-den apartment that was built in 1928. Rent is $1,425 per month.
Who lives here? Me, vintage curator at Vintagey, and Maxwell, a 12-year-old retired therapy pug. At Vintagey.ca I provide a service where I search for specific vintage items, consult on how to achieve a vintagey look and feel and sell items from my collection.
First thing you changed: I painted the living room a soft shade of grey with white trim. I had to get rid of the existing dark red walls and black trim as I felt like I was in a vampires nest. Theres also a weird old shelving unit that someone had built into the bathroom even though its great storage, it was a bit of an eyesore. I fixed it by making a curtain from a 1960s Marimekko print to hide the open shelves and used funky vinyl tiles on the top.
Feature you brag about: I have just over 1,000 square feet of space and this apartment is set up like a house with a formal foyer, three huge closets, well-proportioned rooms and a separate kitchen and dining room. This suite has also retained all its original mouldings, flooring, fireplace, cast iron radiators, most of the light fixtures and the milk delivery box. The kitchen counters have all the original tiles and cupboards which provide a ton of space for all of my many things.
That conversation piece: The kitchen still has the built-in ice box. Visitors always want to open it up and take a look!
The decor: I live the vintage life. My style blends items from the 1920s to 1960s. I believe you can layer many eras and styles together to achieve a unique space. My china cabinet, sideboard and all of their contents are from the 1930s. Pretty much all of my kitchenware is from the 1940s and originated in my grandfathers
restaurant. I have a serious love for my 1950s bark cloth curtains, a funky 1960s Danish modern bar and combine these vintage items with a new modern couch. I dont believe in anything being too precious and on display, I like a comfortable feel and I use all of the items that I have. People have told me I have lots of interesting stuff to look at.
The backstory: Most of my antique furniture and vintage decor came from my Nanas houses. When I was younger I used to go through my Nanas basement hunting for treasures; she found it funny and let me keep whatever I found. The modern pieces of shelving and tables are from friends who used to make furniture. I also decorate with my own artwork as I do fibre art, pottery and life drawing, plus I have a lot of talented artist friends who have kindly graced me with their work. Because I love vintage people tend to give me things, even my building manager brought me an old manual typewriter that hed found!
Downsides: Id love to have a balcony and an in-suite washer and dryer.
Neighbourhood haunts: Any of the West End dog parks.
Compared to your last place: Double the amount of space for the same amount of rent with 100 times more character.
Favourite thing to do at home: Dance with my pug while listening to 78s on my vintage floor-standing radio.
