Technicolor Studio

I was thinking about being in college in New York City and living in a super small (400 sq.ft) prewar studio in the west village. I had an odd assortment of furniture, new and old, and squeezed things in, like it or not. I worked, ate, slept, and played in the same tiny space. Miserable? Nah, loved it.

Now, the Villa Sibi isn't exactly slumming it, but I was inspired to pull together colorful, mismatched pieces to evoke my college years. I shot these at midnight last night, so the lighting is not ideal (UPDATE, 3/28/09: re-shot with natural light and replaced some pictures).

The desk is cluttered, of course, with food, paper and books. Always a bag lying around too. And a jump rope to satisfy boredom or to escape doing a paper.

The sleeping alcove can only fit a bed and some very small chairs and a table for late night working and snacking (didn't have a laptop in college, but don't have a late 80s clunky desktop mini!).

Credits: Desk and chair, small white table, rug, bed, lamp, pillow, book on bed and vases by Bozart; bag and other accessories by Re-ment; purple couches by Ryan's Room; cypress table by Paris Renfroe; cafe table and chairs by Battat Our Generation; laptop by Elf; sleeping platform and side table from Villa Sibi.

Zebra Room

The anchor of this scene in the Villa Sibi is a zebra couch that I bought off Ebay. It is actually a Creative Playthings piece that someone painted, and they also got creative with a side chair. I have been wanting to use the Reac ball chair for a while, and I found it can be challenging to place. I think it works here, though, and instantly creates a leisure vibe. This led me to take out the TOMY checkers set! I do not have any shelving units, but I wanted one to complete the scene. So I ended up taking the frames from a vintage white Fisher Price couch and chair set that came with a large lot from Ebay and stacked them. It's not great, but it's something.

Of course, doing scenes only makes you realize what you don't have yet in your collection. I need rugs; vases and other tchotchkes; books; eating accessories; and then some.

Speaking of eating, I am a pasta girl and could eat it 24/7. I purchased a Re-ment pasta dish and love it. I set up a dining scene using some of the new vintage wooden furniture I got recently from Ebay. The table is really great, as are the other pieces, but they can be tricky to place, since the scale is off. But I think it looks kinda neat.

I couldn't resist a pasta close-up. :)

Other credits: Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, and Ebay finds; coffee table and pillows are Ryan's Room; wooden sculpture and leather chairs are Bozart.