Oh my, I am horrible at everything bloggy.

Things are moving slowly here at the apartment.  Remember this list from way back in January?  Well, our bathroom still looks horrible, and we still don’t have any hardware on our doors (who needs doorknobs/locks anyway?) but we have made some progress!

The school my mother works at has been quite an integral part of Operation: Furniture this summer.  I have scored two bookshelves for the living room, a tiny table for the kitchen, and two child’s desks to use as nightstands in the bedroom.  All for the awesome price of $0.  Most of the pieces are still awaiting some TLC and spray paint, hence the lack of photos.  The bookshelves are all spiffed up and housing our books quite wonderfully, however the living room is in such a dismal state right now I refuse to take pictures of them. (I also refuse to vacuum whenever I am home, so I’m kind of at a stand-still with that one. )

I have also made progress in the houseplant department.  I purchased Clementine from the grocery store.  Her stake reads “Tropical Plant, grown in Canada.”  So, any assistance identifying her would be appreciated. Until then, she has been residing on the windowsill in the kitchen.

Woodstock was adopted from my mother’s school after being abandoned by his former owner (a 1st grade teacher who moved to Michigan.) My father named him due to his resemblance to a certain, yellow bird.  I believe Woodstock is a spider plant that just hasn’t made any babies yet. Although, if that’s totally not true, do let me know.  I don’t usually kill houseplants, but that’s because I usually know what kind of plant they are/how to care for them.  Woodstock keeps Clementine and the Keurig company from his perch on the counter.

In the time I don’t spend vacuuming, I have crocheted a pillow for our someday-couch. I used the Neat Ripple Pattern by Lucy of Attic24.  It’s a great pattern – fast and easy, and it doesn’t curl up into an annoying accordion like some other ripple/zigzag patterns do. (Excuse the phone photos, I’m a lazy, shoeless bum.)

Anyway, I’m really happy with the way this came out.  Contemporary and cool, but with enough grandma-ness to be cute. (but not so much grandma-ness that it looks like I’ll start keeping parakeets and putting mothballs in my cupboards.) I plan to make it a friend, although I believe I might run out of grey yarn. Quel catastrophe!  Really though, a lack of grey yarn is cause for concern in my life…

So yeah! Fall is coming, which makes me want to actually be inside doing apartment-type, blog-worthy things, so I might actually begin to post here with some frequency.  Or not, we’ll see.

I’m ready for spring

I has been a slow few months since my last post… too much snow, too many head-colds, and a depressing lack of funds has kept apartment renovations at a standstill since January.  We are, however, beginning to feel an inkling of spring-like weather up here in Vermont and the spring cleaning bug has bitten.  I do have a few, small-ish projects that I will be finishing up in the next few days, so keep an eye out for an update of the pictorial variety in the week to come! (A hint: our walls are nekkid no more!)

Also, did you know that Apartment Number Four has a tumblr? We do! It’s where I collect inspiration and post home-related things that catch my eye.  Do you have a favorite interior design tumblr or blog? I’m always on the look-out for dreamy home design inspiration – Matt and I are especially fond of anything Scandinavian-inspired, modern vintage, and clean/crisp yet homey. Please share your fave design sources with us in the comments & take a peek at our tumblr!

Hello there, 2011

We’ve started out the new year with a fresh coat of paint! Our once taupe/cream/gross bedroom is now bright white, which looks amazing when the sun is coming in through the huge windows.  The living room and playroom have gone through the biggest, most satisfying change.  What used to be brown walls with tan trim is now grey on the walls and a shiny, white trim.

The shade we chose is Sherwin-Williams’ Zircon, a nice medium grey with a touch of warmth.  It has made a huge difference in the feel of our apartment.  Everything seems taller and more spacious with tons more light reflecting off the walls and sunlight coming through from the bedroom doors.

Projects in the wings:

• polish & reinstall brass hardware on the doors
• remove the horrible border in the bathroom
• find a kitchen table
• purchase some bedside tables for the bedroom, preferably these.
• expand our houseplant collection

Here’s hoping the rest of 2011 is as awesome and productive as this past week!

Welcome to Apartment Number Four!

Hello! We’re Emma and Matt, recent inhabitants of a 650 square foot Victorian-era apartment located in Northeastern Vermont.  Although this is not our first time renting, this is the first instance we have rented with the intention of staying put for more than a semester at college or quick stint with roommates.  As a result, we’re thrilled to do some renovations, start upgrading some of our hand-me-down furniture, and create a place we can call our own.

We’ll be showing off our apartment-related handiwork here on the Apt. #4 blog, but the occasional food, art, design, or craft-type post may sneak in.  Anything that happens within the walls of #4 is fair game.  So stay tuned!  We’re getting jazzed about our first projects. In the mean time, let us know you’re out there (we love groupies) and visit our very minimal about page.  We’ll try to finish unpacking.