Today the condo reveals continue with Condo #2. You will probably notice right away that this layout is completely different than the first condo. Where condo #1 was drenched in sunlight and therefore bright, and airy rooms, condo #2 is a one bedroom that runs more towards the narrow and is consequently a little darker.

You just can’t underestimate the power of natural light. Condo #1 had six large windows throughout. This condo only has two; a very large slider at the end of the living/dining area, and one in the bedroom. Those windows pack a lot of punch, however, being overly tall and wide to maximize the light.

But condo #2 isn’t an ugly duckling by any stretch of the imagination. The kitchen is huge, in a u-shape configuration. The bedroom is also lovely, with a bird’s eye view of the water, and the living room has a covered patio with bistro set and BBQ grill to sit and enjoy those dreamy views. And lastly, the bathroom in this unit is the largest of all; it just feels massive!

For this one-bedroom unit, I chose a similar palette that was used in the two-bedroom. The teal was replaced with navy, complimented by aqua, gray and natural wood tones. For the sleeper sofa, I selected the same hard-wearing gray blend as used in the first unit, but this time instead of floral pillows, I chose a geometric pattern that reminded me of drops of water.

As in Condo #1, in front of the sofa, there is a storage ottoman, which holds the bedding for the sleeper sofa when needed. The television credenza has space not only for the DVR, but also space for games, puzzles and movies. In small spaces, every item needs to do double duty!

The chairs in this unit are a durable brown “leather” that will take the use and abuse of the vacation rental market, but look classic and are extremely comfortable. They are accessorized with two lumbar pillows in gray, navy, and mid-blue that actually inspired the color scheme for the entire condo.  I just have to mention that someone moved the chair by the slider, over towards the couch, after I left…..maybe to show off the slider for the pictures.  Hopefully it’s been moved back:]  To add a little texture and provide more seating, there is a natural wicker chair with a magazine rack and reading lamp beside the entertainment unit.

*Total aside: You never know where inspiration will strike for a color scheme. It can come from a pillow, wall art, bedding fabric or a myriad of other places. Once you find that inspirational piece, the rest of your choices will be driven by that selection and should fall into place easily.*

Because this room had the dining area tucked at the end of the living room, I created a subtle division by using a tower bookshelf piece in between. This was a great place to display accessories, plants and books, as well as providing the functional separation I was looking for. Without this piece, the long room could appear a little flat with everything at the same height.

For the dining room, I chose a black counter height table with four chairs, which was angled in the corner. The wall has a plate arrangement with some signs and pictures. The center of the table holds a tall candlestick holder on a large tray, along with some books and a small bird.

In this unit, there is a small nod towards fishing and fish. The Ross Hall vintage photo in the living room is of his mother as a young girl, standing on a dock with a friend, holding up a fish. I kind of ran with that and hung a wooden fish that my husband cut out and I embellished using nails, wire, buttons and other items, over the picture in the dining room. In the kitchen, the sign over the sink spells out “Go Jump in the Lake” using fish.  The kitchen also boasts a vintage silver fish mold and a fish shaped cutting board.  Normally, I don’t go for strong themes, but in this case, the repetition is subtle, but brings a cohesiveness to the space.

In the bedroom, the palette is tan, navy and cream.  The blinds are blackout and top down/bottom up, so you can have the amount of privacy and light control needed for a bedroom.  The wall space above the blue bench will have a flat screen television mounted there.

The accessories were selected with a nod towards the waterfront location, as well as pieces that reflect the northern Idaho esthetic. Again, beautiful boat pictures taken by my mother, as well a vintage photo from a local legend, added to that look. Word signs, textured wall hangings, plants, throws and small pops of color brought it all together.

In dealing with a long narrow room with few windows, I tried to expand the room visually by angling some of the furniture, and using a couple of mirrors, which if properly placed, are great for giving the optical illusion of more light and space, as well as providing functionality.

That concludes the tour of condo #2. Hopefully you will agree that this would be a welcoming space for vacation renters or anyone else, for that matter. Stay tuned in the next couple of days for condo #3! I can’t wait to show it to you, as well.

Good tidings,
Diane