House Tour-Sandra

Name: Sandra Soss

Location: Chicago

Square Footage: 1450

Years Lived in: 9 years

Rent or own: rent

Describe your style: cozy scavenger

Blog/Website/Twitter: www.bricolagelife.typepad.com



What's your favorite free/found item?
A Jens Risom chair my sister gave me. It came from a moving sale at the old office of the national headquarters of the PTA.





What's your favorite purchased item?
A four tier Barrister's Bookcase (and the Raoul Dufy silkscreen above it. It's really difficult to choose just one thing.)



What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design?
Being a renter. I can daydream for hours (and I do) about how I might redesign the kitchen, backyard or bathroom... but I can never act on it.



Is your design style organic or planned?
99% organic. I may fall in love with something at a rummage sale or thrift shop and if it's affordable, bring it home with no clear plan of where i will put it. Somehow I find a place and a few good uses for every piece.




What is your favorite spot in the house?
The living room. It is the largest room with the best natural light and has three defined areas I like to rearrange to suit the season or a combination of uses. Right now I have a work table for sewing projects, a breezy sitting area and open space for yoga (and photo sets). There are no phones, clocks, computer or TV, making it a peaceful space.





How has your style changed in the past 5 years?
I have tamed my inclination to put pattern and print on everything. But I'm basically doing the same things I have always done, using my space as an extension of my personality, an expression of who I am. The stuff changes and I rearrange the stuff.




What is your favorite resource or store?
Thrift stores, rummage sales and alleys remain my favorites.





What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve?
I am living with one right now, the shiny white ceramic tile floors my landlord installed in the kitchen and bathroom. They are cold and hard and impossible to keep clean.




What has been your favorite design trend?
DIY. It encourages everyone to be their own designer and put their personal stamp on their home. I love that.





What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style?
The internet. Peeking into inspiring creative interiors and artist's studios all over the world... what's not to love?




What in your home dictates how you design/decorate?
There are three things that are interconnected for me. First, the physical space because i am unable as a renter to alter the layout, fixtures or finishes. Next is budget, we don't spend a lot. And then there is our way of life (don't make me say lifestyle). Our apartment functions as my studio and my husband's workspace as well as our shared home. I tend to have projects active in several rooms at once. My husband doesn't mind this :) He keeps an office in the third bedroom where his books and scripts sit beside his golf clubs and baseball bats. We do our best to keep the common spaces cleared of work clutter. 





What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact?
At first I thought - paint the walls. But that's a lot of work. The simplest thing is definitely rearranging. By moving the furniture, artwork, rugs and accessories from room to room, i can refresh the space and repurpose it at the same time. That's big.

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.