Working with a small budget, restricted space and an anything-goes mindset, Martha Harms decorated her Dallas apartment having an eclectic mix of bold textiles, quirky hand-me-downs and vintage furniture. “I am incapable of picking a colour motif,” she says. “I like them all.”
Harms, an actor, constantly shared space with roommates in the past. “That is my first opportunity to live solo and discover my personal aesthetic,” she says. Her studio is a sweet group of secondhand paintings, inherited furniture and inexpensive housewares from yard sales, antiques malls and buddies.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Martha Harms
Size: 600 square feet
Location: Uptown neighborhood of Dallas
Sarah Greenman
Natural lighting along with a neutral wall colour provide a fantastic backdrop for a gallery wall of mirrors, children’s illustrations, typography and a classic clock. Corner mirrors make the room feel more expansive and reflect light from the bedside lamp.
Sarah Greenman
Harms, constantly on the search for publication storage, scored the wood shelving unit from a friend. “I have endured so many books, some of which I will probably never read, but I can’t seem to give them up,” she says. The mattress is the centerpiece of this studio. “I love my bed, since I will see the entire apartment from there, and the lighting makes it feel even more comfy.”
White and gray duvet: Ikea
Sarah Greenman
Harms’ home is full of DIY projects. Her bedside table is from Target, but a friend painted it, changed the hardware out and lined the jar with a wallpaper sample.
Background: Dovedale, Cole & Son; drawer pull: Anthropologie
Sarah Greenman
The living room space is an unexpected mix of designs, designs and artwork. Harms says, “Once I hung the listing records, paintings and mirrors on my walls, this place felt like a home.”
The floral chintz sofa was bought at a church parking lot selling, and the midcentury-style java table has been procured for $3 in a thrift store. “My personality just kind of happened,” she says. “I have not painted or altered the appearance of whatever, and yet the colours all collaborate with each other — which is great, as my decorating doctrine is, ‘Make it work.'”
A friend helped make the throw pillows on the sofa using fabric from Ikea and Amy Butler.
Sarah Greenman
Music and lighting help create an inviting ambience. Harms’ favourite thing to do at home is listen to records, along with her prize possession is a classic Magnavox record player.
“I had to get tactical with the light,” she says. “I adore warm, cozy lighting, but I do not have a lot of shelf space or outlets for lamps” A classic floor lamp from Lula B’s in Dallas helps lighting this dark corner.
Sarah Greenman
Vignettes help delineate space and give the illusion that Harms has more space than she really does. A home office is hidden in the corner; the handmade paper sticks dangling above her desk are all decorations from a buddy’s wedding.
Sarah Greenman
The club chair in the home living area is a classic hand-me-down. Mature chairs have a tendency to get a bigger footprint and are ideal for smaller spaces.
Sarah Greenman
A wooden sewing box doubles as a small side table and storage for artwork and wrap supplies. Harms discovered it in Lula B’s in Dallas, where she stores for the majority of her home goods.
Sarah Greenman
On the bathroom wall, an empty frame serves as a vertical jewelry screen. This DIY project was achieved with a thrifted frame, a white mesh remnant and some packaging tape.
Sarah Greenman
A classic oven hangs on the kitchen wall. “I love to hang things on the wall that are not usually considered artwork,” says Harms. The small kitchen overlooks the main living area.
Sarah Greenman
Harms does not plan to stay in the apartment for extended but wants to make it feel as homey as possible. Inspired by a song-lyric DIY job found on the site A Beautiful Mess, Harms reinvented a set of canvases from Bed, Bath & Beyond with a lyric from Mumford & Sons. “I just used two packets of letter stickers along with a tub of gesso. Now I must figure out where to hang them.”
Sarah Greenman
Harms, revealed here, chose her apartment to get the place. “I love my neighborhood,” she says. “When I walk out my door and head west, I will hit a vintage clothing shop, several furniture and artwork consignment stores, fantastic restaurants and a taco joint. If I head east, I will run into a coffee shop, a clothing store and a really eclectic shop full of awesome jewelry and posters and publications. It’s a great way to spend a lazy weekend afternoon.”
If not rehearsing for the most recent drama, Harms can often be found in her desk, scheduling her next audition and looking for more DIY projects on the internet.
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