The Well-Traveled Apartment

I asked Erika Huddleston to send me a photo of herself to go with some of the photos I took of her Bishop Arts apartment recently for this blog, and this is what arrived in my inbox. I roared with delight. Don't you love it? It's Erika and a camel at the Gaza pyramids in Egypt. 

She's originally from Highland Park, and now living part time in an historic apartment building in Oak Cliff, and part time in Austin, where she's finishing her masters in landscape architecture at UT. She already has a certificate in interior design from Parson's in New York, and an undergrad degree from Vanderbilt. 

The stint at Parsons explains why her apartment looks so great, especially for a college student. Could also be that she's an artist. 

Erika taught art to middle schoolers in the South Bronx while in New York, and then worked with interior design fabrics at Hable Construction  (the influence shows). She's put a Knoll-influenced coffee table from CB2 in front of an antique velvet and horsehair sofa from Nick Brock; the striped rug is from Urban Outfitters, which she bought on sale, and the side table is also CB2.

Says Erika: "The assemblage of paintings on the wall I have collected along with some that I painted.  I hung them with simple twine from the painting rail since Goodspace does not allow holes in the wall due to their original plaster walls. I left the ends of the twine dangling down like curling ribbons. the arrangement took a while to hang but I had a friend over for dinner and we spent the evening playing around with arrangements on the floor and then hung it all up. Two artists I admire a lot are Hugo Guinness and Ryan McGinness. Also, there is a painting by my friend, Susan Woodard from New Orleans, who gave it to me for my birthday."

 

An old gym bench, which does duty here as a table, is from London Market Antiques 

"The little colorful boxes (scattered on the white table) I bought in India.The porcelain white vase on the coffee table is by Klein Reid who make the most wonderful handmade vases in Brooklyn, New York," she says.

"The two Victorian slipper chairs are from Milton Kent with their aged original upholstery," Erika says.

"The sisal rug is from West Elm, and I layered it under the striped rug for cushioning." The chrome lamp is from a flea market, and the chocolate shade is from Anthropologie. 

The pinkish gold matelasse fabric, draped on the back of the chair at right, is from the 1960s. The hand crocheted throw at left is from the 1880s and is a gift from her sister who found in it Washington, D.C. at an antiques store. It has a bit of a provenance -- there's an old black and white photo of it from the 19th century, inside a dormitory of a women's college on the east coast. The college students are dressed in white gowns from the era.

Says Erika: "The mirror and hat stand are from "Buy or Bid" along with the old wood bureau in the bedroom.  The shop was having a going out of business sale and they had lots of great old Southern pieces for nothing. I love old furniture with character -- with traces of the person before me who owned the pieces and used and enjoyed them."

The coral and gold silk textile on the bed is a sari Erika brought back from India, and the coverlet is from Hable Construction. "I painted the gold painting above the bed. I mix the gesso by hand from rabbit skin glue, gold pigment, and marble dust. The little sheepskin (not shown) is always next to my bed no matter where I have lived-- it is from a family trip to New Zealand in high school and I wash it in the bathtub," she says.

Something about a simple chair in the corner of a bedroom that is humble and lovely. This carved Italian chair is one of a set of six that is in her mother's breakfast room. She gave Erika one. 

Parting Shot: Love this old fashioned, black and white tiled kitchen, which was redone by Good Space's team of local craftspeople.