My Houzz: Pretty Meets Practical in a 1920s Walk-Up

For Danielle Moss, decorating her 1920s Chicago apartment is all about editing. "I prefer to keep things simple and uncluttered," says Moss, a cofounder and editor of the blog The Everygirl.

With its neutral palette and careful layering of grays and blacks with a touch of gold for glimmer, her rental is a perfectly tailored fit. "Painting was the first step, and after that I just moved my things in and took over," she recalls. It took around seven months for her to finish the apartment, she says, then it started to feel like home.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Danielle Moss and her dog, Buddy
Location: Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 800 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

First Moss painted the ceilings and walls a creamy gray to highlight the original wall trim. Next she started furnishing, adding her white sofa and then playful color with an abstract-style painting by New York artist Jen Ramos.

She had new pillows made and then carefully began decorating the space one element at a time. "Don't try to finish everything at once," Moss says. "It takes time but will slowly come together. There are always little things you’ll want to change. Pace yourself and have fun decorating."

Wall paint: Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball; sofa: Comfort Square Slipcovered, Pottery Barn; lamp: Sonneman Palo Brass Modern, Euro Style Lighting; painting: "Cocoa and Hearts," by Jen Ramos; pillows: Aurelia, Etsy; candle: Bubblegum Pop, Jonathan Adler; elephant: Shiny Gold Elephant, Furbish


Moss' biggest challenge was creating a living room that also functioned as an office but didn't look and feel like one.

A fiddle leaf fig brings some outdoor life into the fourth-floor unit.

Coffee table: Vittsjö, Ikea; side table: Durham Bunching, Ballard Designs; rug: Jute Chenille Herringbone, West Elm; TV stand: Chill Media Console, CB2


Parson's desk: West Elm; chair: Swivel Desk Chair, West Elm; pllow: Gold Hong Kong, Catlin Wilson Textiles; footrest: Hourglass Pouf, Lulu & Georgia; phone: Native Union Retro POP, Amazon


To free up floor space, Moss took her office storage vertical. She uses this little shelving unit to house a camera she bought from her first visit to Chicago's Randolph Street Market, a photo of her great-aunt Rose, some vintage books and more.

Shelving: Sift Raw, CB2; urchin: Gold Urchin, Furbish; jars: Chalkboard Spice Jar, Anthropologie and Horse Jar, Imm-Living


The original brick mantel came painted, and Moss added her own decorating touch to the fireplace. "I bought the logs at a lumber yard and had each one cut to 6 inches," she says. "It is very likely that after hand selecting logs for 30 minutes and having them cut, the poor guy there wanted to kill me. I did leave a nice tip."

The framed print above a styled collection of candles reads, "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien," French for "I have no regrets."

Chair: Miramar Charcoal Upholstered, Serena & Lilly; pillow: Aurelia, Etsy; picture: Non Je Ne Regrette Rien, Etsy; gnome: Little Helpers Contatiner, Imm-Living; candleholder: London Large Clear Hurricane, Crate & Barrel


In Moss' compact bathroom, the window ledge is used to help with morning makeup routines. The styled vignette outside the door is one of many in the apartment.

Table: X Marks the Spot, Lulu & Georgia, lamp: Sydney, Lulu & Georgia; rug: Safavieh Shag, RugsUSA.com; paint: Black Horizon, Benjamin Moore


One of Moss' proudest moments was the time she carried this tufted headboard up the four flights of stairs. The bedroom color palette sticks to her commitment to whites, grays and blacks. "I love lying in bed on a Sunday morning," she says. "My bedroom is very relaxing, and is the one place where I never work."

Headboard: Camden Tufted, Ballard Designs; paint: Cabbage White, Farrow & Ball; pillows: Aurelia custom, Etsy; lamp: Ryder Swing, Euro Style Lighting; duvet and shams, Aqua Boarder, Serena & Lily


Moss says she's not an expert in hanging art and doing so in her bedroom was a bit of trial and error. "I just started hammering holes in the wall and hanging frames until it came together. I can't tell you how many holes I ended up patching — with a kitchen spatula — because I had made such a mess of the wall," she says. "Probably not the best way to put a gallery wall together, but it worked for me."

One of her prized pieces on the wall is a framed shoebox top signed by Christian Louboutin (seen to the left of the table lamp). "My sister met him and had him sign it for me — I love it," she says.

Dresser: vintage, The White Attic; mirror, Antiqued Moroccan, Wisteria


An Ikea Malm dresser in the bedroom holds another vignette. "It's my own little urban garden — kind of," Moss says. "The little gnome ring dish by Imm Living is one of my favorite things."

Mirror: Sunburst Mirror, Ballard Designs; terrarium, Geo, Jayson Home; gnome dish: The Little Helpers Trinket Dish, Imm Living; dresser: Malm, Ikea


Moss worked with the apartment's original wall trim to frame another playful gallery of artwork and gold accents.

Wall paint: Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball; dining table: Parsons Teak Top, Crate & Barrel; candleholder: Bronn, CB2; table runner: Bold Ikat, Willams-Sonoma; animal print: Baby Giraffe, The Animal Print Shop


An added shelf in the kitchen holds extra serving dishes and essentials.

Shelving: Safavieh; pepper mill: Copper, Crate & Barrel; pitcher: Tackety Narrow, BHLDN


Moss personalized her kitchen by painting the walls and adding a small white floating shelf above the sink. She can't wait to become a homeowner and renovate her own kitchen, saying, "Does a kitchen count as a dream-home item?"

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