Sarah Andersen and her husband, Peter, have thoughtfully grafted their style onto a tiny 500-square-foot apartment, located on the ground floor of a three-story house.

Sarah, a jewelry and floral designer, had a highly developed sense of style at an early age. In the living room, an antique dry sink (right) from a yard sale is accented by a topiary and a painting by Sarah's father.

 

The antique dry sink from a yard sale is accented
by a topiary and a painting by Sarah's father

This is a space that conveys a sense of style well beyond the newlyweds' years. Cabinets shedding layers of paint share space with iron grates, glossy pottery, and bamboo chairs that used to inhabit Sarah's childhood bedroom.

 

Sitting at a table she bought at auction and then
 painted, Sarah plants a tiny glass greenhouse

Years of scouring garage sales, auctions, flea markets-even the local dump with her artist parents taught her to spot a shapely table and how architectural salvage pieces can make artistic additions to the home.
Her parents advised Sarah how to buy, transform, and sell objects as her taste evolved or as she grew tired of them. "I am a total product of my family," says Sarah. "The core of everything I've done is formed by my family and how they've taught me to look at things."

 

The bold use of large objects, such as the clock face and urn,
add playful punctuation to the Andersens' small apartment.

Pale yellow walls and berber carpeting provide a neutral palette for first-home experimentation. Grass mats define the entry and seating areas, and matching bamboo chairs are fitted with cushions slipcovered in white denim, an inexpensive fabric that is easily cleaned.

Sarah balanced the home's sweet cottage feel with large-scale pieces that add a modern graphic element. She edits accessories and furnishings to retain a sense of simplicity. In addition to family hand-me-downs, plants and flowers are intregal to making the Andersens' house a home. Topiaries appeal for their color and dramatic shape.

 

Bedroom shelves display a triptych along with
plants, flowers, and vases

Sarah scents the house with fresh arrangements of her favorite flowers-peonies, orange-red or pink roses, hydrangeas, and purplish-blue pincushion flowers that she had in huge bouquets at her wedding in 2003. "Flowers are like furniture to me because they become part of the room."