Astoria Interiors (Home Makeover Edition): A Glow-Up on 28th Ave.

BY: ANNA DORE

Gather round, folks, it’s time for an extra special edition of Astoria Interiors: today we’re touring a local HOME MAKEOVER. When Ashley Thompson picked up the keys to her first Astoria apartment—a major fixer-upper—she was shocked when her landlord gave her carte blanche to make any ch-ch-changes that she wanted. 

We’re majorly inspired by how Ashley approached this glow-up, transforming her floors, walls and entire space with creative solutions. Check out her before-and-after shots below and get ready to have your mind blown. 

If you’d like to submit your home, please send a selection of six well-lit photos (including captions) and a series of responses to these questions. Send your submission to dore.anna@gmail.comwith “Astoria Interiors” in the subject line. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.

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Name: Ashley Thompson

Social handle: @ashes716

Location: 28th Ave x 42nd St

Years lived in: Almost 2 years

Size (# of bedrooms, bathrooms): 2 bedroom (could be 2.5 but converted to closet)

Tell us a bit about you and your Astoria apartment: 

This is my first apartment in Astoria—the first and only apartment that I looked at. With wall-to-wall carpeting and a green and yellow kitchen, the space was in major need of some love and care (to say the least!) but I could see the potential. The apartment was presented to me through my brother-in-law, so I was lucky enough to bypass a broker fee. The saving grace: my landlord said I could make whatever changes I wanted. Spending a fraction of what I would have on the broker fee, I transformed the apartment to make it my own. 

Describe your design aesthetic in 5 words or less:

Simple, light, clean, modern-ish with traditional bones.

What part of your home transformation are you most proud of?

The kitchen. With mismatched cabinets, old linoleum flooring and countertops, the kitchen was the biggest (and hardest) transformation of the apartment. To spruce things up, I painted the walls and cabinets, replaced the hardware and light fixture, and added a faux marble Ikea countertop and subway tile backsplash. As for the floor (!) I’ve always wanted a black and white kitchen floor— this is what the design of the kitchen was based around. I used press-and-stick vinyl tiles and laid them right on top of the existing floor.

KITCHEN BEFORE:

KITCHEN AFTER:

Tell us about the living room!

The living room had wall-to-wall carpeting that made the apartment smell old and musty. To lighten things up, I ripped up the carpet and painted. I love the picture molding on the walls and French doors in this room and throughout the apartment. These seem to be very common in Astoria apartments and were one of the first things I fell in love with. 

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

Let’s talk bedroom. More musty carpet?

More musty carpet. I ripped up the carpet, painted the walls and hung a light fixture. Since it’s a narrow room, I had to get creative with the space— I use the existing radiator as my nightstand. 

BEDROOM BEFORE:

BEDROOM AFTER:

What’s your favorite room and why?

The closet! I took what could have been a small bedroom and converted it into a walk-in closet—having all that space is a HUGE win for any apartment. To transform the space, I painted the badly-scratched floors black, removed the existing wardrobes, and installed bookcases and closet rods. 

CLOSET BEFORE:

CLOSET AFTER:

Best apartment advice?

Be open-minded when looking at apartments. Even something as simple as painting the walls can change the entire feel of a space.

2 Comments

Nicole Agnone April 3rd, 2020

Your apartment looks beautiful and good improvements. What is that little door behind the couch in the living room? It’s in the pictures wall.

Reply

Donna February 1st, 2020

Ashley, this is an amazing apartment you Did a fantastic job. I’m born and raised in Astoria and I recently moved to Bayside I’m still in the process of trying to make some improvements myself. I really like your style what you did in the apartment

Reply