San Francisco apartment

Interior designer Grant K. Gibson made a deal with his landlord: If he could skip two months rent, he would renovate his San Francisco apartment. His landlord said yes, and Grant launched the most amazing transformation. First (above), he framed beautiful pages from a book about Rome.
His masculine living room features newly sanded floors, a zebra rug and fig branches. And--surprise!--the bamboo shades are from Target.
Grant cleverly installed mirrors at the back of each bookshelf to make the room feel bigger. And don't you love the portrait hung on the bookcase?
Cobalt blue paint makes the bedroom feel "denlike," and would you ever guess that the iron canopy is from Pottery Barn Teen? Grant also asked his seamstress to make a headboard with inexpensive mohair fabric.
Bravo, Grant! Read the whole article, and see more fabulous photos in the New York Times slideshow.

(Photos by Peter DaSilva/NYTimes, via the Auburn and Ivory)