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The Toshiko Shek apartment in San Mateo, California, brings together practical room planning, vintage accents, and a balcony transformed into a garden. The home reflects Toshiko’s changing style, with neutral colors and modern details balanced by personal finds and photographs.
Inside the Toshiko Shek apartment
Finding a home in the San Francisco Bay Area can be challenging, so Toshiko chose an apartment in San Mateo, about 10 minutes south of San Francisco Airport. She loves the city, but prefers the Peninsula’s less crowded pace. The apartment complex was originally built as condominiums, giving the unit notably spacious rooms and wide hallways.
The home has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and about 1,100 square feet of space. Toshiko and her fiancé sleep in the smaller bedroom and use the primary bedroom as a combined closet and office. It also has a walk-in closet and a standard closet, though her clothing and shoe collection still makes storage a consideration.
Practical idea: In a home with rooms that serve more than one purpose, plan storage around daily routines. Keeping work items, clothing, and accessories in designated areas can make a multipurpose room easier to use.
A vintage calla lily lamp adds a personal touch to the closet-office. Calla lilies are Toshiko’s favorite flowers, but she avoids keeping lilies at home because they are highly toxic to cats. The lamp brings in the flower’s look without introducing a plant that could put her two cats at risk.
A mix of modern style and vintage finds
Toshiko has lived in the apartment with her fiancé and two cats for about a year. Decorating the entire space took around 10 months, and she enjoys rearranging things as her tastes change. Compared with her previous, quirkier apartment, she is now drawn to neutral tones, streamlined furnishings, and more modern design.
Natural light is one of the home’s defining features. It helps the rooms feel bright and makes the neutral palette feel inviting. When arranging a room, it can be useful to keep window areas relatively open so daylight can travel through the space.
One standout piece is a vintage peacock wicker chair. Toshiko had searched for one through online listings, garage sales, and flea markets, where examples she found cost more than $300. After she stopped looking, she spotted one advertised for $25 and picked it up within an hour. It was in excellent condition and needed no painting or repair.
A small gallery wall in the entryway adds another personal detail. Among its pieces is a black-and-white photograph of Toshiko and her fiancé kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Mixing a meaningful photo with other artwork is an easy way to make an entry feel individual without needing a large display.
The balcony garden
Toshiko’s favorite area is the balcony, which stretches along the living room and one of the bedrooms. When she and her fiancé first saw its size, she knew she wanted to turn it into a garden. Over the following year, they made many trips to a home-improvement store and cared for the plants as the outdoor space took shape.
Now the balcony is a place to sit with a cup of tea, enjoy fresh air, and watch the sunset. For anyone planning a balcony garden, start by considering the available space and the light conditions before choosing plants. A gradual approach also makes it easier to learn what grows well in the space.
What makes this home feel personal
The Toshiko Shek apartment combines flexible rooms, carefully chosen vintage pieces, and a generous outdoor area. Its most useful ideas are adaptable: make the most of rooms with more than one function, choose decor that reflects personal interests, and treat a balcony as an extension of the living space. Together, these choices create a bright, comfortable home that suits Toshiko’s current style.
