Home Sweet Home

Oh how wonderful it was to walk back into my little home...scarf and everything still in the same position that I left it! :)

{Photo: Brandie}

Bedroom Renewed

In all my efforts to transform a basic apartment into a cosy home, the bedroom somehow became very last on my list of places to decorate. When I first moved, I spent so much time in the bedroom because it was the only place that had any furnisher so it was easily kitchen, living room, dining room and everything else rolled into one. By the time I got my couch and the rest of the pieces started coming together, I found myself spreading out and before I knew it, the bedroom had been neglected.

Well over the past few weeks I've added a few key pieces and this weekend so much of it came together with one single word: PAINT. Originally it had been a turquoise color that I loved but 10 months in was beginning to annoy me. Considering all the color and texture in the rest of the apartment, I was in serious need for something a little darker, more cosy, that really felt like a retreat (or as my sister says a "bat cave"). I wasn't sure what color to go with but as soon as I saw this month's issue of House Beautiful magazine, the decision was made: Benjamin Moore Polo Blue. Can we say love at first site?!?

Initially I was worried that it would be too dark, but after putting a little sample on the wall, I knew it was just what I needed, not to even mention the fact that the new color looks exquisite with one of the carpets I got in Iraq. Once I was done painting the whole space I new the room was MUCH closer to being complete. A new lamp for the desk area was another step in the right. I can safely say that this is one of my new favorite spaces to be. Here are a few things I love about it:

1. Blank walls so there nothing busy to really distract me
2. No closet meaning that there are rarely clothes laying around (walk-in closet is near the bathroom) making a mess
3. Antique little desk that I put a little t.l.c. into and is now a place love everytime I sit at it (this is where most of the blog action happens)
4. Soft yellow reading lamp near my bed
5. Need I even mention the fabulous carpet?
6. Soft cream linens - I've recently become obsessed with white/cream linens so this works for me
7. Gold headboard that I got at Ikea and spray painted that I still love 10mths in (I have design a.d.d. so 10 months is a long time in my world)
8. And best of all - I got everything at a used/vintage store (where about 99% of my furniture comes from) so ridiculous low prices

There are still a few things that need to be done:

1. brass lamps need new shades
2. cushions on chair need to be recovered
3. bulletin board needs to be covered in the beautiful gold ribbon that my friend bought me.
4. still debating the need of bedside tables (not that I've had any luck finding ones small enough to fit that space)

But overall this was just the dark and cosy transformation the room needed and just in time for fall!

What do you think?!

{Photos by Brandie}

My Dining Room

So I can't tell you how long this space in my apartment has been sad and dull! I don't have a formal dining area, instead I have an extra large kitchen with this space. It started with the grey walls which I painted forever ago. I then picked up these replica Saarinen tulip chairs at my favorite vintage store and literally couldn't stop looking at them. Once I got the chairs, I found myself in a bit of a dilemma - I could not for the life of me find the "right" table. I initially thought of getting the matching tulip table but at over 47" it was way too large for my space. The more I thought about what would work for me (and the space) the more I realized I wanted something square. I love the play of the curvaceous chairs against the straight lines of a square table. This very basic table from Ikea did the trick as a good starting point (yes, it will have another life with at least one cover of paint and potentially some stencil). A piece of fabric that I picked up in Mozambique that I love added a bit of texture to the space. The frame had a sad start as a dull brown thing with an ugly painting but a coat of crisp white paint gave it new life. A good friend of mine went to Paper Source yesterday and picked up this beautiful print which really ties in the pink from the entryway. A little glue to the back of the ugly painting and the print really adds a new life to the space. The final step was to have dinner and it's amazing how nice it feels to have a designated space for eating (rather than at my desk, or on the bed, floor, or couch).

Tabletop

While I have known for a while that setting a table was an important aspect of hosting people, whether for a simple dinner or wedding, it has only recently come to my attention that setting a table is a whole artform and serious industry! Since I entered the blogoshere, I've been amazed at some of the beautiful tabletop setting on blogs like coco + kelley or {frolic!} and the amount of thought and detail that goes into this. There are even competitions for readers to make tabletop ideas! Oh how little I knew! I'm almost glad that I was ignorant of this entire tabletop world when I first moved into my apartment and was trying to decide on plates and silverware, it would have made my process of deciding a 100 times harder!

Anyway, yesterday I had a few friends over for dinner and I had to use was I have at my disposal to make it lovely! My Moroccan inspired plates worked well over this Tanzanian kanga that I have in my mini fabric collection. A few red carnations were thrown into 2 of my glass carafes that I got at my favorite vintage store. Candles were also added (after this photo was taken) along with tons of good food, beer, and great conversation that lasted until past 1am this morning!


I've thrown a few of these since the summer began and I definitely need to expand my plate collection! Luckily my favorite vintage store has several shelves of tableware for about $1 each so I'm looking forward to doing some nice match-ups.

For those of you who are so inspired and have not yet entered, you can create your own table and have a chance to wins prizes over at AphroChic so head over, here for the guidelines for the giveaway and to check out some amazing submissions, including a Safari Rhythm one that I'm loving!

Regular Art post coming up a little later!

Tuesday's Design: My Entryway

I little while ago, here, I mentioned my new found obsession with the color pink. What I didn't mention was that I have taken that obsession to my walls. I had seen this inspiration in House Beautiful a few weekends ago and literally couldn't get it out of my head. I already had a similar style mirror because I already knew that I wanted the space to feel a bit glamorous. When I saw this image, I just knew that this was the direction that the space needed to take.

Despite having bright bold colors all over my apartment (see turquoise bedroom walls here), I still felt like something was missing...that every nook and crank of this space wasn't reflecting me at some version of my craziest self; that I wasn't being as brave as I could be.


So two coats of Razzle Dazzle Benjamin Moore paint later, my gold mirror is looking exactly how I had envisioned it in my head. I picked up this antique desk hutch, provided a little t.l.c, and turned it into a entryway table. It has tons of little cubbies inside for mail and old magazines and the top is actually a lid with perfect storage for all those random manuals that I know better than to throw away. Two colorful balls picked up in Mozambique plus a flowery chipped pitcher-turn-vase for pink and white carnations add a few nice touches.

The space isn't quite complete yet...I want a small vintage type tray so that tossing my keys doesn't scratch the table and maybe a little bigger vase. The opposite wall needs some type of art and I already have the picture frame for whatever I end up making/finding something to go in it. I'm thinking bulletin board with maybe pictures postcards...maybe an Africa mask, not sure yet.

Keys and mail are already adding a little more personality to the space making it slightly more worthy of Apartmento magazine (my new favorite interior magazine find....if only I could get my little hands on it)!!! Now the heat is really on as to what is my favorite room. I really wish I had more reason to just linger in the entryway and absorb all this pink joy!

{Photos from House Beautiful & me}

It's HERE!!!

Speaking of home, my little apt. got a major boost on Saturday with the arrival of my long-awaited couch! It is actually more comfortable than I remember and fit exactly as I had calculated. And I saw a very beautiful 1940s secretary desk that was almost perfect and now have the store owner on the look-out for the exact style that I'm looking for. I also got some quotes for framing some art work for the walls. There is still a LOT of work to do, but I'm definitely closer to my goal than I was on Friday.

Decorating like Cooking

So with each step, I'm learning that decorating a space is sorta like trying out a new recipe (at least if you do it the way I do). While I usually read all the necessary ingredients and know the procedure, I tend to stray from the recipe, trying to go with what I like. Sometimes it turns out great and other times, not so great. My bedroom is moving into the not so great territory. There is still hope...but right now, I've lost direction. The other weekend, I added a few more pieces thinking that it was a great move and some days I love it more than others. I love the pop of color that the lamp adds and the print on the chair is great and it's comfortable....I'm just not sure. I think this is what happens when one doesn't have a clear vision.
As a result I'm taking MUCH more time and planning with the living room, hoping that it will come together a little smoother with less second guessing on my part. Here is a start of a concept board for my living room.
My walls are already that 'spiced butternut' color from Behr.com and I bought the most comfortable couch from Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams with a beautiful blue interwoven style of the slipcover. I love this tufted chair (also from MG+BW) and the icing on the cake will be the Kyle Bunting cowhide rug (I don't eat cow meat but have no problem using cowhide as deco - I know, my morals are all screwed up) that will pull in some of the blue from the couch, the yellow tunes from my walls and the brown from the chair. Now I just need ottoman (instead of coffee table), lamps, and wall art.