Office goals

For the past few months, my office and my daughters room have been sharing the same space. To say that this has put a crimp in my style is putting it mildly. It was hard to get work done since I was cramped in a little corner and as a sometimes night owl, it was impossible to get stuff done once she went to bed. Or if she was taking a nap...or if I wanted to hide out...you know how it goes.

Well...no more.

I recently took over the extra bedroom in our apartment. 

The pictures above are what we were working with. I know...tragic. But a good place to start. Looking around, I have to admit that I was getting a little overwhelmed. I mean, I knew I wanted a space that was me...but what did that really look like? Where did I start? Well, the starting point was easy. I went to the place where all the dreams are stored... Pinterest of course. Where else? 

After a bit of pursuing and getting distracted with recipes and how to make $$$ blogging, I came upon these pictures of what I feel is my style.

As you can see, I'm looking at something light, bright and lots of room and storage for my things. I do love the textures on the floor and the different patterns that bring life into the space. I'm more into neutrals but these pops I like and I could definitely live with on a long term basis. 

Now...time to put my visions into action.

A place to dream

So, my little family and I been living in this apartment for the past year. A nice three bedroom that's just close enough to the city to make it easy access, but no so close that I feel closed in. I had big plans for this space when we moved in. Even when I was pregnant I was planning and designing. Somehow... things got away from me.

NO MORE I TELL YOU!

Seriously though, this time I'm going to follow through with at least 1/2 of the plans I've made...if not all. 1st thing on my list is going to be the patio. I'm looking for a place to relax, drink some coffee and do the occasional snooping on my neighbors. I don't feel that is too much to ask.

Snooping around Pinterest, I found a few idea of what I want my space to look like.

Both of these photos came from Ikea's Pinterest board and I think they suit me. I would love to have some flowers and herbs and a few fruit trees. Maybe let my daughter have her own little dig box...I know...sounds ambitious doesn't it? especially when you look at what I'm starting with:

Just looking at it hurts my eyes!

Looks so sad doesn't it? Don't judge the Christmas lights.

I have high hopes that this gets done BEFORE summer is over so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

Getting ready...or trying

So...if you've been watching my YouTube videos, then you know that I'm in my 29th week of pregnancy and I have been trying valiantly to get the nursery in order. This is the closet that I have been working on since...we found out I was pregnant. These pictures are just a hint at the chaos that I'm facing.

     . Most of this stuff (all of it really) does not belong to me. It is either the BF's or the roommate's. I'm not in the mood to deal with it. I've got a few ideas of what I want to with this closet, including taking out that bar the clothes are hanging on. I've been looking at Ikea for their closet systems, along with Home Depot and Lowes, but I think that I'm hooked on Ikea. Easy to customize, quick to pick up and go...plus I love Ikea. Now, I know that changing out a closet in an apartment might not seem the most cost conscious, but I plan to be in this unit for a minute, at least until I graduate, so it would be worth the money. Also, I can take the units with me when I move...so win win!

This is the other side of the closet, but it's going to be my work storage for crafts and stuff, so this won't count towards my mad rush to get ready.

So this is just a precursor to what is to come. I have an entire room to get into order.


Lord...I hope I'm up to it.

Some magic in the bedroom

So last week we were talking about my desire to upgrade the bedroom. make it more of a beautiful retreat. I had gone to Ikea and picked up this beauty:

with the intent of putting my spin on it and incorporating it into my scheme. After about an hour or so…or more…I finally had it together. But…it still look like it did in the picture. Not what I was after. So…I got to work. My mother is in the process of redoing her bedroom as well and have picked up a few color samples from our local Sherwin Williams store to test out in the bedroom. I stole borrowed one that I liked which she was not happy with and went to town.
(Tricorn Black)
After about two coats and getting pain all over my feet…this is the end result.

But I wasn’t done there. The knobs were still the untouched wood color and I didn’t like that. So, I had some gold spray paint (We’ll talk about why later) and decided to add some finishing touches
It’s a little hard to see the gold, but it’s there. I’m still not happy with the knobs and I’m debating a trip to Anthropologie to get something more…just more. Maybe some glitz or glam or just a sparkle to catch the eye. I did line the drawers with scented drawer liner, but I forgot to snap that picture.
In the end, I’m happy with the results. I am even thinking of getting another dresser and putting them side by side. You can never have enough storage in the bedroom.
Happy Decorating!
XO

Where all the magic happens…

We are by no means done with the dining room, but I thought I would move to another room that has been getting some of my attention. That would be the bedroom. Let’s start from the beginning shall we…

This was the bedroom when we first moved in. It’s a nice size, large enough to fit a king and one nightstand, though there is that awkward little angle to the side. Not sure why, but hey…what can you do about it. My mission with this room is to get it here:

with the color scheme shown or this color palette:
Any variation of the above is also acceptable. I want this space to be an elegant, stylish, restful retreat. If I could, I would put up chandeliers and long flowing curtains and paint the room a subtle gray. Alas...I can not. But I can dream.


This is where we are at now:

Glamorous aint it? But that’s okay because we are working towards a goal. A nice, beautiful goal. On the road to said goal, I picked up this lovely piece at ikea:
(Tarva series $79.00)
Product dimensions Height: 36 1/4 "
Width: 31 1/8 " / 31 1/8 " Height: 92 cm
Width: 79 cm / 79 cm It’s a nice piece, with good storage and very sturdy. The only problem is that it’s not the right palette for what I want. So…I set about putting my own mark on it and bringing it inline with my vision. Seems simple enough.

Table time…part 2

Let’s get back to the table shall we? Last time we talked, this is where we were at:

Okay, but there were a few dings and scratches that needed to be taken care of. So, my dad rolled the top into his shop and got to work. I wish that I had taken pictures of the shop while he was working, but I seem not have done that. (hmmm…)

Anyways…

It took a bit of elbow grease and being talked out of painting the table either a shiny black or gray to match the chairs…still on the fence about that one to be honest, but in the end, the result was wonderful

The table is not as shiny as it was before which works for me. It was nice but I like this more subdued looked better.

I left the chairs that came with the table the same color as the table and they do work with other chairs. I covered them in the same fabric as the gray chairs, tying them into the scheme nicely. (did I mention that before? I can’t remember)

Not the same but a nice coordination of what I already have.

I took one of the extra chairs from the table and covered in something different to go in the bedroom. (is it just me or do I need to start taking better and more pictures?)

It’s a nice piece to sit and put on your shoes or just lay out clothes for the next day. Perhaps at a later date I’ll get one of those lush club chairs to serve this purpose but for now…I’m liking this addition as well.

And so ends the saga of my table love. I do like the roundess of the table for an apartment dining room. It does not take up a lot of space and is easy enough to accomadate more people if needed. Now, if I could just get more light into the space…I’d be happy.

 

 

Bedroom styling

I’m not sure if I mentioned it earlier or not, but I have been on the hunt for a headboard. I wanted one of those lush, heavily tufted, wingback armed headboards. Something that made a statement and just made the eyes happy to see. I searched high and low and found quite a few pieces that I fell in love with…until I saw the prices.

Not so much in love.

So…I decided to embark on the adventure of making one for myself. I’ve watched all the YouTube videos, seen all the blogs of crafty DIYer’s. I was confident that I could do it.

Why does not one tell you that the longest hardest part if just finding the right fabric!?

Anyways…

After searching high and low,  I found fabric that I could be happy with and proceeded to produce my masterpiece. My mother and I worked diligently on this project for about two days. We tried to rope my dad in, but he was not having it. Oh well

After the addition of some nice sparkly buttons, I think that I did a good job.

pay no attention to the mound of pillows on the bed or the untidiness. I took the picture right after hanging it on the wall and I seem to have lost all my other cook photos of this creation.

If I’m honest, this is not the result I was looking for. I do enjoy, but I think that I may have to bite the bullet and buy what I really want. Either that, or not let my mother help me with it next time. I wanted it more lush than this and my mother was like “Why?”

That should have been a hint, but alas…it was not.

Chairs…again

I think I have an issue with chairs. I love chairs. I really do. Every time I see a chair in the window or on Pinterest or somewhere…I can’t help but to think of where I want to put…where I could shove it  or if I have enough floor space. It’s just…a real problem.

Last week I showed you some chairs that I’d found by the trash. They were just the style that I wanted and they only took a bit (a lot) of elbow grease, love and dedication. Once my father and I had sanded them down, fixed up the rungs and spray painted them, it was time to find some fabric. This usually takes the longest for any craft that I do that requires fabric. I need the colors and the patterns to be just right. I can not just roll into a store and go “That’s the one!” I have to look at it, admire it, feel something like a spark every time I look at it.

This is what caught my eye. I love the bold pattern and the color of the background. It just seemed to fit with what I wanted in the space. Especially since the room is kinda of dark and we do not get enough light in the space, I needed to keep the colors light enough not to drag the whole space down.

This is what the finished product looks like:

 

I am very pleased with what we accomplished and how things turned out. upholstering didn’t take that long and I even added some extra padding to give the seat some cushion. All in all….very happy.

But…I still didn’t have a table.

That was the next step. ( I know…you can see it in the back. I’m trying to tell a story here.)

Dining room chairs- before

As a recap…this is what we are working towards:

I really like the blue and gray color scheme. It’s calm, cool, sophisticated and elegant.

I am very into the traditional look, not so much a fan of the whole modern thing. It’s too cold and sterile to me. Not that there aren’t elements that I enjoy, but not all over. Traditional is cozy and lived in, as if you have been in the house forever. This look in particular catches my eye because of the colors and the elegance it exudes. I know that I won’t be able to recreate the whole look, but I’m going to get as close as I can.

 

So I found these chairs by the trash

and I just knew that they would be perfect in the space. Of course, I don’t have a table at this point, but I just knew that I would find something to fit. Back to the chairs.

Something about the lines and how good they would look painted a deep gray.

They were originally covered in this dirty green stripe fabric that was just not cutting it and the chairs themselves were covered in cobwebs. Not a good look in the least.

I stripped the seat down to the base and set about getting the chairs into shape. (This is my dad working on the chairs for me. Yay dad!)

They were in pretty bad shape, missing a few rungs and the glue was dried from being outside for a bit (I guess) and just needed a bit of TLC. It took a bit of elbow grease to get the chairs into shape, but well worth it in the end.

Next post…The finished product.

Home Decor

I have to admit…I love decorating. I like to take a blank canvas and turn it into a showpiece. (at least…it’s a showpiece in my own head…but still) It’s fashion for the home, a trued extension of one’s self.*Whoa…got deep there*


Right now, I have a new apartment that I am decorating. I have a few pieces in storage, but most of my furniture from before I have given away or sold or donated. So right now, I am definitely starting from scratch. Which is really…an exhilarating feeling. The idea of buying new things and watching everything fall into place. The thrill of find new things, doing some DIY projects and putting your mark on a place is just so…FUN.


The space I’m working with is a one bedroom apartment…around 650sq. A good size, with ample room to decorate and just get creative. Today, I want to show you the dining room. A good before shot will help you see what I’m working with.
(Don’t mind the boxes and bag.)
I know it’s a bit dark in the space, but I’m considering investing in a new light fixture to brighten things up. It all depends on if I stay in this apartment longer than a year, though I could always take the fixture with me. Hmmm…
 
The color scheme I have in my head is:

With a bit of bling thrown in to give it that glam look.


The overall feel that I’m looking to achieve is:

but with a round table. This is going to be the first of many projects in this apartment and I’m eager to get started. There's going to be quite a few DIY’s and I’ve collected quite a few Ikea hack ideas on my Pinterest boards.


This is going to be a fun ride.