Decorating Progress . . .

My new chair, a craigslist find I have privately begun to call "George", is getting ready to get his new slipcover. I've spent the last several days trying to choose a fabric for him, and when you're a seamstress who spends a lot of time obsessed with fabric in general, this is no easy task. I went on a favoriting rampage on Etsy over the weekend, choosing 15 or so fabrics that I liked, and then spent yesterday trying to narrow them down and finally make a decision. The winner is below:

Ta-dah! The pattern is by Amy Butler and is called "Ritsy Stripe". I love that it's deceptively unstructured, so  at first glance it appears more formal but is actually pretty playful and modern. I chose this to coordinate with my curtains, which will be in this:

Michael Miller's "Chevron" in yellow. I intend to inject some contrast into this with a teal tv stand and black and white striped rug. I think I may do an accent pillow on George in a red pattern, maybe Michael Miller's "Zinnia" fabric.

Excited, everybody! I'll post pictures as things get finished . . .

A Place in the Sun . . .

So, this weekend saw several advances in my little world; none earth-shattering, but still exciting for me. My tax return came through, which means two things:

1. I can get a car to replace my ailing Serenity, so she can retire to that nice farm.

2. I can take care of a few small things around the apartment.

I'll be car shopping the weekend of the 23-24th, so I'm sure I'll blog more about that then. It promises to be an interesting experience.

As for the apartment: I now have a chair, which means that when people come over, they no longer have to stand around awkwardly. Yay! I'll be slipcovering it just as soon as I narrow the fabric choices down from about eleventy-billion. I also have a kitchen garbage can with a lid now, which disappoints Viola, as climbing into the garbage is one of her favorite pasttimes. I made a shower curtain and a kitchen curtain from some stuff I had lying around, and fabric is on the way for my living room curtains. I'm also close to having what I need to make my new bedding, so I won't look so much like a sad college student with no coverlet;)

I know these don't seem like momentous things, but for me, they're little steps towards making my place a home, the first home that's ever really been mine. It feels pretty nice;)

DIY Decorating . . .

I found this project on Design*Sponge yesterday, and fell in love. An old suitcase, some hardware, legs, and a little time and voila: a highly original coffee table. I so want to do this now;)

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend, dear readers! Now that I'm settling in at the new job, I'm starting to turn my mind to decorating my place. So my Five Faves this week are things I wouldn't mind having:

Top Row: Shabby Chic Turquiose Stand, Vintage Cubby Display 

Row Two: Chevron Curtains

Bottom Row: Doily Clock, Vintage Turquoise Cart

Decorating daydreams . . . .

I have always wanted a chaise like this. A girl can dream, right?

What about you, dear readers? Any dream piece you've always wanted for your home?

Color Me Happy . . .

 I just got some good news: I'm allowed to paint my place! In my mind, the possibilities are endless, and all that remains is choosing what colors I want. Should I choose a deep teal? It is my favorite color!

 Maybe a more mellow sky blue. Great for a beach place!

 There's always super-drama! I can totally see myself going for a bright pink or orange . . .

 . . . or even black. Still, I'd keep this as an accent wall, if anything.

  And, for the kitchen, I'm thinking red, orange, or yellow. I have blue tiles on the sink already, so I want something to coordinate with that.

I'm obviously very excited! Now, I just have to wait until I have money to buy paint . . . ;)

What do you think, dear readers? What colors should I choose?

Favorite Site Tuesdays: Ped Ped

Large Tree Vinyl Wall Decal

It's no secret that I love the idea of wall decals; I've featured other sellers on my blog before. I am an unabashed fan of murals and wall decals are the easiest way to do one in a non-permanent way (a must for chronic apartment dwellers like myself!).

I discovered Ped Ped on Etsy not long ago, and fell in love with the minimalistic styles: beautiful tree silhouettes, wall-paper-inspired designs, and lots of color choices. I have little doubt once I move into the new place, I'll be placing a few orders with them.

Red Flower Tree with Birds Vinyl Wall Decal

16 Pieces of Black and White Design Vinyl Wall Decal

Tree Branch with Birds Vinyl Wall Decal

Which do you think I should order? I'm leaning towards the black and white design for the bathroom, and one of the tree designs for out in the apartment proper.

Visit Ped Ped; I dare you to not start imagining where you could apply these decals in your own place;)

California Decorating . . .

I'm starting to think about decorating my new space (even though I haven't seen it yet!). I'm hoping for lots of light, and I plan to use colors, riotous colors, which is something I never really had before. With all that sunshine, who can blame me for thinking in primaries? ;)

A Tribute to Teal . . .

Images courtesy We Heart It

I love teal in all its variations and forms. Whether it is going by the moniker turquoise or peacock, or even green/blue or blue/green, I love this hue.

 

 

There is something beautiful and carefree about teal; it is elegant without being stuffy, as its cousins sky blue or hunter green can be. A pop of teal in a room makes it suddenly stand out and gives a breezy Mediterranean feel. And paired with red or orange, it sings even more.

I think it's a safe bet that teal will be appearing in the new place . . .

What about you, dear readers? Is teal a decorating do or a don't?

Favorite Site Tuesdays: Blik

Anise Wall Decal

This week's favorite site is Blik. As any habitual apartment dweller will tell you, it can get pretty frustratingly boring to never be able to paint your walls and bring your personality into a room. Blik solves this in the coolest way possible: removeable wall decals by graphic designers, artists, and interior decorators.

Apollo Wall Decal

From the simple to the elaborate, Blik has something for every taste and every style. Not everyone will want a half-naked tree woman in their front hall (but I know a few people who would!)

Storm

They also collaborate with Threadless and have produced several decals based on their designs. Being a huge Threadless fan, I'm pretty excited by that!

99 Luftballons

Many of their designs also come in multiple color choices too, so you can match them to your decor. Though, I don't kow why you wouldn't want red, in this case;)

Moon Kite

There are darkly goth designs, stark silhouettes, whimsical graphics, and utterly modern pieces. Check out Blik (and their 18 pages of designs!), and I dare you to resist getting something for your walls, apartment or not! I know I have a few earmarked for the new place . . .

Decorating Daydreams: One Room Wonders

It's no secret that the apartment I'll be moving into in LA will be a one room studio apartment. I've actually lived like this before, or close to it; when I first moved in with my sister, I was living in her livingroom, with a couch and entertainment unit smashed up against my work area with sewing machines on one side, and my queen-sized bed on the other. There was a narrow L-shaped foot path in the room, but that was about it.

Naturally, I want to set up my space a little smarter this time around; the space I lived in for the first five years with my sister was inefficient, cramped, and felt stressful. Since I'm starting from scratch, I'm trying to get ideas on what will work better.

Naturally if I can build a loft or find a place with a loft for my bed, this will be the most efficient use of space. Lofts get one of the biggest furniture pieces, namely the bed, off the floor and give you room to put things under it. I am not much of a capenter, so the likelihood of my building a loft space is pretty minimal. If I manage to find an apartment that has one already, that would be pretty sweet.

 Otherwise, it will be all about how well I can divide the space. The secret, as far as I can tell, to studio decorating is figuring out how to create the illusion of different rooms without actual walls. It's important to me to have an actual bedroom space; I lived without this for a long time, so it is a crucially important feature now.

Using bookshelves with pass-though, curtains, or some other open divider will create the illusion of having a private bedroom. I don't love the blinds they used here, but I like the idea of them.

These curtains are definitely more like it. Color can also be used to divide a single space; I kinda hope I'm allowed to paint so that I can use a bold color on one wall or find an artful technique to further delineate the spaces. I will have the added difficulty of needing three spaces out of one, as it will need to also be a workspace, but I hope that I can find ways to work with my tiny studio to make it liveable.

Obviously, I'm looking forward to decorating and setting up shop. Now all I need is a job and an actual apartment! Cross your fingers for me . . . .

What about you, dear readers? Any ideas or suggestions for one room wonders?

Decorating Daydreams: Space-Savers

Most of you who read this blog know that I'm planning a move to the West Coast in about a year, and I'm fairly excited (read: freaked-out) about it. It will be my first time living alone, my first time setting up my own space, first time having a place that's mine . . . a lot of firsts. As I know I won't be making gobs of money when I get there, my apartment will no doubt be a studio, and as the space will need to function as my living and working space, room for my furniture will be at a premium. So, I'm starting to look into creative ways to maximize the space I'll have. Design*Sponge just introduced me to an Italian company, Tumideispa, with some of the most creative ideas I've seen in a while.

I'm not sure that I'm crazy about the laminate look of the materials, but to be fair, it's not like I'm buying these from Italy. There are no prices on the website, but I shudder to consider them. Still, it has gotten me thinking in an entirely new direction. If I turn my closet into a work space, filled with shelves for fabric and notions and a table with my sewing machines on it, then I need a space for my actual clothing. A lofted bed with closet space underneath is brilliant, and the little desk is a bonus, though I could see myself replacing that with bookshelves. Definitely something to think about;)

What do you think, dear readers? Like the space-saving concepts?