Landscapes: The Final Frontier

(This is hanging in my living room. Jealous? Yes. Yes, you are.)

I've been obsessing over the artwork in my apartment lately. I rearranged and swapped out some photos above the couch a few months ago but I feel dissatisfied with the scale of the wall. Scale is something I give a lot of thought to and one aspect of home decorating that I feel is usually overlooked or blatantly ignored. Nothing annoys me more than a tiny picture on a big wall. The thing about scale is you really have to have a feel for the space and a lot of times, the wall will call for something really big and I find that people, myself included, are hesitant to make such a bold statement with artwork. It's so much easier to use a bunch of smaller prints and frames so you can change them with the seasons or your mood. They always add a sense of abundance, which automatically makes your space look more sophisticated, even if the frames are like fifty cents each at Ikea.

Every bedroom I have lived in since I was 10 involved some type of gallery-style collage of random postcards, photographs, ticket stubs, ribbons and prints which were in matching frames. They usually took over an entire wall.  My current configuration is a low key map of greenwich village noting all the french restaurants paired with some black and white photographs of Tina Fey dressed up as a playboy bunny and a mouseketeer. I know- strange- but it works.

Lately I have been thinking about landscapes. I've never been into them very much- probably because I don't really like The Nature. But I've been seeing them around on many a fashionable home design blog so maybe I should give them another chance.  Maybe I am missing out on the opportunity to add some pastoral calm to my otherwise hectic urban existence. It might be a nice sense of contrast.  Four years ago everyone I knew had some kind of  cityscape on their walls, as if they couldn't just walk out their door and see it for real. In a very Carrie Bradshaw way, I can't help but wonder- are landscapes the new cityscapes?

There are two ways to translate this idea into something awesome and amazing:

 1) Start a collection of vintage landscapes and fill an entire wall with them, like a bunch of little windows with views of fields and forests instead of the airshaft outside my building or the naked guy across the street.

2) Aquire photographs that actually look like real windows! This intrigues me. I  begged my sister, who is a pretty good photographer, to make some for me but she said no. Jerk.

Friends, what are your thoughts on the matter? Do I need to ignore my miniature chair collection for a while and concentrate on miniature landscapes? Do I attack Etsy with a vengeance and bombard my roommate with nutburger decisions like: mountains vs. tundra? Or do I just calm myself down and do the resourceful, fiscally responsible thing and recycle some of my old artwork that is currently hiding underneath my bed?

Images: vogue and isuwanee

Words, Words, Words

This is the most awesome thing I have ever seen.

Guys. These are drawing. Of rooms. Using words.

And thus, I die.

Images: Thomas Broome via AT: San Francisco

This makes me happy.

Don't you just love this bedroom??? I love the mix of warm and cool tones and the playful sense of style at work here. The mismatching tables are still similarly shaped and the wall art manages to find a balance between more traditional framed prints and random unframed pieces.  Speaking of frames, check out the awesome yellow bed frame! So cheerful and decidedly un-fussy without sacrificing sophistication. It encourages me to incorporate more turquoise and yellow into our living room- the wall color is almost an exact match of our own!

Now if only I could find that ridiculously cool lamp...

Image:  Roxxn.com via AT: San Francisco

Office Space

 

 I adore this home office featured on Turquoise, Tulips and Bliss! I'm inspired to swap my dirty white walls for a dark hue and my heavy, ornate desk for a lighter, more modern style. Also, that ghost chair could come in handy in my tiny corner where other chairs crowd the space. 

I've been thinking a lot about my desk situation lately. That  particular corner of my bedroom is very cluttered because I have an obsession with notebooks and so they are everywhere. Also, I can't bring myself to throw away anything and so the space under my desk is crowded with bins of papers and notebooks and things that should be hidden away in flat files or storage bins. I like the idea of shelving though so perhaps my best option is to install some shelves above the desk and get rid of everything underneath. I could get some cute magazine holders like these:

 

My other idea is to store hanging files in a storage ottoman like this one, which can then double as a desk chair:

Or maybe I should just give up and buy an actual filing cabinet like this: 

Images: Turquoise, Tulips and Bliss via Ill Seen, Ill Said, See Jane Work,  Overstock.com, Ikea

Toys: A Short History

How cute is this pillow sold by verovero studio on Etsy? I have been obsessing over it for weeks. Wouldn't it be cute on my bed? Or is it too cutesy, like a stuffed animal?

I have a confession: I hate stuffed animals.

I've always hated them.

It started when I was a wee child and my grandmother gave me a hand-made sock monkey which terrified the bejesus out of me. Everyday I would throw the monkey as far away as I could, which usually meant the top shelf of my mother's closet and everyday she would find it and return it to my room. The next day I would discover it taunting me from my dresser. I was pretty sure the damn thing was possessed and flew back into my room to ruin my life forever. Just like the clown in The Poltergeist, which I had pretended to like at a sleepover but from which I still have not recovered to this day.

From the ages of 4-7 I was presented with teddy bears and numerous barnyard animals and each one was tossed aside or given to my little sister. Who has use for such things? I was much more interested in my growing costume collection and the prospect of turning my bedroom into Barbie's Dream House. In Junior High I quickly learned that my disdain for such toys was not something my friends at school shared so I had to fake a love of stuffed animals for several years, a move which was not as smart in retrospect as my feigned enthusiasm led to a cavalcade of stuffed lions and tigers and bears at every birthday party. Fail. Still, I couldn't reveal my true feelings. Don't even get me started on the whole Beanie Baby phenomenon.

In High School my best friend and I ran away to NYC for a day and though I specifically tried to avoid it, we wound up at FAO Schwartz where I spent probably $50 on a small stuffed pig I named Hamlet. I gave him to the little boy I babysat and then told my friend he actually stole it. Kids can be assholes, ya know?

There has been only one exception in my life: my stuffed dog Tiffany. Tiffany was an actual dog owned by my grandmother and in reality, I liked her only a little. She lived in CT while I lived in MN and when I came to visit she drooled all over me, which usually ruined my outfit. She died when I was 8 and, having never dealt with death before, I locked myself in my room for several hours and listed to Eleanor Rigby and wore black because that was what the Victorians did. My grandmother felt bad and so she bought me a stuffed cocker spaniel named Tiffany to replace her. The real Tiffany was a golden retriever but whatever. Thanks for the thought, Nana. Anyway, my new Tiffany is basically a fur-covered bolster pillow and I am accustomed to the nice lump she makes under my pillow at night and I adore her. I even pretended not to be heart-broken when my mother's evil dog bit off her little leather nose when I was 16. Even though I have never been into stuffed animals or the idea that a grown woman should EVER have them in her house especially if she is single, I still keep her close and can't bring myself to get rid of her.  I have even considered inserting her into a bolster pillow-cover so she would be more socially acceptable but is that crazy? Yes, I think it is.

Also, how bonkers would I be if I had this pillow AND a stuffed dog at 28? Is that just asking to be ushered over into crazy cat lady territory and inducted into the spinster club? Perhaps I should aim for something a little sexier than bunnies and puppies.

Question: What is the sexy version of bunnies and puppies?

Image: verovero studio

Things You Can Buy Me

1.  This Horse Triptych
 Turner Davis Interiors

2. Odette Sofette
Lonny

TGIF

It's been a long week.

Image: the goodie life via The English Muffin Blog

Belated Travel Diary

So, last October, I spent a long-weekend in Los Angeles with some of my favorite friends. My friend Amy lives in the most charming house and I spend my spare time decorating it in my head. My ideas change with the weather and my mood but basically, I envision most of it to look like a lighter, airier version of Nanette Lepore's living room which was featured on CasaSugar a few months ago.

 

Lepore enlisted the help of pop design god Jonathan Adler and the result is an  eclectic mix of style and texture which perfectly reflects the designer's love of all things ladylike yet whimsical. ( I know, I usually hate that word too but you gotta admit, it applies here.)  My favorite part of the living room is obviously the crystal ship but the portrait of Eva Peron is a close second. I'm thinking I need a similar portrait for our apartment...perhaps of Elizabeth Taylor? 

Image: Elle Decor via CasaSugar

Black is the new Black

WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT 

If I were a Hollywood media mogul, this is what my office would look like. I would sit in that comfy chair and just yell out ideas for someone to transcribe so I could keep the desk clear of laptops and other such nuisances. Also, maybe I would wear a gold lame jumpsuit.

Too much?

Image: i suwannee

Oh, and also I like the yellow pillow.

In my ongoing quest to find and buy a rug for my apartment I constantly find myself drawn to stripes and chevron-inspired patterns. I just love how the repeated pattern looks with florals and how it adds depth to a room and helps offset any large solid pieces like our giant orange couch. I saw this living room in Living Etc and went bananas over the rug/throw pillow/fabric-covered wall combination.

Also, why don't I have a tuxedo couch?

I've had the Ikea Stockholm Rand rug on my list for quite some time now and the only thing that keeps me from running out and buying it is the concern that my cats would ruin it or my roommate would get sick of vacuuming all the cat hair off it and would start to secretly hate me AND my stupid rug. Maybe the solution is that I get my rug BUT I learn to vacuum...

Images: Living Etc and Ikea

Love Love Love

Behold! The most perfect wall color EVER! I want to marry this color it is so perfect.

Image: Domino Mag via Automatism

I want to go to there.

My problem with decorating kitchens is I really don't use them enough to know how to incorporate style and utility. If it were up to me, I'd store books in the cabinets and sweaters in the oven. All I really need is a tea kettle and a good-sized drawer for take-out menus. The goal for my next, more grown-up apartment is to find a way to make my kitchen fully functional yet decorated with the same attention to detail as every other room in the apartment. (Unless I live in a studio, which is a whole other can of worms.) My inspiration will be Tracy's newly renovated kitchen, which was featured recently on The Kitchn and is adorable.

Mainly, I am jealous of her updated appliances and crisp cabinets. Our fridge is about 500 years old and struggles to keep anything cold yet there is a suspicious-looking glacier forming along the back wall and I *think* there might be a can of diet coke in the middle of it. I am also envious of the smooth tiled floors, especially after I cut my toe on a crooked floorboard the other day. Come to think of it, my current kitchen is a wreck! Time for a new project!

Image: Shutterbean via The Kitchn

An exercise in restraint.

 I have recently decided to take a break from decorating the common areas of my apartment. This will shock you, but I tend to get a little overzealous about things. I figure I should sit back and give my new roommate a chance to settle in before I start obsessing over new artwork for the living room or a runner for the kitchen.

That doesn't mean I can't look though, right???  Every once in a while I check in with the folks at Ikea and I realize that they have introduced new pieces and I want them all.

Today was one of those days.

I'm not even going to tell you how cute that loveseat is, my ideas for those chairs or all the neon colors I would paint that mirror. And that rug! I would walk all over that rug!

Sigh.

See for yourself.

Images: Ikea

I'm Back, Bitches!

Yeah, you missed me.

Image: Warren Heath via The Style Files

ways to spend my money in the new year

Happy (Belated) New Year!

2010 is going to be significantly more awesome than 2009. You know why??

Because I really think so.

In the new year I am all about paring down, simplifying and re-organizing my life and more importantly, my home (wherever that may be).  Do you know how much stuff I have? A lot.

Mostly, I have books and assorted notebooks and papers that need to be filed or shredded and thrown away. I also have too many clothes and accessories that need to find a better home than my bedroom chair or the box on my windowsill that was supposed to house the beauty supplies that are currently strewn across my dresser.

When it comes to decorating and furnishing, my goal for my next apartment is big: I want a grown-up apartment that feels permanent.  I want to cross the threshold and enter into new territory where everything I own is something I love and something that was intentionally bought for the space. Most of the furniture I have now was in my parents' basement or purchased off craigslist out of poverty and desperation.  In fact, 80% of what I own now is not a true reflection of my taste at all.



Ceci est tragique! 

This is no easy task and will likely spill into 2011 but I'm on a mission, damn it! And I will not give up!

Perhaps I should start small, slowly replacing things I hate with things I like. My bedside lamp, for example, is an ugly $10 lamp from Ikea that no longer stands up straight in its base. It's not special or pretty at all and when I turn it off at night, it makes a loud sound that startles me every time. Why should I keep it when I can replace it with this pretty hammered metal lamp from west elm? It's compact and stylish and emit a soft light perfect for bedtime reading

 

   This =  Ugly/Boring  

          This = Pretty/Awesome

What else could I easily replace?? The possibilities are endless.

Images: Ikea and West Elm

Better Late Than Never

These are so long overdue it is embarrassing but here are some pictures of our apartment! They were taken at night and are admittedly poor quality so don't judge them too harshly!

This is our living room. Please note the TV is still on the floor. It will probably stay there.

A close- up of the mantle! This is before we decorated it for Christmas and then it caught on fire when our new Christmas candle got a little too....enthusiastic.

Our orange couch. I am always on a quest to find pillows but I haven't found the perfect set yet. The bench was supposed to stay in the kitchen but somehow it has found a permanent resting place as our 'coffee table'.  We still need a shallow shelf above the couch because the photos are too high. It bothers me every day.

This is our make-shift hallway table. It is missing several key components: a tray for keys, a mail organizer and an umbrella stand. I have also had 'paint the mirror' on my to-do list for the past 6 months.

                                       

This vase is made of paper! Cool!

                                     

This is our little tea shelf in the kitchen. Normally it also holds my brand-new tea cup as well but I guess I must've been using it when I took this.

That's it for now! More pictures of the kitchen and the bedrooms (well, only mine) to come!

Photos Courtesy of: Mia G for w*ink!

When life hands me lemons...

...I complain like hell, cry a little, and then order Indian food.

Monday morning I woke up in a great mood. It's my favorite time of year, this is a short work week, I get presents on Friday- how wonderful! Plus, Mariah Carey's Christmas Album was in my head. Score!

Hanna was not so happy. She had been up since 4am when our kitchen ceiling started leaking right outside her bedroom door. Though I called our landlord immediately, she failed to show up that day because she'd gone to a different apartment and, seeing no leak, left the building! I came home that night to find that the leak had caused the ceiling to collapse. There was a thick paste of plaster, dust, and rusty water all over the floor. I called my landlord again in a fit of rage and demanded that she come the next day.

By Tuesday morning, our floor had flooded and we now had 6 buckets quickly filling with dirty water. Our frigid apartment became truly freezing with the cold gusts of air that came in through the hole in the ceiling. Our landlord finally came to assess the situation. When Hanna arrived home that night, she found an even bigger hole- actually a 3x5 square- cut out of our ceiling, a pipe hanging down with one of our dishtowels used as a plug, sheet rock blocking our door, dust all over the kitchen, a giant dirty ladder in our kitchen and...a toilet that didn't work. Our landlord assured us it would all be fixed AFTER THE HOLIDAY.

Deep Breaths.

Hanna yelled. I cried. I yelled. Hanna cried. Lola got scared of the kitchen and hid under my bed.

Last night we bundled up in multiple layers, tried to ignore the party in the apartment above us even though the hole in our ceiling provided so little insulation it felt like we were hosting it ourselves, tried to clean and pack for the holidays and consoled ourselves with Indian food.

This morning I called our landlord again and demanded that someone come and complete all repairs before the end of the work day and she agreed to have someone there by 10:30am.

I am lucky enough to be heading home to CT after work today but poor Hanna must pick up her BF from the airport and then go home and face the prospect of yet another night of freezing temperatures and the threat of scary critters coming down from the ceiling.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that everything is good as new tonight, ok?

This has officially been the longest week ever and it is only Wednesday.

Old photo of Lola 'Loly' Die Katzen Courtesy of:   Hanna

UPDATE 12/31/09:   Here are some pictures of what our ceiling looked like so you all know the severity of our problem! Luckily, the ceiling was repaired by the time Hanna arrived home on Wednesday night- it was re-plastered but not repainted. Guess I'll take what I can get!

This is so happening.

Image: domesticity via  designworklife

HOWEVER

If I did continue making plans for the apartment, I would probably *swoon* over this rug and how it would look in our entryway.

Image: 2Modern

I tried!

I haven't been too inspired lately, especially when it comes to decorating our apartment. There are several reasons:  I've been busy at work, I've been focusing a lot of attention to making elaborate hand-made gifts for my friends and I haven't had the money to buy some of the larger pieces the place needs like a TV stand and a table for the kitchen.

I think it's also time to admit that my enthusiasm has waned over the last few months because Hanna announced that she will be moving out when our lease is up in April. We put a lot of plans on hold due to financial constraints while Hanna settled in and now it feels pointless to invest so much time and energy and money in a place we might both vacate in three months time. Of course, there is the chance I will stay and find another roommate and that's why I probably shouldn't give up. I just don't feel as excited anymore. I feel like I made so many plans and then never got to bring them to fruition. As a result, our apartment still feels unfinished.  Tear.

One thing I can do while I figure things out is focus on my bedroom because I own everything and will take it with me no matter where I go. This headboard, for example, is enough to occupy my mind grapes for quite some time. It's easy to make on my own, the materials are inexpensive and it goes with everything. Best of all, I could attach it to my current bed frame so I don't have to buy a new bed!

Image: Design Esquire via AT: NY

Then I will REALLY watch too much TV...

Guys. Time for a poll:

Since my TV currently resides on the floor in front of the fireplace, should I buy the virtual flame dvd?

a) Woot!
b) Meh.
c) Eye-roll.

Please place your vote in the comments below.

Image: Rita Konig for The Moment

Generosity and whatnot.

It's a good thing I've created our new Gift Guide because there are a lot of things I want!  Ummmmm, I mean I want to give to others!

Take this pillow for example- it's simple yet fabulous and would look wonderful on my orange couch.

Also on other couches though.

Image: Pony Rider via Ill Seen, Ill Said

Goldrush

It's been a while (a whole two months) since I fell in love with a wallpaper but it's that time again so here goes....

I love it! I want to wallpaper a dressing room! It would make my skin glow! I would feel so glamorous! I would wear silk slippers! And a dressing gown! I could have amber-scented candles! And exotic flowers!

What's with me and gold today??

I blame {this is glamorous}

Image: Osborne & Little via {this is glamorous}

Copycat.

We had a very productive weekend in our apartment- we were finally able to install a new pendant lamp in the kitchen and we now have two new bookcases in the living room. As a result our apartment is suddenly flooded with (artificial) light AND my bedroom is less cluttered without giant stacks of books under my desk and lining the walls. Progress!!

This cozy corner, courtesy of Blafre Designs, is so sweet and girlish that I don't even mind that it's clearly a child's room. In fact, it's reminiscent of my own living room! (minus the child-size bed, of course) Our walls are a similar purple grey color and we scored a cute three-tiered faux chandelier on super sale from Urban Outfitters that is currently hanging in our front window. It does make me wish I had more white in the room because between the dark wood floors, bookshelves, tables and chairs, we have a lot of brown going on! I'm beginning to re-think my plans for some bright slipcovers for our armchair in favor lighter, more neutral tones.

Still working on the rug.....

Image: Blafre Designs via marion hearts

Things I Should Own....

Aaaaah I need more gold sequins in my life!!

Image: Vogue Paris via {this is glamorous}

Lusting.

How can I make this look happen??

Image: Avant-Garde Fashion Photography via FabSugar

We call the hot one Kyle.

When I first moved to NY, I lived on the Upper West Side in a charming apartment with Helen. We like to refer to the place as 'Potato Chip Island' for reasons I will not explain here but if you get the reference, we can be best friends forever.

Potato Chip Island was a magical place. We didn't put a ton of thought into our design scheme- everything just fell into place since we both like lots of color. Our only decor-related project was a series of silhouettes we made one afternoon and then ingeniously pasted to the wall of our living room. It is the only wall decal that I have found acceptable in recent years and that's mostly because we made them ourselves.

The problem with decals is they usually look so cheap and easy. I saw some cherry blossom stickers recently at Ikea and threw up in my mouth. (Sorry Ikea, I usually love you) I am willing to make one exception to my decal hateration: These headboard decals by Blik:

They come in a variety of kicky colors and styles but this basic 'iron' frame is my favorite. Sure, they border on college dorm chic but I don't care. I think they'd look awesome in a guest bedroom or in the kind of apartment where you wind up using milk crates as nightstands and somehow they look cool and sort of industrial in a non-hipster way.


Images: Helen Rosner and Blik

And also the coffee table.

This room is totally nutburgers but I *love* it.

Things I J'adore:
1) Stripped rug
2) Layering rugs
3) Distressed bust
4) Crystal chandelier
5) Crazy patterned chair/pillow combination
6) Ikea floor lamp
7) Giant stack of books in the corner
8) Massive ceramic head adorning the coffee table books

Things I J'hate:
1) The antlers and zebra print rug. They creep me out.

Image: AT: SF

Best. Present. Ever.

Last night I received the best surprise from Hanna: The prettiest Le Creuset tea kettle in the world!

Let the hunt for pretty tea cups begin!
 

Image: Le Creuset