First Pictures!

A few pictures of the apartment!  Its starting to come together and not look like a homeless person is squatting in it.  I still don't have the couch or the dining chairs yet.  Also, I couldn't get far enough away from the rooms to get a good picture, but this will give you an idea of how its turning out!

The pink wall in the living room:

With the chairs and what furniture I have:

The navy blue hallway.  This is as far away as I could get to take a picture:

My room (still very unfinished):

The kitchen:

The Walls!

So I have been working on the walls for the living room and entrance hall.  I bought the little sample size cans of my preferred paint colors.  The living room sample turned out pretty well.

They are going to be this fun hot pink.  It's a disney paint color no less!!  Then the walls are going to be done in this white edged faux paneling.  I'm trying to decide if I like this width of white stripe or if it should be a shade narrower.  Thoughts?  This is 1.5".  I was originally thinking 1".  I think the long living room wall (14' or so) is going to be divided into 6 panels: 2 high by 3 wide. 

Obviously the white stripes will be much cleaner looking than these are.  I didn't edge them.  But I think it gives you an idea of the effect it will have.  I wanted the wall to be more fun than just a solid.  I think this will be visually interesting without being over powering.  (hopefully)

I am planning on doing a navy paint in the entrance hall.  With bright white bookcases, etc.  Slightly nautical, but I plan to tone the nautical feel down as much as possible.  I don't want people to feel like they are walking into a peacoat upon arrival!

Anyhoodle mc-doodle, I bought this beautiful paint, appropriately called "navy blue".  This is how it turned out after two coats:

Call me crazy, but I would call that royal blue.  So I am back to the drawing board.  I will be stopping by Home Depot in the next few days to try a different, darker navy.  This time I will aim for a navy with more of a grey undertone to it instead of the slightly bright blue undertone this was supposed to have.  Which turned out to be more of the tone, than the undertone. Sad.  I was so hopeful that both panels would turn out perfect the first try!

The Chairs are Here!!

I think they almost turned out a little Tory Burch-esque.  But hey, nothing says preppy and cute like Tory. 

I think they came out pretty cute!

Thanks Dad!

As you know I'm on a budget to decorate this apartment.  It will probably end up looking like a hobo lives there.  But at least this hobo now has a rug! Dad brought home an oriental that used to hang on the wall at his office as art.  Now it will keep my tootsies warm!  I think it is the right colors to go in the bedroom.

The rug in question:

The new bedding I'm thinking of:

What do you think?  Will it go?  I think the room will be mostly navy and ivory.  The rug is kind of peaches and pale blues.  Close enough or should the hobo stay rugless?

The Little Bedroom That Won't

I'm afraid to say I don't have any good pictures of the bedroom.  I'm a failure of the first water.  I apologize.  I will share what I do have, though!

The one picture I took. Of a window. I'm officially useless. 

This is a picture from there website that looks similar. It has white walls and what not.

So why is the bedroom a bedroom that won't?  Because I cannot figure out how to lay out the furniture. It's a decent size, but yet nothing fits right.  It just looks weird no matter what I do.  When I lay it similar to how it was done in their picture, it looks like I do not have enough furniture.  When I try putting the furniture on angles, etc to give the illusion that I'm not a hobo camping out in an empty apartment it looks crowded.  What to do? What to do?

The Great Couch Debate

If you are like me, you will not read the post below.  There are no pictures.  Who would???  I cannot even handle reading the crap People passes off as "articles."  Pictures only, thank you very much.

So on to today's more interesting topic.  The sofa!  We have been fighting the sofa v. day bed fight at my house.  Firstly, photos of the top contenders

The day bed:

The sofa:

(Yes, these are the colors that the daybed/sofa will be bought in.  Just a shade off-white. No hints as to the accent wall/wall here!)

So the daybed clearly allows people to come stay without having an air mattress or a sofa bed. Yeah for visitors!!!  But will it look too big?  Will it look like a giant white island floating in my living room? The daybed and the sofa are the same length but the daybed is six inches deeper.  That's overall footprint.  I'm sure the daybed will have a larger feel than the 6 inches may imply.  Thoughts? 

A Definitional Conundrum

I've been working on the accent wall for the living room today.  But is it an accent wall if there is only one wall in the living room?  Or is it just what the living room wall(s) are?  I just don't know.  I think I will continue to call it an accent wall because it sounds more festive than just "the wall".

Anyhoodle mcdoodle.  I am going to leave the accent wall as a surprise for now.  I think its going to turn out awesome. (Obviously, or I would not do it.)  But for a hint.  Martha Stewart is either a mind reader or a total copy cat.  She has something similar in the current issue of MSL that just arrived.  I cannot hold it against her though, because she's Martha and she's amazing.

In case you do not get MSL I thought I would share a few tidbits from my favorite section of the magazine: Martha's Month.  Here are some of Martha's suggestions as to what you should accomplish in the month of September:

• edit your summer photos and make a scrapbook
• plant your annuals for spring
• clean your washing machine

"But Martha, what about apple picking?" you may be saying.  Not to fear, she has covered this as well.  She knows you would never do anything so pedestrian as buying apples at the grocery store, but do not just show up at your local orchard.  The horror!  She suggests you call ahead and find out which specific days during the month will be best to pick your favorite varieties.  You may have to go the orchard several times during the month, but I guess it's worth it.  Can you imagine being her child?  Terrifying.