My chair is done!

It's finally here! My beautiful chair got delivered this weekend and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! I promised to post pictures of the end result and here it is! It has undergone a huge makeover since it's plaid days and now has a fresher, more contemporary look, perfect for my apartment! 

And yes, my cat loves the new chair too. Obviously he is a man with great taste! 

Wedding Wednesday!

With my October wedding less than 3 months away, I consider myself to be in the final stages of wedding planning. It has been a lot of work, but I love getting to see all the pieces come together slowly but surely. Packages arrive at the door almost every week now and I am starting to get more and more excited each day! Planning a wedding is a huge task that takes a lot of time and thought. I truly believe that it is all the little details that will make this day so special. It can seem overwhelming at times having to make all of these decisions, but I have come up with a way to make the process a little easier. I have learned to simply rely on my instincts and to only choose things that I absolutely love. If you love all of the little things that you choose along the way, you will end up loving everything once it is all put together! I am pleased to say that there aren't many instances where I have settled for something I was just "ok" with, and that there haven't been many rushed decisions along the way. I wanted to share with everyone some of my inspirations. My vision for the wedding reception is all about dim chandeliers, candlelight, lush bouquets in pale colors, and elegant neutral linens. I think this inspiration board really captures all of that, and I hope that the wedding turns out to be just as beautiful as all of these images!

Designing for Friends!

I had such a pleasant surprise when I got to work and checked my email this morning! One of my best friends will be moving into her own place soon and had asked me for some suggestions and design tips for her future bedroom. She already had some great ideas and has been shopping at local thrift stores, garage sales, etc. to find pieces to refinish and incorporate into the room. The main colors she has chosen for the room are blue and white, which I absolutely love. The combination of the two is so clean and crisp looking, but can also be really interesting with the use of patterns and textures. I immediately started pulling ideas for the space and created this inspiration board for her. The look is fun, vintage, feminine, bold, and beautiful, just like the lady who will be living in it! I can't wait to see how all of her projects turn out!

Designing my own place!

After a long time of planning, saving, and looking for places to live, I am finally in my new apartment! I could not be happier to be in a place that has a laundry room, a full kitchen, and actual walls after living in a studio loft this past year. Designing the apartment has been fun, but tricky. Since I am renting the space, I can't change any of the wall colors, fixtures, etc. Also, I am working on a budget here (a really tight budget!) so making my dollars stretch has been an important thing to keep in mind. Here are three spaces that I am working on:

The Master Bedroom:

I have told you before and I will tell you again, I love color and prints-I really can't get enough of them! However, in this master bedroom I really wanted to try to keep things relaxed and peaceful. I have a great rug that I knew I wanted to use in the bedroom. The rug is light brown and blue so naturally those would become the main colors in the room. I found this duvet color that also incorporates red and gold hues and has a beautiful paisley print. I loved that the duvet cover is pretty gender neutral since I will be getting married soon and don't want this bedroom to be too girly. 

I also knew that I wanted to incorporate some of our engagement pictures that we took recently into the apartment. The bedroom is the perfect place for personal photos like these. I found some frames with a woven texture and decided to hang a set of three of them above the bed. The bedside lampshades have a similar texture and help to unify the space. My next project will be recovering my headboard!

The living room has been one of my biggest challenges yet! Designing on a budget means that you really have to find a way to use everything that you have had in the past, which isn't always something I am eager to do. It is a space that I hope will continue to evolve and become one of my favorite places to be! On my wish list for the room is a new rug ( and it needs to be NEUTRAL since my blue armchair will also be in this room!), artwork, lamps, and accessories. My inspiration for this room was Schumacher's hothouse flowers fabric, and here is what I have done with it so far:

I have loved this fabric from the moment I saw it. It is bold, colorful, and fun! However, this fabric doesn't come cheap. In the beginning I had hopes of recovering my armchair with it, or even making drapery panels out of it, but neither of these options were going to work with my budget, so I decided to have these beautiful pillows made. I could not be happier with them and I know that they will work great with my custom armchair once I finally get it in the room! 

And now for possibly my favorite room in the apartment-

The Guest Bedroom:

If you are going to be a guest of mine, then be prepared for a colorful stay! This is the one room that I knew I could really go all out and express my love of color without my fiance complaining too much, since he won't be living in it. It all started with a duvet cover that I have been obsessed with for a while now. It has trees and flowers and just makes me happy! Next, I found an old side table in our garage, painted it blue, and added some new hardware so that it looks completely refreshed. Some accent pillows in bold prints will add the finishing touches to this delightful space! 

So that is just a first look at my apartment and the many projects I have taken on to make this space feel like a home. I can't wait to post more pictures as more progress is made!