Ok people, let’s get into it.
Even though the weekend was crazy busy, spending time in the actual space, with some actual furniture, and moving around through all that, gave me tons of inspiration.
I managed to take some time to feed my moodboard addiction so I could show you some design goodies today !
Like I mentioned on Friday, the kitchen storage is getting a pretty serious overhaul. For now I’m still figuring out what type of wood and brackets I want, measuring shelf heights, and spacing, and I think it might be waaay too sexy for a Monday morning post… So instead I thought I’d share some fun visuals !
I came up with a few ideas for the breakfast nook : (click picture to enlarge)
Since I spend half my life on Pinterest, I see a lot of fun quotes I really like but I don’t know where or how to display them. So I decided to go overboard and paint the whole length of the kitchen with chalkboard paint to make a huge space for it.
To be honest I was looking for a reason to paint a black wall for a while so this worked out perfectly. The wall itself is about 13 ft. long too, so I ain’t messing around…
I plan to fill it with words, drawings, and even hang actual art (not that my hand-drawn bunnies aren’t art…).
For the floors, I’m going with super traditional black and white tiles. It’s not very original but it’s become a compulsion of sorts, I need these floors in my kitchen everywhere I live. I think I love graphic black and white designs and this one is so geometrically perfect that my brain just can’t resist.
I’m going to go with sheet vinyl here, because I found a design I really like and it’s super affordable.
In my last place I used self-adhesive vinyl tiles and it was a nightmare to remove, so I’m never making that mistake again in a rental !
The main attraction here of course is going to be the “breakfast” part of the nook. My very handy brother has graciously offered to build me a custom corner banquette. The design is very simple it’s basically two separate benches, with storage under the seats, next to each other. To play off the heaviness of the banquette I’m going with an Ikea staple – the Docksta round table. Now I’ve been crazy in love with this table forever, but I never had the space for a dinner table in my previous apartments. Now the time has finally come for us to be together, and it shall be glorious! Plus I thrifted the hell outta that thing and got one for practically nothing (check out the end of the post for all the deets).
Moving on ! With the banquette I should be able to fit 5 people comfortably, so I’d like to add a side chair to bump it up to a round number. And I mean, if you need a decorative, uber-stylish, over the top awesome side chair, who you gonna call ?
Well, no, Ghostbusters don’t deliver chairs, but you can call an “Indian Ram’s Head silver chair” !
These babies are gorgeous in person and very unique and detailed. Definitely a conversation piece.
So I gots to have me one, and I won’t rest until I do. (Oh wait, no, I seriously need sleep though)
Color-wise I went with purple without giving it a second thought ! I’m usually more attracted to the “warm colors”-side of the color wheel so I’m gonna be using a lot of them in the all-around design. Since the nook is visible from the entryway I have to think of it as an extension of the living room. So I’m going with deep velvet purple seating cushions, which I’ll DIY, on the banquette, and then letting the colorful throw pillows shine. I’ve been crushing hard on Hmong fabric from Thailand, so I bought a few yards on Etsy and I’m gonna try to sew my first cushions … probably to my own hand (silver lining : I’ll have a pillow with me wherever I go!), but it’s good to try new things.
The rest of the throw pillows are going to be a common thread all the way through the living room and bedroom styling. I love stripes, I love green leaf pillows, and I love gold accents, and I’ll use them multiple times, so the goal is to make the pillows play off each-other in different parts of the space.
These fabulous curtains, I remember seeing a few years back are unfortunately no longer available in those colors. So I think I’ll try another DIY here, although this one seems like it could have catastrophic results but … no guts, no glory. I’m not crazy I know I’ll never manage that perfect two-color dip-dye, but I think I can manage one color so I’ll probably go for a bright and fun pink, on heavy linen curtains (that drape for days…).
And finally, because I am part-Liberace, I couldn’t resist throwing a big, dramatic baroque chandelier in the mix !
My hope is that, in person, it’ll have some gypsy, palm-reading, tarot cards-reading vibes to it.
… But like a modern gypsy palm reader, that likes contrast and sometimes shops at ikea. You get the idea.
That’s it for the kitchen for now, so let’s move on to the living room !
First of all, let’s take a look at the (poorly drawn) layout :
As far as space planning , it’s pretty much a no-brainer. The space is rectangular, and the main wall has the window and the bookshelf so it’s the natural focal point for the room. The murphy bed isn’t going anywhere so that leaves a little room on the side for a living room area. I am adding on a little bookshelf on the side of the couch, that echoes the existing one, because I need some more bookshelf space. And it’s bonus space for top styling, and perhaps even adding a stylish bar area.
In front of the main bookshelf I’d like to add a little bench and some floors cushions for extra guests, but I haven’t decided on a look yet.
I was mulling over these plans thinking that, the murphy bed is great, but how do I expand the living room when it’s closed ? Which is the whole point. I know I wanted to move the furniture around but since I’m planning to have rugs cover pretty much every inch of the living room, the heavy couch is not going to move easily.
It took a few minutes but it finally hit me : wheels ! Of course !
So I’m taking this whole small-space approach to the next level. I’m going to have all my living room furniture fitted with wheels, and be able to switch from living room to bedroom in a matter of minutes by rolling the furniture over to the side. I’m very excited about this idea ! Now I just need to figure out how to put wheels on a pull-out couch (yikes).
As far as the decor is concerned, here’s what I had in mind so far :
I already own the sofa, the coffee table, and some of the accessories. The prints are my current favorites from Society6, and I’m hoping start a collection, even though it’s definitely a luxury right now. I haven’t found a desk yet but I know I want a leopard-print desk chair to go with it, just ’cause I’m worth it, and I’m definitely adopting a disco sculpture.
On the floor, I’m dying to get flokati rugs to cover the whole living room area and then layer in some fun rugs on top. I’m leaning towards a pink rug from Urban Outfitters and an oh-so-stylish zebra hide rug. For now the walls are staying white, despite my overwhelming need to paint before I think. I need to spend some quality time getting to know this place before I start painting the living room in rainbow hues…
So there you have it, these are my ideas for the space right now, I’m sure it’ll evolve from there but it’s a place to start.
Let me know what you think!
Before I go, I wanted to share something. I’m a big believer in “design for all“, and that everyone can afford to make their space a lot more homey on the cheap. So, to prove to any skeptics out there that you can have style and personality without breaking the bank, I decided to include the breakdown of my purchases at the end of these posts, in the hope that it inspires you and your home. So here’s what I bought so far :
Wood for the banquette : 60$
Black & White tile floors : 30$
Chalkboard paint : 22$
Chalkboard liquid marker : 7$
Hmong fabric: 30$
Thrifted :
Ikea Table : 20$
Chandelier : 60$
Opium Coffee Table : 15$ (+15$ black paint)
Linen Curtains (9 ft.) : 30$
Have a great day everyone (even though it’s Monday…. ugh.)
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