Home Tour: A Chicago Apartment with Rustic Touches

Surprise! Today's home decor feature is my apartment! I was inspired by Compass, a real estate website in NYC, and their Starter Stories project to share with you my new apartment and all the work that my boyfriend and I have put into making it home. Since it's our first apartment together, it's most definitely been a learning process that has involved a lot of compromise. We've only been in the space for about 6 months, so there are still a lot of things that we're figuring out how to make work, but I am finally ready to do a little unveiling and let you all into my world! Especially since I've been talking about this new apartment constantly (like here and here and here, for example).

Design Trends from IKEA: Colored Floor revolution

I'm sure by now you're well aware that IKEA is jumping on the mid-century design bandwagon and releasing a whole line of mid-century inspired gems. Great. Awesome. Love it. Looks great. Except, when I was looking through the new IKEA collection there is only one thing that really, really stood out to me...

The SMEG Revolution

The SMEG Revolution is upon us. Yes, it's true. Hold on to your hats people. For those of you interested in the interior design world, those that follow interior design blogs, or, heck, even just hang out on Pinterest sometimes, you're familiar with the SMEG refrigerator. It's the vintage, candy-colored appliance of your dreams. And it costs a pretty penny to make your kitchen look like it has hopped out of the 1950s, so, for most of us, it has always been very much a dream. Well, dream no more my design friends! Your kitchen appliances are so close to being candy-colored, you should almost be able to taste it!

Monday Design: New York Chic

There's nothing I love more than a home tour of an interior designer, because I always imagine that they live perfectly - no book out of place, no dirty laundry on the floor, no dishes in the sink. This is, I realize, a perfectly unrealistic point of view, but the magazine spreads make me believe it's true! Anyway, I found this home our of interior designer Rodman Primack, Californian living in New York, and was instantly smitten. It was definitely cleaned and staged, but something about it still feels beautifully lived in. And not lived in like my apartment is lived in, where you're constantly tripping over someone's shoes. No, not like that. See for yourself.

Sweet Dreams: 14 Beautiful Bedroom Design Ideas

Well, well, well, it's me again. I feel like this last hiatus I took was longer than most, but with Internet issues compounded by preparing for a trip to Paris, life has just been a little bit of a whirlwind. However, I'm trying to get back on the blogging horse for real this time, with plans for recipes and DIY tutorials in the very near future. In the meantime, to celebrate (or mourn, depending on how you look at it) by return home from a beautiful 2 week stay in the city of Paris, here's a collection of cozy, comfortable, and chic bedrooms!

Home Design: Backyard Greenhouses

I'm not a green thumb. I'm not a black thumb either, but let's just say it's harder for me to keep plants alive than it is to kill them. That's mostly my fault, because I was never interested in hardening growing up. My mother loves to garden. She is almost always in our backyard with her gardening gloves, but it just never appealed to me. And, to be honest, it still doesn't completely. Having taken the time to grow a handful of plants this summer, I understand a little bit better now, but I still don't have the patience for it.

The one thing about gardening that I always did love, though, was the end result. Sitting in botanic gardens or greenhouses was always my favorite thing to do. I was always jealous of my parents' friends who had the lush gardens with stone pathways leading to a hidden seating areas - like a secret garden. I don't think anything makes the facade of a house more homey than a well-arranged flowerbed. So, ever since I was little, I thought the one thing I need to be happy in my home when I grow up, is a backyard big enough to build a greenhouse.

Interior Design: Country Livin'

I think I'm obsessed with Country Living magazine, which is hilarious because I used to make fun of my mom for buying it all the time. I would think "psh, who wants to live in the country anyway?" The answer is, apparently, a lot of people. But that's besides the point, Country Living isn't just about living in the country, like I so foolishly once thought. They have a massive collection of adorable cottages and farm-house style homes that anyone would be jealous of - this born and bred city girl included. Anyway, I bring this up because I feel like I've been sharing a lot of homes from there lately and I thought I needed to explain myself. So there you go. Now on to the good stuff.

This sprawling country retreat in Kentucky reminds me of country cottages in the south of France and if I can find a place to stay that reminds me of Provence without the 8 hour flight, I'm a happy girl.

Interior Design: Eclectic Design and Kitschy Details

There's a delicate balance between cluttered crap and eclectic design and I am definitely good at always crossing over to the crap side of it. When trying to decorate with kitschy or eclectic details, I always end up in the "more is more" camp, which can look cluttered and junky when not done right. And my spaces always look cluttered and junky. This space, on the other hand, has it totally figured out. The overall design is minimal, but the house as a whole incorporates all the fun details you'd want in a home. How do they do it?

Interior Design: White Interiors with Lively Details

It's summer, it's sunny, and the plants are coming in. There's nothing more warming for your decor in the summer time than house plants. Do they have to be over-abundant and difficult to care for? Absolutely not. Just like this minimalist home demonstrates with them scattered delicately throughout for a little touch of life.

Interior Design: Watercolor Walls

Phew, let me tell you something about moving. It is the worst. Moving sucks. Dragging moving out over the course of two weeks, sucks even more. BUT, I'm finally here. I've done it. I've moved! There are still a million boxes to unpack and a ton of things to do before this new place feels like home, but it's getting there. One long, busy day at a time. Anyway, getting settled also means getting back to blogging! (My favorite, obviously.) 

With all of the planning I was trying to do for the new place, I found a bunch of interior design inspiration and a few things that I had never seen before, like watercolor walls! Yep, can you believe it? My first thought was "How do I do this? What kind of paint do I need?" and then I quickly realized that this technique was a little something called wallpaper. Which, whatever, I probably would have royally screwed up a wall trying to watercolor paint it. The wallpaper is probably the smarter choice. Either way, these walls are awesome, inspiring, and add color and movement to a room like you've never seen.

Interior Design: Gallery Walls

I'm moving into a new place June 1st and I couldn't be more excited to have the ability to plan and decorate this time around. When I moved into this apartment, my first apartment, everything was kind of rushed and I didn't take time to really plan out the space. It's come together in the three years that I've lived here, but now not only will I have time, I'll also have space! I'll get to have space and lots of white walls to decorate. So I've been imagining a gallery wall above my TV for a long time and just haven't gotten excited about anything. Now that I'll have the space to fill, my love of gallery walls has been renewed!

Rustic, Country-Chic Cottage

My love of rustic, country style is not a secret. I am not ashamed - not anymore anyway. I blame my mother and her love of the outdoors paired with her love of Country Living magazine for my love of Country Living magazine. I remember growing up and thumbing through it's pages in the small cabin home we have in Wisconsin that my mom decorated with the most well-edited collection of thrift store finds. Now I find myself flipping through slideshows of perfectly placed milk jugs and reclaimed wood walls on their website. Damn you Country Living, you make living in the country see so much more glamorous to a city girl.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. I stumbled across this cottage revival on the website and had to share because it caught my eye with all the things I love - reclaimed wood, teal, vintage charm.

Dark Interiors: Macabre Charm in Grey Walls

I have to admit, I have a dark streak in me. On occasion, I'm drawn like a moth to the macabre - explaining my love of all things skull-printed. As obsessed as I currently am with any interior that has white walls with touches of wood, this shadowy shoot by photographer Tommaso Sartori really grabbed my attention.

Interior Design: Industrial Chic Shopping

I was browsing around the Internetz, as usual, real estate stalking like I normally do when a Google ad caught my eye (damn you, Google ads!). Now, I'm a sucker for those membership discount sites just like anyone else, but they are usually a hodge podge of items. You get up to 80% off on anything you can think of (I just bought a set of fleece leggings on one of those). I've never found one more tailored to me than Dot & Bo.

Monday Design: The Classical Space

It's been a very long time since I've blogged here and it feels good to be back. In the midst of a rabid job hunt I had to put blogging on the back burner. But I've now found a new job (go me!) and here I am! So let's get right back to it, shall we?

Now this is an apartment in Barcelona and I'm having a love/hate relationship with. Obviously, the rounded living room is a huge draw, but really it's those windows! The stained glass window details throughout the apartment really make this place feel opulent and unique.

Monday Design: Geometric and Modern

I am normally not a fan of modern or geometric architecture. I like my buildings classic and curvy with a rustic touch. However, this Spanish home made by architect Daniel Isern pulls so much from nature and blends so easily into the surrounding areas that I can't help but admire. The structure itself looks like stacked wood blocks, but it's made entirely out of concrete.

Monday Design: The Makers

I love studio tours. Seeing how creative people have crafted the space that they work in give me odd amounts of joy. I think mostly because it give me the opportunity to dream up what my ideal work space will look like one day. That's why I was so happy to discover The Makers. I really can't believe in all my internet hunting I didn't discover this site before, but it's sole purpose is to showcase (beautifully) the work spaces of creative people! There is so much studio envy happening in me right now.

Monday Design: Breakfast Nook Designs

All my life I've wanted a breakfast nook in the kitchen. Yes, you read that right - all my life. I was a weird kid. I have always been interested by home design and breakfast nooks are one of those interior design elements I remember begging my mom for. Yes, begging. Especially once we actually had the space. You see, my mom owns her own cleaning service and has some pretty fancy houses on her client list. When I was younger, we couldn't afford day car in the summers so I would go to work with my mom. Ok so mostly I would play while she worked, but I got to go inside these crazy huge houses - most of which had breakfast nooks. I'm assuming this is where my obsession began considering it was before internet (Right?! I know. When was that?).

Despite my darnedest efforts, we never did end up getting the breakfast nook of my dreams, but you better believe that when this little lady owns a house it will have a big squishy, sunny place designated for breakfast and tea. In the meantime, let's get inspired.

Monday Design: Grand Simplicity

Rose Uniacke's home is a dream. That's all I can really say about it. Although, I guess if I worked as an established interior designer, I'd make sure my home was a dream too.

Monday Design: Chic New York

If you love style and design and live on the internet like I do, you've probably already seen Athena Calderon's absolutely gorgeous New York apartment. And I do not feel bad about sharing it even though it's already been all over the internet because it really is an amazing work of interior design so seeing it again is a treat.