Decorating My Apartment: A lesson in inspiration and courage

I was recently inspired by Decor8's Fabulous Stationary Contest and SFgirlbybay (whose beautiful and eclectic style is always an inspiration) to again take up the task of decorating my place.

I have always had a minimalistic style. When I was younger my style was pretty much governed by what I could fit in a minivan in a spur of the moment relocation. Now, that I am thinking about staying in one place for more than a year, I can no longer put off the inevitable -- making my house a home.

The first piece of furniture I bought for my new place took 5 months to find. I was sort of a deer in the headlights in furniture store -- I just couldn't commit. A friend of mine once told me, "buy what you like and you'll find a way to make it work" and so that's what I have done. Over the past 2.5 years, I have steadily acquired some furniture, throw pillows and a few picture frames and to my surprise -- she was right.

A month ago I blogged about how I chose the pieces for my living room. I am using the same method for choosing a rug. Shopping for a rug can be a big pain -- nothing ever looks the same online as it does in person, there is a huge variability in price and returning a rug can be a nightmare. Thankfully, many stores allow you to 'borrow' their rugs so that you can try them out at home.

Last weekend I visited Peace Industries in Hayes valley, and while I liked the concept (felted organic rugs) I wasn't a ran of any of the rugs that came in the size I was looking to buy. I spent the rest of the night scouring the internet for pictures of brown rugs.I am fairly price-constrained and color-constrained (white cats). Here is what I have found so far, if anyone has any advice for a virgin rug-shopper, I would love to hear it!



{a} Circles rug

{b} Bubbles rug from Target

{c} Stones from Room and Board

{d} Leaf Rug from Pottery Barn

{e} Vinca

I also bought a few pieces of artwork from Etsy (I love Etsy!)

{a} Brown Boots
This is my favorite piece by Jen Oaks. She also has lots of other lovely artwork.

{b} So True
What I love about this the most is the typography (and the simplicity)

{c} Little Lost
I don't have a place for this one yet, but it is so cute, I couldn't resist
{d} Softly
I didn't buy this one -- it is a bit too expensive, but I love the colors and texture

{e} Honeycreeper

New Etsy Treasures!

Etsy is so cool! I can't believe how many amazing finds there are. Here are a few I found this morning:

{a}Stackable silver rings -- beautiful sterling silver stackable rings ($139.00 for a set of 4) from Colleen Baran.

{b}Typewriter Letter Necklace -- I love type. Just ask my boyfriend who indulgently puts up with the fact that our closets are stuffed to the gills with metal and wood type. So, it goes without saying that I can't resist the look of this beautiful necklace (35$). I saw something similar at boutique shops around San Francisco for three times the price.

{c}Gossamer Wings -- Ornate Vintage Finery designed by Jody McGill. I especially love this dragon fly necklace ($49.01), but she has many other beautiful treasures for sale.

{d}Purple Grove Skirt -- I love the look of this wonderful and inventive skirt ($45.00) made of patches of fabric from Mademoiselle Modiste.