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

Design Angst: Interior Design Lessons for the Living Room

Despite the fact that I spend an inordinate (and probably unhealthy) amount of time coveting beautiful furniture, I have never really had a well decorated place. This is mostly due to the fact that I have moved across country 4 times which has made me very good at not getting attached to things (or accumulating things I might get attached to). Hence, I had a lovely collection of Sauder furniture and a mishmash of functional items (the most hideous of which was a bright (and I mean bright!) yellow pleather futon that doubled as a couch in the living room of my new york apartment.

I am not certain I am done moving, but I have decided that I am at a point in my life where I should probably think about nesting. The task seemed so daunting, however, that I have lived in a mostly unfurnished apartment for the greater part of two years.

I certainly spent plenty of time looking for furniture, but I found myself agonizing over the decisions. I asked a few interior designer friends and they told me to pick a piece and design around it, but no matter how hard I tried, I just seemed unable to decide on anything.

Finally five months ago, I decided to take the plunge. One day while flipping through a catalogue I saw the Henredon Cocktail Table {H} and fell in love. I really love its graceful legs -- it has an 18th century English aesthetic with a decidedly modern twist.

I already had one or two pieces in my living room including the porcelain Napali Vase {A} and the Miyoko {k} from Room and Board. I found it difficult to buy anything else, however, because I was unable to imagine how everything would look together once it was assembled in my living room.

To solve this problem, I found pictures of the things I liked (multiple side tables, chairs, pillows, rugs etc.) and I put all the pictures in Photoshop and created a mood board. I started with the things I knew would definitely be in my living room: the Henredon cocktail table and the Miyoko media center and I tried out several combinations until I came up with something I liked.

This approach enabled me to quickly tell what didn't work without having to go through the pain of ordering and returning it.

The mood board pictured above is the one I liked the most out of all the various combinations I created.

{A} Napali porcelain Vase
{B} Hubberton Forge floor lamp
{C} Magazine stand in oak
{D} Jasper Sofa in Desmond
{E} Pillows
{F} Room and Board picture frames
(I hung 8-9 different frames in various styles and sizes over my couch. The photos are all black and white and were mostly taken during my trip to India: Roll I , Roll II)
{G} Stones rug
{H} Henredon Aston Court cocktail table
{I} Bergman leather recliner in Sundance Vintage
{J} Moooi Cork Stool
{K} Miyoko Media stand
{L} Gigi chairs in Winslet Sunset