Operation Decorate

I've been a busy bee this past month decorating my new condo. In many respects, it has felt like my very own version of The High Low Project on HGTV. The premise is simple: get that "designer look" without breaking the bank. But with a full time job, it is much more time-consuming than it looks! I have literally spent nearly every free moment during the past month working on some task related to decorating: searching the internet for design ideas, visiting various retail establishments, or hanging/putting together/painting/organizing the various objects I already had in my possession.

Exhausting, but also lots of fun! Even though I told myself I wasn't going to set aside any budget for decorating, I ended up spending about $1000 to make the place feel like home (because really, what good is owning your own place if it doesn't feel like home?). About $500 of that was spent during multiple trips to Target buying things like drawer organizers  recycling containers, and various other things I didn't know I needed until I absolutely couldn't do without them (evil  Target). The other $500 was spent on *real* furniture that I can now sit around and adore on a daily basis. I'm definitely not "done" yet (probably won't ever be), but I feel like I've gotten to a place where it feels like home and I can tackle future projects as time and money allow.

So, without further ado... THE NEW PLACE:

Living Room. /// Accent wall was already painted when I moved in. Loving the punch of color, high ceilings, big windows & crown molding. Most of this furniture I already had, but in case you are curious, here are the DETAILS: Lamps: Marshalls (my favorite store for lamps); Couch & Ottoman: Roomstore (my first *real* pieces of furniture purchase for my old apt.); POÄNG Chair: IKEA (it's a classic, right?); blue side table: thrift store find (for $15 - total score!); butterscotch Mimic cube: Crate & Barrel (found this when the Crate & Barrel store at my local mall was closing and everything was 1/2 off. The style is no longer available, but the Ditto cube is similar); 

Dining Room // Accent wall was already painted when I moved in; all lighting came with the condo. DETAILS:  BJURSTA dining room table: IKEA (an *extendable* table in birch veneer - makes up in versatility what it lacks in style; it works for now); VILMAR dining room chairs: IKEA (...or a similar style they used to make - in birch veneer. Really serendipitous Craiglist find a couple summers ago whereby I scored all 4 chairs for $40, just as I had almost  convinced myself to spring for these very similar  (but twice as expensive) chairs from Crate & Barrel: Felix Walnut Side Chair; Twist Swivel Bar Stools: World Market (quite possibly my favorite new apartment purchase to date); Peacock Quincy Chair: World Market (totally in love, especially after I spotted this almost-identical-chair (Modesto Chair from Arhaus) while browsing at a super fancy furniture store in the mall for - get this - $1200...seriously? I WIN). 

Kitchen // All major elements came with the condo. Love the hardwoods & stainless steel fridge. Would love granite counter tops eventually, but that won't be in the cards anytime soon. I do love my magnetic spice jars on the fridge (really great way to organize your spices to make them visible and accessible at the same time = just $2.99/each at Bed, Bath & Beyond) 

Master Bedroom // Some of you may recognize this bedroom setup from a previous post. New this year are the side tables (thrift store find w/ paint & updated hardware), along with the Adair Sconces from Pottery Barn (with nickle finish  which were my splurge item for this project. I  scoured the internet for a "knock-off" version, but couldn't find anything I liked nearly as much. Also, these were on sale and pretty much the cheapest sconces that PB sells, so I will suffice to say it was a justified purchase.  This is is the first time in my life I have had matching bed side lamps; really makes me feel like an adult! 

Thrift Store Dresser // Thrift store find + updated hardware from Amazon (definitely the best place to buy drawer pulls if you have a certain style in mind. I got these for a fraction of a cost of what they were going for a Lowes/Home Depot)

Office/Guest Bedroom // Crate & Barrel Knock-off desk from Amazon + thrift store chair + antique lamp from my parents house (one of the few items that made the trip across country with me when I moved out here in 2006) + bike that I need to ride more especially now that I live so close to the Greenway.

Office/Guest Bedroom /// OK, bare with me people. I debated whether to post this pick, because I'm not particularly proud of  how this portion of the room is styled, but maybe y'all can give me some tips :). For now, I'm just happy it's organized and I haven't spent any money on this room yet. This is basically just all my furniture that was leftover after I decorated the other rooms (my B-team items, if you will). The couch/love seat is actually a fold-out HAGALUND  bed from IKEA (in Idemo Beige; doesn't exactly pop off the gray walls...), along with some orange Crate & Barrel pillows (if you're going to buy anything from C&B, I suggest the pillows...the fabric/texture/design is simply unrivaled in my opinion, and its a relatively cheap way to upgrade any room). OH and don't you love the Schnauzer pillow? That was a Christmas gift this year; even though its kinda cheesy, it just makes happy. The chair to the left is a thrift store find, the white bedside table is one of the other remaining elements brought out to NC from my childhood (along with the desk lamp). The foot stool (which looks kinda awkward here, and everywhere, actually) is the matching foot stool for your classic Papasan chair sold at World Market (and no, I never owned the actual chair; this just happened to be the only ottoman that I could transport back to my apartment (by foot) while I was living in Chicago without a car. And that rug....that rug is an original purchase from my "moving the dorms" pre-college shopping trip to BB&B with my Mom over a decade ago. Don't you love how every piece of furniture has a story?