I want. I need. Must have. Must find.  zombeeapocalypse: this is too freaking amazing.

I want. I need. Must have. Must find. 

zombeeapocalypse:

this is too freaking amazing.

*SIGH* Someday…

Apartment Therapy has kicked off their 2011 Small Cool Contest! So excited to see the submissions. Here are the submissions from last year. Someday my apartment will be worthy of this contest…

(Source: Apartment Therapy)

Sooo my apartment is officially an IKEA showroom. I can’t help it… the price, the convince, the fun ferry ride to Brooklyn, and the Swedish meatballs… I truly cannot resist. I wish I was one of those people that spent their weekends bargain hunting or scouring antique and second hand furniture shops for unique finds. Sadly I am not, my weekends are generally spent writing papers. IKEA is my goto spot for my furniture needs, but to avoid the total showroom look I try to accessorize by mixing it up with unique pictures and accent pieces… i.e. my mom’s vintage suitcases and Louis Vuitton hat box turned side table & throwing my dad’s vintage typewriter in the mix. 

But back to the goods… I finally got the extra seating my living room has been screaming for with this wonderful little $15 folding chair. I’ve been yearning for a laundry basket to replace my dilapidated white plastic one I bought freshman year for the dorms. This willow wicker basket (of course also from IKEA) not only hides the dirty clothes but acts as my new bedside table with the help of a new fur rug (IKEA) thrown over it and a mirrored catchall tray. 

My boyfriend cannot sleep without a fan, no matter what time of year. The big, bulky, white plastic fan on the floor of our bedroom is not doing anything for the overall look of the room. A small, vintage metal fan on the night stand would be lovely in theory. But since my apartment is sans central air, I suspect I’d be missing our big white fan during the sticky NYC summers. The latter picture is a modern fan from Swizz Style that is certainly stylish but at $199.99 it’s way out of my price range. I need a happy medium…an affordable, stylish fan that actually keeps you cool. I’m on the lookout. Any suggestions? 

Clothing for Decor

In NYC space is at a premium. Apartments are tiny and rents are high. Decorating and organizing in the small confines of any apartment involve a little creativity and problem solving. The problem always seems to be too much stuff, not enough space. Specifically, my problem always seems to be too many clothes, too many shoes, too many bags, too much jewelry and not enough closet or drawer space. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at utilizing my space… one of my end tables is actually stacked plastic drawers filled with clothes, I draped the extra fabric from my curtains over it. It’s pretty tacky, but it works and it’s hidden in the corner so I’m okay with. However, there is always room for improvement. These photos are the inspiration for my improvement. I love the idea of using clothing and accessories as decor. I guess that’s what I was going for when I hung my boyfriend’s New Era fitted hats, and my jewelry on the wall. Only I did it as a desperate attempt to put anything on the bare walls of my bedroom. These photos do it right… 

These scarves strung along the wall with clothespins is clever and has a very bohemian look. Great for scarves with beautiful prints. 

Personally I’ve never been a fan of the antler trend, but I can get behind this… draping the jewelry on the antlers is casual cool. 

If I had a killer collection of heels like these I would totally put them on display… unfortunately I’m more of a flat and oxfords kind of girl. 

I don’t have china or pretty plates so I thought I had no need for a hutch… displaying your shoes and bags this way is something I would have never thought of. 

(Sources: ApartmentTherapy & The Coveteur)

Like everyone else, I had become a slave to the IKEA nesting instinct.
-Fight Club-

IKEA Brooklyn trip planned this weekend! =)

Lauren Santo Domingo’s apartment is drool worthy perfection.

List Art

A list of favorite bands & musicians for artwork, it’s so clever, unique and personal. I love it, definite D.I.Y inspiration… I may need to find a way to incorporate something like this into my apartment… I know my boyfriend would love it. 

(Source: dwell.com)

Now that I know butterfly chairs can look so chic and aren’t just good for dorm rooms, I really regret getting rid of my purple one from the fourth grade…

(Source: Apartment Therapy)

D.I.Y Lampshade

I posted the other week that I’ve been yearning for lamp with some personality. Unfortunately my bank account is dwindling so I’ve had to deal with what I’ve got. But the other day I saw a DIY post on apartmenttherapy.com that inspired me to take my boring Ikea lamp from this…  

to this…

The apartmenttherapy post used pages from a dictionary to decoupage their lampshade but I wanted to use something a little more meaningful. I cut out excerpts from “The Colossus of New York”, a book that I had to buy for a class but ended up loving… luckily it was only $6 at Strand. I used watered down craft clue and brushed it directly onto the lampshade, not onto the paper as to avoid rippling. Then I placed the cut out pieces of paper on the lampshade, smoothing them out by rubbing them in circular motions with another sheet of paper. Usually in decoupaging the pieces of paper used overlap a lot, however I avoided such because I wanted the paper to be read clearly, and the pages were a little thick and I wanted light to still shine through the shade. The lamp shade I used also was not completely flat, it had trim and the top in bottom which I chose to leave uncovered so the decoupaged surface would be evenly smooth. It was a fun project that took me about an hour and a half tops, and I’m pretty pleased with the results. 

"small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind, large ones weaken it"
-leonardo da vinci-