As we have been settling into our apartment, I always love the feeling of making an empty apartment into our home. Hubs and I are still renting, so moving in always has a few parameters that we have to follow:
- No painting the walls--must find other ways to add warmth and color.
- Short term--we know we won't want custom things as we will probably move on.
- Use what you have--we try not to buy new furniture for each apartment and use our stuff in new ways to make it work.
- Your Home for Your Life--make your place work for your life the way you live it most days. For example, we decided not to pay more for a large guest bedroom (plus buying a bed!) because for the 360 other days a year, we just need a small office.
This time around, I tried to take a little extra time as I set up shop paying attention to the details and organization that will work for us. After more than 6 apartments as a couple, I have a few rules that I live by on the apartment front. Please know that I know these aren't for everyone! Just a fun trip around my place. Would love to hear about your apartment/home rules to live by!
1. Find and Add Pieces you LOVE!
I find and get things as I see them, even if the styles start to get eclectic. Having pieces you adore in your home surrounds you with happy memories about the things that make it personal. This Floorcloth is my latest addition, a housewarming/anniversary present from my mom. This whale cloth is part of a series found at a Cape Cod shop, Pleasant Bay Trading Company, by artist Molly Lesnikowski. My mom has a schooner and crab mats at their Cape Cod house so this new whale friend is like a connection to our family homes. He makes me smile!
2. Arrange art and prints together to make an impact.
Over the years my mom and I have collected prints and little paintings of New England scenes. By now, I have enough that I can group them together in a montage that looks great together on a larger wall. While this can be a big project for Hubs, the result is so much fun to look at and represents sort of an "Art History" of our marriage.
3. Go Bold in the Bathroom.
Someday I hope to paint my small bathrooms in vibrant colors, but in the meantime, I use shower curtains and rugs to add interest in these white rooms. I found this shower curtain and rug at different times at Target and love the green, blue, teal, and brown together. Why not have fun in a room you use to get ready? I also added a jadeite pancake batter bowl to hold travel samples of products to try.
4. Make your closet inviting.
This time when unpacking, I tried to organize color and types of clothes togeter to make getting dressed easier. How do I get dressed? Make it work for you. I also use hooks on one walls for jewelry and things I use the most--robe, fleece jacket to run outside, favorite handbag. Easy access is key for me!
4. Use organizers in unconventional ways...I filled this shoe organizer partly with shoes then used other pockets for umbrellas, running gear, lint roller, winter gloves--everything I might need to grab.
5. You never know what might work...
We had a nice patio at our old place and last Thanksgiving we had a bar out there for wine and beer. I certainly didn't remember until I opened a box and found the steel drink bucket, with no patio to put it on! In our new home, it holds a cozy blanket and pillow on the hearth that we can use when the weather gets colder.
6. Make your Home a Personal Museum.
I love curating our things together. I believe I have shown you these posters before from orkposters.com. This time they hang above a mantel, and so I am planning on making a vignette for each area we lived in with objects and pictures below. Right now the California section has our Olive Harvest fusto, license place, and a flour sifter my mom found, and favorite picture.
7. Love what you look at everyday.
I already posted a grainy pic of this, but this time I arranged our bookshelves by color. I adore the way it looks. Again, it took more time to put together as I unpacked, but the result makes me happy daily in our living room. I was surprised to see the beautful colors my books represented once I started looking at the spines. This is another way I added color to a wall with no paint needed!
I love our new place. Still more work to do--and if there is more I will take a pic! I would love to hear what rules you live by when putting toegether your home and decorating! What are your favorite things about where you live?
Thanks for reading, have a great afternoon!
