I have been devoting every spare hour in my days to decorating my apartment. It is finally beginning to feel like a home as opposed to a storage shelter. For my birthday, my grandmother refurbished a chair that she found in the attic of my aunt's bridal shop. What is even more special, Grammie modeled the chair off of a similar chair I blogged about months ago. With the exception of the fabric, Grammie's present to me is an exact replica of Graham & Greene's chair. It is now a fixture in my bedroom and I absolutely LOVE it! Do I have the world's best grandmother or what?!
Speaking of chairs, Will snagged this piece below from his Grandfather's Estate sale. It needs some work but it is still a beautiful chair. It was hand crafted and even has bits of mother-of-pearl embedded in the framework. With a little bit of TLC, I can hopefully get this antique looking good as new.
My favorite purchase for my new apartment is my patio furniture. TJ Maxx has an amazing home goods section. Case and point, the Kelly green wooden table and chair set we found on clearance. In front of the table, I have a mini-herb garden consisting of a rosemary, thyme and basil plant. Time will tell if I have a green thumb. I hope I do because I had some fresh basil on my Caprese salad last night and it was delicious!
Next came the difficult task of hanging curtains. My handyman status is definitely lacking so I was glad Will was in town to teach me the importance of measuring tape and a level. I also learned that a "stud finder" is not a tool used to search for cute guys. I feel so enlightened!
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As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been hunting for campaign furniture, in particular, a dresser. A few weeks ago while on Craig's List, I found a mid-century chest of drawers that looked promising. The piece was in Virginia so, after whittling the price down in a series of emails, I was able to claim my prize. The handles need a good polish and I intend to add some hardware to replicate the campaign style. Other than that, the dresser is in great shape and it looks great in my bedroom.
My living/dining area is coming together slowly but surely. There is much more open space than I anticipated so I am trying to find ways to fill the room. A circular drop-leaf bistro table was another Craig's List find. I love that I can push the table against the wall or open it up to fill more space. My hutch is on one wall and is now serving as an entertainment center. Mom and I found a large mirror that is now hanging behind the couch which adds a lot of depth to the room.
There is still a lot of work to be done but thanks to the help of Will and my family, a lot of progress has been made. The biggest (or smallest in this case) challenge will be making over my kitchen. I'm not exactly sure how to spiff up the tiny area but I am open to suggestions if any of my readers have some ideas!
.....Must Have.....
As I continue to search for ways to brighten my small apartment, I have been frequenting etsy.com for inspiration. Etsy has an array of brightly colored throw pillows in all shapes, sizes and patterns. Shams are one of those small items that come with a not so small price. You'll save so much money by ordering from Etsy, you might even keep these pillows on your bed at night. What a novel idea, a decorative and purposeful pillow.
i love it!! it is definitely coming together!!
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