My Apartment for Today

Dear readers, I mentioned below, that I wish I were in Washington, D.C. today. I'm not feeling well enough to be with the marchers today, but I am there in spirit and am showing my support on YouTube and Twitter.  I am so proud of the youth of today.

So, I'm puttering around the apartment. It may seem frivolous, but it brings me great joy. It is a meditation for me. And while I am sending loving support to the marchers today, I am quieting my mind and focusing on gratitude.

My personal space is important to me. I've been in this apartment eight months now. As you know, I had to start over when I got back from Denver. All my furniture has been donated by friends and family. And though my home is humble, I love it.

Here's what I want from my place:  a simple restraint, flirting with minimalism. A modern look, influenced by mid-century mod and Japanese decor. I want it to be colorful and cozy, unapologeticly girly.

Here's what it looks like today. I spent no money, I simply moved things around.

Here's a secret. I use my dining room as my office. Here's what it looks like when I am working.

I often cut up my art to make new art. I like to think that my art is Zen, and that it celebrates the impermanence of all things.

Here's a couple vignettes from my teeny tiny kitchen, which is not clean enough for a reveal today. Yes, my place does get messy.

As you know, I am not very sentimental about things. I purge easily. I don't miss my TV or microwave. However, I do miss my desk top computer and its vast functionality. I am blogging with my Android.   I'm not having great success editing my photos.  Even though I like my place to be cave like, I'm not happy that my photos are too dark. Ahh..wabi sabi photos to match a wabi sabi environment. I have great respect for interiors photographers.

My Apartment - For Today

It's taken some time, but my apartment and I are having a love affair. My personal space is very important to me. Here's a quick peek at how she looks today.

I love color, especially pink.

I'm a big proponent of color psychology. I got the knock off Middle Kingdom vase at a thrift store for $4.00. If you need cheering up, try a pop of yellow.

The chandelier is a work in progress.

Yep. I've got vase addiction.

Design ADD: The Story of a Little Bookcase

Here's a little secret:  I love puttering in my apartment so much that I move something almost everyday.  Even if it's just a vase or a pillow.  It's taken a while for this place to evolve. I've been really lucky, all my furniture was donated by friends and family.

My talented brother made me this sweet little bookcase.  I intended to paint it gloss white, but my bro told me to check out the mistake section of the paint department. A happy discovery indeed!  I bought a pint of satin enamel by Clark + Kensington for $1.00!  Yep, no shit. $1.00.  After sanding (which I hate) the paint went on smooth.

Bam.  I love it.  I placed the little bookcase on my focal wall.

The chair is a gift from my mom.  It's a little chunky for my taste, and I wasn't sure I liked the sage green.  It sure is comfy, though and did I mention it was free?

After studying this wall for a couple of weeks, I began to go through a familiar stage in my decorating. Panic. I love beautiful things, but I panic when I have too many.  Maybe it comes from growing up in a hoarder home (the subject of a subsequent post).  I decided the focal wall needed to be cleaner.

Yep. That feels good. It's hard to photograph my place, it doesn't get much light. But I kinda dig its cave like feel.  So where did the little bookcase end up?

In the bedroom, where it is the perfect nightstand.  Now that's what I call form AND function.  BTW, I hate making my bed.

My Humble Abode, Part 3: Contemplating Color

I obsess about color all the time.  For me color is a meditation, and my home is a lab. I think it was Vincente Wolf who said a room without color is a lost opportunity. I wholeheartedly agree. I got addicted to color when I discovered the work of Tricia Guild. Here is an early version of my place where I was contemplating turquiose. My lovely pillow (and very reasonably priced) from Burlington Coat Factory taking the lead.  Pillows are a great way to experiment with color without much investment.

That's just a blanket on the floor, still contemplating a rug. With tuquiose and/or aqua on my mind, I thought about buying these lovely things from Flower Child.

Luckily, I don't do much impulse buying. If I see something lovely I take its picture. Sometimes this satisfies the urge, and I don't need to buy the piece. Digital collections are the best; they take up no space and require no dusting. Sometimes a piece haunts me, as was the case with this vintage bowl. Not sure who the manufacturer is, kinda reminds me of a McCoy Floraline. I am a sucker for a matte finish.

So, I had to go back and get it.  No buyer's remorse here. It's gorgeous! Looks great with pink and only cost $6.00. I had to spend $12 (round trip) on Lyft to get it, lol.  $18 is still a good price for this lovely. And I love patronizing local business, and meeting Lyft drivers, making it a win all the way around.

Life is good.  xo

My Humble Abode, Part 2: Starting Over

Happy Saturday dear readers!  Hope you are staying warm and cozy.  I'm not feeling well today, so I am blogging from bed. On my Android.  Ain't technology a beautiful thing? As you know, I moved a lot this past year. I am ecstatic to say that I have been in my new apartment for six months! Just goes to show that time flies whether you're having fun or not. Something we should remember during the bad times.

When I moved here, I had almost nothing. Luckily, my cousin had a few of my favorite pretty things in her basement. This is breaking one of my own organization rules, that is: never keep things in storage. Luckily she insisted.  I'll have lots to say about organization in subsequent posts.  Here is what my apartment looked like after two weeks.

The chaise lounge was a gift from my mom, who felt sorry for me because I was sitting on the floor. I'm grateful for her generosity - don't tell her I said this - but the thing was crap! Horrible workmanship. Shame on you Brylane!  Completely impossible to sit on, it functioned merely as a space filler and a place to display pillows, nothing more.  A month or so later, after my neighbor gave me his sofa, I carried the bitch to the dumpster all by myself.  Bam!  See pic of the sofa, after de-catting (is that a word) in the post above.

It's been a slow process, but baby, my apartment has come a long way.  I'm hoping to do a full reveal early next week.  Want more pictures and less words?  Be sure to follow along on Instagram @margiemax.    xo

Justin Brennan Part II: A Mock Up

In the post below I wrote about my love of the work of fine artist Justin Brennan. I am so enamored with his work, I couldn't help but play with how it would look in my apartment. I think it looks great! What do you think?

Hello again! Big changes in my life.

Hi friends, how are you?  I've missed you. I haven't decided if I'm going to start blogging regularly again, but I thought I'd do a few posts on what I've been up to. I've been unplugging quite a bit, and it feels great.  I'll talk a little about the way I am using social media in a subsequent post.

The big news is that I moved.  Yep it's true. And another big move is on the horizon, I think.  Living very simply and taking things day by day. I want to move somewhere with legalized weed and lots of rain. Like Seattle or Portland.

I moved to a sweet little beach cottage. It's been quite an adjustment. I've lived in an apartment most of my life. And I was surprised how much I missed my apartment (not the hood), when I moved. My cottage is a small one story ranch. No basement -- yay! basements creep me out, I'm traumatized by the horror movies I was forced to watch as a child -- and no attic. It's not much bigger than my apartment at around 650 square feet.

One of the things I miss is being on a higher floor. I never had to turn on my heat, and I could keep windows open all the time. I love fresh air and love sleeping by a window. I miss my balcony, and my tree. I love feeling like I am in a tree house.

I had a rocky start when I decided to move. I moved half my stuff and the deal fell through. I was so beside myself when I had to move the crap back, I almost put it all in the garbage.  Things worked out for the best in the long run. Typical mercury retrograde stuff.  Fortunately, I believe in travelling light. I did almost the whole move by myself, in my little station wagon. God, I love that car.

Here's the last few pics I took at my apartment. My ever changing living room. I sold that coffee table and now I regret it!  Oval coffee tables are hard to find. Not only was the piece gorgeous, it was so functional. I'm watching the Goodwill and yard sales for one like it.  Like I said, I miss my friend the tree. I used to sit on the sofa and watch the squirrels and birds play in it. I also loved to watch its seasonal changes.  Oh well, there's lots of amazing fauna here, which I'll be sure to tell you about.

I hope you will follow along as I tell my story of setting up home in this sweet little beach cottage.  You can also follow along on instagram @margiemax.  I did this post on my Android!  I'll have more to say about that in my upcoming post on social media.

Thanks for reading!  

A Color Story, Part 4

Here's an update of what's been going on in my apartment lately. Last week I decided I had to have a lilac and/or a lavender pillow. Currently I am using a mint green sofa cover and I think mint green and lilac look fabulous together. Shouldn't be too hard to find since Pantone's color of the year is Radiant Orchid. But alas, it was not to be. I was actually surprised I couldn't find accessories in these colors anywhere. C'est la vie. I then stopped at my trusty Goodwill. As soon as I walked in the door I spied this beauty from 50 years away. It's like I have a radar for anything pink.

I couldn't get over there fast enough. $2.00 for this fabulous shade. Score! I love the color, it's kinda pinky-lilac. Since my color appetite was not satisfied, I made the decision to swing over the Home Depot for some paint. If I can't find the colors I want, I'll paint things!

As you know, Behr flat paint is my favorite. Did you know they come in sample sizes? An eight ounce sample costs $2.98. Such a deal. I bought these three gorgeous colors.

And oh yeah, I picked up this cute little eight ounce jar of paint at Target. It's by Martha Stewart and the color is Devine Blossom. Too adorable to resist.

Since I can't paint my apartment, I painted a canvas in Behr's Pink Bliss. Man. Just look at it. I am smitten. I'm going to paint every wall in my next apartment this color. Doesn't it look fabulous with the new lamp shade? For now I just have the shade perching on a vase. I'd love to make lamps out of vases, but I can't find a glass cutter willing to drill holes in vases for me. I couldn't stop there.

Remember this lamp that is now a vase? I'm addicted to the genie shape, but red is a color I really don't like in my decor. I painted the lamp with Behr's little pond. Ahh much better. Don't get me wrong, I love red. Just not so much in place. The canvas is painted with Martha Stewart's Devine Blossom.

Here's a mass-produced vase I got for 99 cents at the Goodwill. I painted it in Behr's Freesia purple. I love it!

Okay, I know you've heard me talk ad nauseum about my new bamboo etagere. I really do suffer with design ADD. After much consternation, I decided that I just don't like the wood color in my apartment. I like my place to be more airy and light. So I painted it white and doubted my sanity the whole time. It was a bitch and half to paint! I had to do it with a brush, having no where to spray paint. It took a million coats, and still needs a little sanding and touch up - but that's on my procrastination list. I must admit, I like it a lot better. I've placed this in front of the counter to be a sort of faux wall to my open kitchen. I think I'm still missing my studio apartment after all this time!

I took a risk and ordered this light purple pillow from Etsy shop owner Sukan. I just had to have a pillow in this color scheme! It's a risk because it's shipping from Turkey. I usually don't order from oversees because of delays in Customs. But I dearly love this color and I've had great luck with Etsy. I can't wait for it to arrive and I'll be sure to let you know how I like it. If I like it, I may order these gorgeous pink pillows.

Now I'm not really liking my mint green sofa cover, and really want something lilac or lavender. Oh, I do love a color dilemma. I'll be sure to do a tour of my place when I resolve the color scheme.  Hope you have a great day!  Stay tuned for an exciting announcement later today. xo

My Apartment For Today

Hello dear readers!  It's a beautiful day in Ohio, so I'm heading out for a walk in the MetroPark. Before I do, I thought I'd show you how my apartment looks today - because guess what?  Wait for it - that's right I am changing it around again. I know, it's a sickness. What's surprising about my place right now is the lack of pink and the large amounts of blue! Not sure why, but I am loving blue right now. Turquoise is one of my favorites, as is periwinkle.

What about you, dear readers? What are you up to today?  What colors are you using for Spring?

Styling an Etagere Using What You Have

Hello dear readers, I had a great weekend with family. Hope you had a great weekend too!  In my post below, I showed you my new etagere and now I'd like to show you how I styled it. I used to find display of a collection rather daunting. The key is to use objects you love, but not too many. To strike a balance that is pleasing to your eye - and to most of all have fun!

 

This piece is a little unusual for me, because I usually go for pieces that are very slick and modern. I have been wanting Ikea's Expedit forever. But there's no Ikea locally and they don't do online business.  I worried I couldn't layer this with my more mid century pieces. And then I reminded myself that decorating a home is merely assembling a collection of things you find beautiful and useful. This piece is definitely useful and very versatile.  I almost used it my entry way to hold purses, hats, scarves, bracelets and shoes. I've been thinking of turning my entry way into a dressing room. I've always wanted a dressing room and never had one, so I just might do it. It makes perfect sense in this apartment since the bathroom is located off of the entryway. (Probably poor Feng Shui)

For now this piece is displaying some of my treasures I've collected.  Mostly ceramic.  When I considered styling the piece, I was struck by its Asian, almost island resort feel.  I don't know if it's real bamboo or not, but it's put together very well.  I've always been obsessed with the shape of Asian conical hats, and wished I had one to put on the top shelf.

Inspiration

Image via Every Culture

Image via Farscape, "Thank God it's Friday Again" (Season 1, Episode 6)

Did you ever watch the tripped out show Farscape? This image from one of my favorite episodes. It's deep, visually stunning with fabulous music. I could write a dissertation on it.  But I won't. Anyway, I think that's what started my obsession with the conical hat. And, of course, I wanted it in orange.

Maybe I could find an orange hat like the lovely lady in the photo (from a previous post here). I really dig that table too.

Hat designer extraordinaire Philip Treacy teased me with this shape on Project Runway (Season 8, Episode 4). I need to do a post about Philip Treacy's work. Remember the marvelous fascinator worn by Princess Eugenie at the Royal Wedding?  (see previous post)  I just learned that it's a Philip Treacy design.  Where could I get my hands on an orange conical hat, or even a lamp shade?

I remembered that I had seen a beautiful orange shade at The Bomb Shelter, so I quickly headed over there. Isn't this gorgeous!  It would be perfect for the top of my new etagere. It would be fabulous made into a hanging light as well. Unfortunately, it was not to be. There was actually a pair of these shades for $90. I only needed one and that price is too steep for me. The owner of the shop was not to be persuaded otherwise. As I drove home, I must have something I can use at home to mimic this shape.

I walked in the door, and there it was!  Of course, I can use the rice paper lantern hanging in my living room. It's close to the shape I was looking for and since it's made of rice paper, has the perfect amount of Asian feel to it.

It now holds a place of prominence atop my etagere, which causes yet another obsession. Perhaps I need to take a trip to World Market to buy a couple of other rice lanterns. And okay, it's not orange, but I used an orange pot from Vietnam on the bottom shelf.

This is my first attempt at displaying some of my collection of vessels.  I do love it, but it looks a little cluttered to me.

Second arrangement with oh joy! ice bucket on bottom shelf.  Love it.

Third and current arrangement. I am having fun with boutique style! It pleases me that my favorite pieces are displayed. I sold most of the pieces I had in storage.  As you know, I worry about having too many things, so I am trying to keep only my favorites that are currently on display. If it's in storage, you don't need it!  Ah, the problems of affluence.  One thing is for certain about human beings.  They sure make beautiful things.

Some New Things in My Apartment

Since I've been so remiss in blogging, there's a bunch of cool new stuff in my apartment to show you. I think I have design ADD. I change something literally everyday, even if it is just moving a vase or changing pillows. In decorating - just like in fashion - I believe accessories make the room (or outfit). I love changing my accessories. As you know, I'm super cheap, so when I want something new - something old goes out. I sold some vases that were collecting dust in my closet.

Over the years, I've dreamed of owning my own shop. When I got tired of a piece, it would go into the shop. It's the ultimate in recycling!  And there's nothing more fun than sculpting a vignette with vases.

Inspiration

When I saw this lovely home, I almost had a heart attack.  Pomona's Boutique-Style Space via Apartment Therapy.  Of course!  Boutique Style!  I could create a boutique in my home.  I dearly love beautiful objects, but I have several rules for the use of objects.  To be beautiful is not enough, they must also have a function. This is why I love pottery, tea pots, dishes and candlesticks.  Also, display is as important - if not more so - than the collection.  Beautiful objects must have room to breathe, and not compete with each other. Clutter just won't do. I love how Pomona has gone vertical with her collection of beautiful objects.  A quick word about yellow.  Is that yellow vase just too fabulous or what?  I want it!  Pomona is very smart in her use of yellow.  A little yellow goes a long way.

Pomona spoke of her treasures as being things she collected during her travels. I felt a little wistful when I read that. I think I'm catching the travel bug. Then I realized - I also have treasures collected from my travels.  Okay, my travels mostly consist of traveling Northeast Ohio, but hey, I've still collected some lovely vessels. This is a big step for me. I decided to admit that I am a collector (shudder!). So my lovely collection needs proper display. I knew I wanted to go vertical. After much consideration, I got this lovely piece from Land of Plenty. I got a great deal on it, the delightful owner cut me a break since I blogged about her shop. I had a lot of fun considering this piece, I measured the piece and measured the space and plotted my display - just like a real designer!

Look at this fabulous score!  I got this lovely vintage Indonesian batik from The Bomb Shelter. Of course I got it on the stupid cheap. It's large and it's framed. Heck, a frame of that size could cost $100. I love it! My place is kinda taking on an island resort look that I think is cool. I think it might also be maturing a bit. I want to make old lady chic a valid style.

I bought this necklace at Dot's. It is so gorgeous, I couldn't put it in the drawer, so decided to display it with my scarf collection. My place is unapologeticly girly. This necklace makes me think of Stacy London, who I adore.

Here's a couple of cute little vases I got for 99 cents each at a vintage store.  I love the Asian-inspired shape of the lidded vase.

As you know, I love deconstruction, and I love using items for purposes other than they were intended. My red lamp is now functioning as a vase.  Don't worry, it's easy to turn it back into a lamp should the mood strike me. I am addicted to the genie shape!

I mostly use second hand and vintage objects in my decor, but I like to mix in something new now and then. I got this ice bucket from Target. It's part of the oh joy! collection. I love the color, although I wish it were a little more peachy.  You have to be careful when using coral or salmon color as too much can look to fleshy. Originally I bought it because I needed something to store my curlers in, but it's too cute for that. It has a place of prominence on my new etagere. I'll be showing you the styling of my etagere in my next post.