A Stylish Girl's First Nest

Whenever the latest issue of one of my favorite design mags arrives, I make one last review of the previous issue to see if I want to tear any ideas out or just keep the issue for future reference.  When I went through the March Traditional Home mag last night, I was drawn again to one feature.

There was a profile of a twenty something, freshly minted fashion writer's first apartment.  Her mother is an interior designer so that certainly helps when you're trying to turn out a stylish first nest.  Together the two produced an awesome little space for daughter Lauren's Rye NY apartment that is a perfect marriage of budget (she is, after all, entry level fresh out of college) and investment pieces.

Here is designer mom, Suzanne McGrath and her daughter, Lauren sitting on Lauren's investment piece, a Mitchell Gold love seat (definitely would not have been room for that in my first apartment budget) in a timeless ticking pattern.  The fun yellow lamp was unearthed under a couple layers of dust at a flea market.  The sweet little blue coffee tables were a consignment shop find.  All other items in view were already owned by either Lauren or her mom.

Honestly, I loved everything about this space except the fact that the window treatment does not go all the way to the ground.  I love the light airy fabric and the print, but I cannot stand panels that fail to reach the ground.  To me it always looks like you're just making do instead of waiting until you could get what you want.

What I love though is the bench under the window where she stacks her books. 

Lauren gave a fresh coat of white paint to a dresser from her great-grandparents and found new hardware in a sale basket at Anthropologie. The top three drawers store Lauren’s clothing, while lower drawers contain a mishmash of everything from large-scale kitchen platters to linens.  All of us living in smaller spaces prefer items that do double duty.

The old cane-sided chair was a Craigslist find (she paid $25 for a pair).  Originally painted pink, Lauren painted it black and upholstered it in inexpensive fabric, finishing it off with brown velvet trim.

The little dining area is mostly furnished with finds from her family and given a fresh coat of paint.  The shelves on the wall are IKEA and are filled with inexpensive pieces, some of which Lauren spray painted to make them look like mercury glass.

Her bedside table is actually a desk her mom rescued from the street in NY 20 years ago.  I love the spindle legs.  The fake Murano mirror was slightly damaged so she was able to get it for a steal from Anthropologie and the other items from her dressing table are courtesy of a consignment shop.  My favorite piece is the lucite stool.

Enjoy the weekend in your own nest.  See you next week.

Stairway to Style

When I bought my house, I decided to paint the back of the stairs along with all the rest of the trim in the house.  Nothing crazy creative or complicated - just some green paint that felt like it took years to finish.

Here are some homeowners who went the extra mile to fabulous stairs...

These are a little easier to replicate, but still very pretty....

And don't forget that other decorating option, wallpaper is not just for walls....

Now that's dedication to great design!

Done in a Day Makeover - Stylish Storage on the Cheap

Sorry for the lack of posts.  The last week has gone by in a whirl with work, training (now certified in color consulting - yay!!) and painting my parents basement, I haven't had time to do anything much personal except shower and sleep.

If you've read this blog before, you know that a Done in a Day makeover project doesn't have to be big, just something sweet and simple that makes your life a little better and prettier.  It can even be as simple as finally putting a switch plate on that bare socket in the room you painted years ago that you kept forgetting about (yes, Dad, I finally painted and placed one on the guest room light switch).

So a couple of weeks ago, I stopped at some of my favorite thrift haunts and picked up some super cheap (the 3 together were about $2 total) white glass thingies (okay, I have no idea what their original purpose was so do share if you have a clue) with the intention of putting them to use in my office to hold frequently used supplies.  If something is going to sit out in the open versus hidden away in my closet, I want it to at least look pretty while its doing its thing.

A little ribbon later and they're a little prettier.  I would have preferred a thicker ribbon but I already had this ribbon in my supply closet.

Another cheap storage method...

Take a handful of these....

And fill the bottom of a pretty glass vessel and stick eye make-up pencils...

or your make-up brushes in and have everything you need daily visible, pretty and ready for use.

Storage and organization doesn't have to be plain and ugly.  If you have a stylish storage solution, please share.