Front Porch Makeover Before & Inspo

As I mentioned in this post, we've been slowly working on updating our apartment to be a true reflection of our style. I was recently listening to the new Chris Loves Julia podcast, and Julia recommended when you're starting to redecorate your home, start small. Focus on small rooms that don't need major improvements. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and make the whole process seem less overwhelming. Perfect advice for someone like me. I tend to put a lot on my plate which leaves me feeling overwhelmed. This way, I can focus on small areas that need attention, taking things step by step to create the space I envision. The entryway is almost finished, I'm just waiting on one last piece, so I can already feel that sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a room. I've decided to stick with the small spaces that I can finish quickly to keep up the momentum.

The next area up for a makeover is our front porch. We live in an flat here in San Francisco on the first level above the garage. There is another apartment above ours, so we have a large landing by our front door where the stairs continue up to our neighbor. It's a pretty large area with room for plants and possibly some seating. I don't want to go overboard, but I do want to add a little personality to the space so it's a warm welcome for us and our guests. 

I've included a few pictures of the spaces that have inspired my design as well as what the space looks like now. Hopefully in the next month or so I'll be able to share the finished space! 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 

What do you think of my inspiration? Any tips for places to shop with affordable outdoor decor pieces?

You can also follow me on Pinterest for more design inspiration! 

Entryway Makeover Before & Inspo

We've been in our current apartment for over four years now, and I still feel like it's not a true reflection of our style. We are lucky in that we have nice furniture that our parents have handed down to us, but it's missing the finishing touches that make it feel like home.

I've been wanting to start putting more effort into decorating our home and bringing in classic pieces that add style. I'm not afraid of a little DIY or bargain hunting, so I hope that we can accomplish the look we want on a budget.

I thought I would start with the smallest space that needs the least amount of work. Really, the only big purchase we need for the entryway is a new rug. Right now we have a cheap one I got at Home Depot when we moved in for $15, and its seen better days. It's just a basic carpet remnant that doesn't add any interest or color to the space.

I want to get a nice Persian/Turkish style rug with red & navy blue tones to add a pop of color. My parents have one that was my Gram's, but I haven't convinced them to give it to me yet... We already have a nice neutral gray-green wall color. But being the entryway and having so much traffic, plus having a dog, means it needs a little refresher. I also want to bring in a plant stand and some greenery add some life to the space. I found a cute one one here, but I may attempt making one myself to save on cost. Originally, I wanted to add a table as well, but the entry opens to the living room so it doesn't really work in this space. We'll see if I come up with any other accessories like a boot tray or umbrella holder, but I think this inspiration board is a good start!

I think this simple design will be a warm welcome when you come to our house. I'll be sure to share the photos and cost breakdown with you once the space is complete!

And for now, here are the before photos....

Dining Room Inspiration

Remember when I shared my longggg list of decorating updates I want to make in our apartment a few weeks ago? Well, I thought the best way to get started would be creating mood boards for each room. Something that I can go back to while shopping to make sure the finished look flows, and prevent myself from buying things I don't need! I'll be sharing a mood board for each space over the next few weeks, then update you along the way as I make progress!

I figured, why not start in the dining room. This is the room I will need to make the least amount of purchases, since we already have pretty much everything we need. We're lucky enough to have some pretty great hand me downs from both our parents. One of my favorite things in the house is our dining room table. It's Crate & Barrel, and something I definitely would have picked out and purchased on my own. I love combination of the distressed wood top and black legs with the simple black chairs. We also have the chairs I reupholstered, so we can seat 6 at the table comfortably.

I also have the most beautiful antique buffet that was my Gram's. However, it's currently up in the foothills in a storage container, just waiting to be transported! So the first order of business will be bringing the focal piece home with us! The tricky thing is that, it's about 2" too long for our car! So, we may be renting a trailer one weekend to make the trip.

As renters, we lucked out because our walls are a really pretty neutral grey, and the original wood floors and white crown molding are the perfect starting point for a lovely dining room. Our good friends also just gave us a neutral rug when they moved, it's almost identical to the one in the inspiration board, and works great for us right now. Someday, I'd love a vintage Persian or Afghan rug!

Since we already have the base for a neutral and traditional style dining room, there are just a few more pieces I want to add to make the room feel more complete. I know adding the buffet will make a huge impact. But I'd also like to get a few things up on the walls. Above the buffet, I want to create a gallery wall of maps. I've seen them at flea markets and online, and want to find some old San Francisco and San Diego maps to frame. I already have a ton of frames, so this shouldn't be a big expense. On the adjacent wall that opens to the living room, I'd like to hang a large mirror. I've found a few great contenders on Craigslist, so I think that might be my first purchase.

There isn't much room in the space for a bar cart, but I'd like to create a little bar area, possibly using a tray, on top of the buffet. We have a vintage whiskey decanter that will look perfect there.

I also want to get some simple, white curtains to hang. We have blinds, but I think hanging long curtains along the sides of our large windows will make the room feel a bit cozier. I think Ikea has a few options that will work, and affordable too.

Finally, I hope to add a little color with a small house plant. I've been researching plants that are hard to kill, any suggestions? I have a very black thumb!

Here is a "before" shot of the dining room so you get an idea what I'm working with. This was taken before Andrew moved; so we've since added a new table & chairs, area rug, and moved the wine rack (that's where the buffet will go). It's already looking better :)

Seeing the design board makes me more excited to start working on this space and helps me picture the final results. I think our house will be feeling more "homey" in no time! Do you have any other suggestions for the space? I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions!

Embracing The Pink: Bathroom (Before)

I've been in a major decorating mood as of late. Just really wanting to make our house feel a little more like home. I've lived here nearly two years, and have hardly hung a single picture on the wall. Now that Andrew and I live here together, and we don't plan on moving anytime soon, I figure it's about time to decorate!

One of the tricky areas of our apartment is the bathroom. It is the traditional San Francisco style, pink vintage tile from top to bottom. Literally, the floors and halfway up the walls are covered with two shades of pink tile, you'll see in a minute...

So up to this point, I've been fighting the pink. I had some old towels from years ago that are brown and light blue, so I tired to distract from all the pink with those. But I've started thinking, maybe it's time to embrace the pink.

I thought maybe bringing in simple neutrals like white, grey and wood tones, would balance the pink. Then I can accent with pops of gold. Sorry Andrew, looks like this bathroom is going to be feminine.

These are some images I've seen around Pinterest that inspired my idea for simple, neutral tones. I've already gathered a few wine crates, and have them on the large counter area for added storage like you see below. I'm thinking about staining them a darker color, but I really like the look overall. I'd also like to add some art, possibly some fun typography prints like this. I've also hung a shelf with little hooks where I display my bauble necklaces for a fun pop of color. Plus, that way it's easy to grab one in the morning when I'm getting ready.

I figure you can't go wrong with neutrals, and part of me actually loves the vintage tile so I think this mood board is a step in the right direction.

This is what I'm working with people (ignore the awful photos). Do you think this is a good starting point? Or do you have any recommendations for me?

Living Room Mood Board

It's hard to believe Andrew has already lived here for over four months, but at the same time, it feels like it's always just been the two of us, and Louis. I love living with him and the little home we've made.

Before his mom and grandpa came to stay with us for Nina's graduation, I spent some time trying to decorate, organize, and make the space feel more like home.  We still had a few boxes out, and piles of things we didn't know what to do with. I straightened that up before they arrived so our house was looking her (yes, it's a she) best for company.

And since then, I haven't done a single thing. I decided I should take some time and create a mood board of what I hope the space will eventually look like. We have a huge open living room. One entire wall is windows, there is a wood burning fireplace in one corner, and it is also open to both the entry way and formal dining room. 

created with Olioboard

Luckily, when Andrew moved in he brought two really nice, brown leather couches with him. I already had a nice coffee table and end tables, and my parents also gave me my Gram's old arm chair, so we were pretty much set as far as furniture goes.

Because we have hardwood floors throughout our house, we wanted to get a large area rug to warm up the space and make it feel cozy. Plus, it's actually in our rental agreement to have 80% of the floors covered with rugs. Especially with Louis in the house. Right when Andrew moved in, we had a piece of carpeting cut at Home Depot for the living room. We needed something 12x12, and as you know, rugs are VERY expensive. So for our budget, this was the best option. They had a nice, neutral color that contrasted well with our dark leather sofas, but would also hide any hair or stains from Louis. It might not have been my first choice for an area rug, but for $100 you can't beat the price and I think it looks nice and pulls the room together.

After we bought the rug, we didn't do any other decorating until just before his mom came.  A few months ago, I asked for your help to decide which throw pillows to get for the space. I thought pillows would be a simple and inexpensive way to add color and break up the dark leather couches and wood floors. I ordered a few pillow covers from Etsy, and that small change made a huge difference.

There is still a lot of work to be done. I have NO CLUE how to style the mantle. I keep going back and forth about what look I'm going for. I've been pinning up a storm, searching for inspiration. Any ideas you have are welcome!

Also a challenge, is hiding the cords from our huge TV. We have it set to the left of the fireplace on a console table. But the cords drive me crazy! And the TV takes up almost the entire wall, so I need to find a solution for that area STAT.

And finally, we need some artwork on the walls! As much as I love a good gallery wall, we have one in our bedroom and I don't think I want to go that route in the living room. But with a huge, open wall behind the couch, I think we need something. I thought possibly having some photos from my trip to Italy framed? Any ideas? I also want to do a DIY version of San Francisco Subway Art and put that near the window on the wine rack. I think we'll use the top of the wine rack as our "bar cart."

Clearly there are a million ideas spinning around in my head, and now I'm rambling. But I figured I should start to gather my thoughts and inspiration for decorating so we can finally make some progress decorating our living room. If you have any ideas, please share them!

So, here are the rather sad "Before" pictures of our living room. I snapped these with my iPhone when my old roommate was in the process of moving out, and Andrew hadn't yet moved in.

sorry this one is blurry

 

This is what our living room looked like the day before Andrew's mom arrived, definite progress!

 

sticks on the couch = our effort to keep Louis off the couches! 

And now, after hurting your eyes with the "before" images, here are some of the inspiration photos I've gathered on Pinterest...

all inspiration photos & sources from my Pinterest

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! See you back here on Monday!

xoxo,

Theresa

Apartment Tour: The Kitchen (Before)

As a blog reader, one of my favorite things has always been home/apartment tour posts. I think it's so fun to get a glimpse into other people's homes. I love to see how they decorate, and get inspiration for my own home. It's no surprise that Bower Power and Young House Love are two of my favorite blogs! They are full of amazing decorating and DIY tips!

I thought it would be a fun to give you all a glimpse into my apartment. That way, you can come along as I decorate, and make it feel more like home. It's very much in the "Before" stage at the moment, but it will be fun to look back and see where we started once it's all put together.

Although I moved into my apartment over a year ago. It is just starting to feel like home. Between my complicated roommate situation, and trying to get settled in a new city, it just never truly felt like home.

Andrew moved here in February, and my old roommate moved out. We've slowly started unpacking and  settling in to the apartment. (It's hard to find time to unpack with the arrival of my perfect little nephew and there has been such beautiful weather for wine tasting and roof deck parties!) But even so, it already feels so much more like home than it ever did before. I am sure that is a combination of the excitement of living with Andrew for the first time, as well as the relief that my old living situation has ended. Either way, it's a great feeling to finally feel like I am getting settled.

We are very lucky to have the apartment we do for being renters in one of the most expensive cities in the country. It is beautiful, and very "San Francisco." Compared to the size of most apartments in the city, we have an obscene amount of space. And I'm not complaining :) Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a spacious living room, formal dining room, and a kitchen complete the layout. We even have 4 walk in closets! Hopefully, we won't have to move for a long time!

I thought I would start this tour with the kitchen, after all, it is the heart of the home! We have a good sized kitchen, but with very limited counter space. Luckily since the room is quite large, we have room for an island in the center, and another piece of furniture on the far wall for more work and storage space.

The Before:

I snapped these pictures on my phone before I moved in over a year ago, and a few more after my old roommate moved out and Andrew moved in.

View From the Doorway

View of the far wall that is waiting for a piece of furniture

View from Doorway into Dinning Room

I really love this room, the windows look out onto the backyard. As you can see, the room gets great light in the morning. The floor is kind of a dingy yellow linoleum that I assume is original. Too bad our beautiful hardwoods don't carry over into the kitchen! Besides the lack of counter space, it's a great room. The small door between the stove and refrigerator is a pantry, it's a little narrow but has plenty of storage.

I created this mood board as inspiration for the type of feel I hope to have in this kitchen eventually.

I thought a small rug under the island would help distract from the ugly yellow linoleum. I was thinking something like a indoor/outdoor jute or natural woven rug would be nice. I thought if it was an outdoor rug, it would be easier to clean since it will get a lot of wear and tear in the kitchen, especially under the island workspace.

Since there is so much open wall space on the far wall, I'd like to add some shelving to display my grandmothers milk glass, and other vintage finds. I've been pinning up a storm, and love both the crisp white in Katie Bowers kitchen, as well as the rustic wood from this West Elm display.

(Click image for original source)

Andrew and I found a kitchen island on Craigslist for only $60! It's really sturdy and has a shelf at the bottom for extra storage space. We plan to do a little DIY project in the near future! We want to sand and oil the butcher block top, and paint the base a dark navy or grey color. Stay tuned for the results of that project!

Before - Kitchen Island & Open Space for Cabinet or Table





Kitchen Island Inspiration
1. /2. (link from original pin is broken) /3. /4. /5.

We also need a buffet cabinet, island, or console table for the large empty space along the far wall. It would provide a lot more prep space for cooking, as well as storage space below. Since the island will be a dark navy, I think something white or neutral will look best against the wall so that it doesn't compete.

There is also some blank wall space by the stove, I thought about adding some shelves for spices we use often, and a clock above the stove. What do you think?

I'd also like to paint the walls a light grey, my sister has some leftover paint from the nursery she said I can use. But I'm not sure if I need to use a gloss paint since it is for the kitchen? I think it will make the white cabinets stand out a bit more, and add some depth to the space.

We have a very limited budget, but over time I know we'll make it both beautiful and functional. We both are good bargain hunters too, so we've been searching Craigslist for something to put along the empty wall and I'm sure we'll check Ikea for the shelves. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can share the "after" photos with you. I'm excited to see how it all comes together!

Have you been updating any rooms in your home lately?

xoxo,

Theresa