Inspiration: Living Room

When it comes to living rooms, I find myself torn between wanting neutrals and soft pastels paired with dark wood and plants, or wanting ALL the colors and patterns imaginable. Clearly two opposite ends of the spectrum, and I think it really depends on my mood. So how exactly do we work with that? We can't have a living room that changes depending on my mood... (wouldn't that be amazing?!) Shawn is mostly drawn to color, patterns, and textures. If it were up to him we would have wood paneling, 70's floral wallpaper, and furniture that exhibits the entire color wheel. Thankfully, it's not entirely up to him!


This is a great combination of our tastes - colorful, but tasteful. (source)


Not a fan of the couch, but everything else about this room is awesome! (source)


Soft pastels and pillows exude comfort. Side note: we both love that chaise, but it's out of our current budget. (source)


Floor cushions, big rug, and a funky couch - love it! (source)


This doesn't fit into our whole bohemian theme, but I love the feel of this room. That coffee table/ottoman blend is genius! Also, can anyone tell me where we can get a shelving unit like the one in the corner?! (source)


Bold color, personality, and plants... now that we can do. (source)


More plants and pillows! I mean, seriously. (source)


Pillows, cozy rug, industrial lamp... need I say more? (no source!)


Patterned couches, rugs, a hanging egg chair.... Drea's house is ah-maze-ing! (source)
So what I'm taking away from all of these inspiration posts is that we really need to stock up on pillows and plants in the new apartment.... sounds easy enough! Our biggest living room struggle is that we don't have proper couch. The couch we purchased for our first apartment didn't fit up the stairs to our current apartment, so we kept the cushions and ditched the rest. We bought a kid's bed frame to stand-in as a couch base, but after two years of sitting on that, we're itching to get a real couch again! There's a decent one in my parents' basement that we can take, but we have to figure out how to get it here, and whether or not it will fit into our new apartment. I honestly think that a proper living room is built around the couch, so I guess we'll see what happens!

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Inspiration: Bedroom

Now that it's finally May, it seems like our move is just around the corner! We're still super excited, even though we still haven't found a tenant for our current apartment, so we're not sure if we'll be moving at the end of May or at the beginning of June (and listing the apartment on Craigslist has been a huge fail and utter waste of my time these past few weeks)... but rental-frustrations aside, we still can't stop thinking about the space that we will soon call home!

My last inspiration post was all about plants and balconies. Today we're looking at bedrooms! You'll notice that the bohemian and plant-y aesthetic from that post carries over into this one...


I love these colors and the general feeling this photo emits! (Though Shawn will tell you red in the bedroom is not feng shui...)(source)


Same with this photo - a simple wall hanging and darker colors on the bed to contrast the white walls. (source)


White in the bedroom makes the sunlight really pop! (source)


This room is all about textures, and I'm diggin' it. (source)


We've been thinking about making our own wooden headboard - probably not this intense though! (source)


I get such a soothing feeling from the colors and furniture in this room. (Could it be the spa bench?) (source)


Definitely planning on ombre-dying some curtains, even if not for the bedroom! (source)


Pillows, plants, and sunlight... what more do you need? (source)
These photos made me realize that when I'm finding inspiration, it's not just about the way something looks, but much more about the way something makes me feel. Especially when we're talking bedrooms, the one space in your home that should feel serene and peaceful. Colorful blankets, textured pillows, and leafy plants may not be everyone's cup of tea but to me, they make a room look and feel so cozy! And isn't that the way a bedroom should feel?

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Inspiration: Plants & Balcony

Soooooo.... we have big news!!! (No, it's not a baby, so don't even go there!) ...We are moving into a new apartment!

On second thought, I guess the news isn't that big, but it's exciting nonetheless! We've been at our current spot for almost two years now, but we've been feeling uninspired by it and knew we wanted to change things up this year when our lease ends. So I set up a few appointments, and we fell in love with the first place we looked at! You guys... it's beautiful! It is (almost) everything we've been wanting in an apartment. Hardwood floors, a balcony, newly redone kitchen and bathroom, and lots of sunlight! The only reason I say almost is because it doesn't have a washer/dryer in the unit, but with everything else it has going for it, we agreed to overlook that one little detail. (Plus, there's laundry in the building, so we can't complain!)

I wish I could show you photos of the apartment, but we won't be moving in until June 1st... so you'll have to wait! We can't contain our excitement though, and have both been fantasizing about how to decorate our new space. There are two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room... we don't know what to do with all the extra space! One of the main rooms leads to a balcony and gets lots of sunlight, so we're thinking we may just fill it with plants and pillows to make it a cozy and serene area. I've been thinking a lot about that today and looking at a ton of plant-filled room inspiration, so I thought I'd start a new series on the blog where I post some images that are going to inspire some of our design choices in the next apartment. First up, plants and balcony!


This is a good representation of what we're working with - big windows, used furniture, and plants! (source)


I love the rustic vibe, and crates like this are readily available to me at work. (source)


This is bohemian plant heaven! And pretty much exactly what I'm envisioning. (source)


Seems like the perfect spot to settle in with a book and a mug of tea! (source)


I love the idea of a vertical garden! Add some vines into the mix and we're golden. (source)


One of the more exciting factors for me is that we can have an herb garden now!!! (source)


Rustic and cozy. Shawn mentioned wanting a picnic bench, and I mentioned wanting deck tiles... (source)


Are you a plant fanatic like we are? Do you have a balcony too? Got any advice for first-timers? (hahaha)
Lloyd and Sylvester are going to love the new spot! We plan on getting a screen door asap!

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