NICE TOUCHES

Everybody has a couch and a dresser but it's the way you dress them up that makes them unique. A vase of flowers, some Atlanta Hawks posters or an atlas makes the space unique and turns a house into a home. I was thinking of all the little ways I can make the apartment into a cozy little home. What nice accent pieces would really brighten up a space? I'm guessing my entire childhood teddy bear collection would look tacky but one cute, small bear on a bookcase would be cute and still remind me of the times I used to roll down leafy green, hilly lawns and make gimp bracelets and ice-skate with wobbly knees. What nice accent pieces do you have?

 

Music is the Sound of Life

APARTMENT THERAPY

APARTMENT THERAPY

APARTMENT THERAPY

I know I always touch on music but if you play an actual instrument how do you incorporate that into your home? Do you have a jam station in the corner of your living room set up with drums, guitars and keyboards or a closet where you stuff everything when not in use? Many books suggest hanging your instruments on the wall not only is it an artistic statement piece but it's convenient to keep it off the floor and have more room for pieces of furniture or walk space.

Here's how to hang a guitar on the wall, thanks to http/www.ehow.com
Things you will need: Power drill or Phillips Screw Driver, Guitar hanger or sling with included hardware, a guitar (duh), a wall (duhhh) and some skills. P.S. Hangers generally cost under $15 bucks.

1. You need to measure the bottom of your guitar head to the top of the head and make sure when you install your hanger with enough room for the guitar to hang without the trouble of touching the ceiling. I installed mine about 8 inches down from the ceiling and it worked out perfectly. Measure twice to make sure it's right. Once you have a location to place your hanger place it on the wall and use a pencil to mark the hole locations.

2.Your kit should include a drywall anchors. To install these you simply use your drill tip/screw driver to make a dimple in the drywall where you marked your whole in the previous step. Once you have a dimple you can screw in the anchors. With your anchors in place hold the hanger over the holes and use the included screws to secure your new fancy-amazing guitar hanger to the wall. Apply guitar and PRESTO! One amazing piece of wall art is installed.

And voila--it is finit.

Patterns of Fashion

POP ART FUNKY STYLE

POP ART FUNKY STYLE

Fashion and inteior design go hand in hand like pasta and garlic bread. You won't go to a trendy boutique that is housed in a badly designed store, right? Using your wardrobe as a clue to your interior character helps you understand what style you want.

Stripes are a classic, trendy style.

If you've always been a classic kind of girl going for blue jeans and turtlenecks, a very avant-garde style won't make you feel at home. Likewise, a guy who likes to mix his vintage blazers with designer jeans would benefit from an eclectically furnished home that mirrors his tastes.

Inspiration From New York

As I mentioned on Twitter earlier, in 2011 I'll be spending a lot of time in New York City. I'll be gaining inspiration as well as collecting items to take back home with me. As I'll likely be staying for only two or three days at a time, I won't have time to visit every area of the city but I'll mostly be in Greenwich Village, SoHo, Lower Eastside and Chinatown. I plan to go once a month and occasionally to Chicago to catch theater shows. I find there is a lot of art and music culture in New York and Chicago as well as Montreal, where I'll be this month for a week. I just want to stand back and soak it all in. Even if I just leave with an antique lamp, I know the memories will stay with me! 
 

From Blah to Wow

Charming and tiny kitchen--if this can work, anything can.

Storage and painting fix everything

Kitchens in urban Toronto apartments are uninspiring at best. Tiny, narrow and drab you wonder how you can whip up a spicy penne sausage dish in such a hideous, tiny and ugly kitchen. I fear the bathroom and kitchen will be the hardest to work with. I cannot picture a beautiful kitchen when dealing with ugly, outdated appliances, counters and floor space. But there is always hope!

The average Toronto kitchen

What I would do with this drab kitchen is put down a colorful mat with chocolates and yellows, maybe some red in there. I would paint the boring walls a deep gray and add some post-Impressionist art on the wall adjacent to the sink and paint those forlorn cabinets ivory or something. I would add red curtains to the tiny window and add a wall pantry shelf adjacent to the sink with spices, olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and some wine. Voila!

Small but functional, well decorated kitchen

Where Do I Start?

Seeing overwhelmingly talented architects show off their homes makes it increasingly difficult to measure up, but I often wonder where these people start. When I start looking for sunglasses, I go for the most unique, ugliest pair and I truly fall head-over-heels in them despite everyone else's disgust. To me, they aren't ugly and that is the take I'm going to adopt to my designing. I am going to go with the ugliest, weirdest crap and spin it into something beautiful.

This suede leather PU sectional sofa and ottoman is only $399 from this factory place with free delivery in Toronto. The reason I like this couch is because of it's earthy tones. I feel a lot of Mother Africa here, something I can build on with tribal accents and woody\natural materials. I like nature and this sofa personifies nature. I call it the Mother Africa couch and it's my #1 choice.
This is the modern piece that my fiancee can enjoy. She won't have to worry about sitting on something old and uncomfortable. But then there's this....

Not sure what I'd do with it yet, whether its a bedroom chair or a comfy chair for an extra guest in the living-room but I like it....alot. I think it's too much gold in our living-room though. Sigh.

WHO WHY WHAT WHERE HOW

WHO
I am a 21 year old journalism student who loves dogs, old movies, good experiences, liquor and a beautiful home. I love to cook, entertain, be lazy, be fun, celebrate and cause a mess. In my free time and professionally I write and do photography using Nikon equipment but also regular digital and film cameras. I collect cameras and can spend hours reading and collecting books in my library (well a mountain stack of books, at any point).
My queer fiancee who is a social butterfly, loves to entertain as well and is ardent about anything modern and technological. The newest and biggest flat-screen televisions? She's there. Stainless steel microwaves? You bet she's happy. I would be fine without a tv in the house but to even suggest such a thing is like committing murder for this one. We will be co-habitating in a one bedroom apartment flat in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada and will have to agree on our varying tastes of how to decorate our abode. 
WHY
This blog is just a journal of some sorts of my jumbled ideas and aspirations for this flat. The colors I want to paint it, decor ideas, DIY projects, upholstering of furniture, second shop finds, inspiration from the World Wide Web and information about what I'm trying to accomplish which is a beautiful, unique home that is interesting, cozy and eclectic but contemporary enough not to embarrass my sweetheart and her pals. 
WHAT
This blog will be a compilation of why I chose the furniture\decor\styles I chose and what it means to me, photo images and videos that inspire me, references to interior design books, information about our apartment (square footage, etc) and  once we begin actually decorating silly photos of me and my sweetheart putting together this dream. 
WHERE
I plan to get everything for our home from IKEA, Bowring, Crate&Barrel, second hand and vintage shops around town, Craigslist, Home Sense, Pottery Barn, Benjamin Moore and wherever I can find what I need. I might go to a factory or farm and pick up a piece of wood and fashion a table (seriously) or go to a park and find a bunch of identical twigs to create some kind of artsy decor. I'm a creatif. I want everything I find to be unique and original and inspirational to others while also being functional and aesthetic. If I can do that, I'm a genius. 
HOW

This is an important question as I'm on a student's budget. With savvy negotiation, frugal second-hand junk store finds and a lot of luck and planning (like calling months ahead to find out when the IKEA Midnight Madness sale is that has 50% off the entire store)....I think I will be able to do it. I don't want a drab, boring couch-and-TV apartment. I want something to sparkle and something to enjoy since we'll be here for a while! You know what it's like paying off your hefty student loans......!!!