The Tiny Bedroom

I won't complain about having a pea-sized bedroom. New York flats have 500 square feet and look phenomenal, so I'm going to try my best to make do especially with an incredulous partner who has no idea how in any universe I am going to fit a bed that can hold the two of us into this remarkably tiny space. 

I'm relying on luck and precise measurement here but a tall bed with storage underneath and no headboard in a double size should suffice although that is all that will fit in the bed. If this is not the case, we will have to just get a solid wood bed base and a mattress in the style of a platform bed a la Japanese style. The problem is the room. If we put a bed in, will we have to climb over the bed to get to the bathroom each time and will the bathroom door even close?

At worst, I will have to resort to a single bed and use it as a guest room for visitors. At least our friends will have a cozy room to sleep in!

I have decided the room needs to be funky cool so I wanted to go with a canary yellow paint and blue decor such as painted royal blue wall shelves, royal blue bedding and royal blue curtains for the window. 

One Month Crunchtime

Oh shit. What is it about procrastination that makes it seem so alluring but it's really poisonous? It's like a great big piece of chocolate for a diabetic. Some people have rage problems, some people snore--my problem is I procrastinate and with 1 month until we are officially moved in, I have a lot to do.

I had written down a lot of stuff I wanted to do and how I wanted it done on this blog which is precisely why I created it. Then DUH! I forgot to read it. So I have to go through it and think, think, think. I forgot about things like rugs for the bathroom and wine rack. I FORGOT THE WINE RACK!!! When life gets shitty, when there's romance in the air, when I cook....I need wine. A wine rack is as integral to my being as the TV is to a jock who watches ESPN. Seeing my wine beautifully displayed in a rack is like watching the Superbowl on an HDTV. It just makes it that much better.

So, note to self: get rug for bathroom. Do people normally freak out this far ahead? Isn't this the time when people just begin looking for apartments? I don't know if I have the time-line right or wrong but my room is filling quickly with boxes and boxes and bags of stuff and my mom is freaking out, lol. She's coming in here and falling over all these boxes I'm hoarding for some imminent date in the near future. She's been a bit concerned since a bag with ceramic mugs crushed the cat's tail. Whoops.

I HAVE AN INKLING I WANT TO DO A DARK GRAY

I am doing what I fear the most--FINALLY going to the paint store. Why have I put this off? Why have I discussed my joy to paint the room but haven't bought the goddamn paint? Well, quite frankly, I'm afraid to waltz into Behrs or Benjamin Moore and stand like some freakin' idiot scratching my head with a blank stare going on. Uh.....I've never painted anything before except my nails. I don't mean to piss off my feminist friends and sound like a dumb ditz but seriously...I don't want to fuck up the walls and I have NO clue what I'm doing. I'm going to go into the store either embarrassingly clueless or with a set of Google instructions in my hand. I'm not sure which is worse, especially since I'll probably be just as clueless with the paper in my hand. I don't know how to pick the best color for an accent wall and what happens after that. Should I tip the paint-guy to do all the brainwork for me? Lol. I'll have to credit my artistically put together apartment to some guy who picks his nose in the paint store. Yay.

Trip To IKEA

Getting the practical stuff for the house and some tidbits from IKEA turned out to be fun! Wheeling through aisles (who doesn't like buggy rides?) and fifty-cent hot dogs is a great way to spent your Thursday. Among the things we bought is a comic-art painting, two stool bars, some behind-the-door hangars, 3 canvas paintings (one is of a wall painting, another is Buddha), a Michael Angelo sculpture (of just the head), some wall shelving I'm going to re-paint and some mugs. 

We got a couple of these and I'm reupholstering some seat pads!

This dish rack is one of my favourite. Quite modern.

This was a piece I liked because it isn't a traditional bookshelf and looks like a ladder. Sold!

Other things we've checked off for our next visit is kitchen shelving, cutting board, a small desk\laptop table, bed, rug, 2 mirrors, plates, more wall shelving and the items in the picture. As for the decor, I prefer to visit this vintage shop on Queen St West that has amazing prices and some cool pieces (like this ultra modern coffee table)

Off to Furniture Shops

Bringing the camera along to photograph pieces of furniture we approve ^^ Oh fun!

Temporary Studio

   My Christmas has been merry thanks to the LL letting me know the Annex digs are ours for keeps, yay! It's a nice little Christmas present I wasn't expecting! The holidays has been a busy and expensive time what with all the gift-giving, driving (gas is $1.115 right now) and all that food so I'm grateful apartment-hunting days are behind me. 
   I did miss the IKEA Half-off sale which is a huge bummer but hey--there's always a good sale for a savvy sale-hunter! And from now until our move in date, we will be too busy to get stuff and probably too broke (thank you, amazing deals at the malls!) :) 
    I'm not worried--that's what improvising is for. We have a futon sofa that is huge and it can double as a bed until we pick up a proper bed at IKEA. The problem is, our bedroom is SO itsy I'm thinking of making that space into an office\wardrobe room and leaving the living-room area open concept with a bed\couch and the TV\office area. It sounds like it likely won't work though but maybe for a month that's what we'll do--while we settle in. 
     The studio idea is fine for now but when guests come they can have the futon when we get the bed for the teeny weeny bedroom. I don't care how small the wee bedroom is because it's a central, fabulous location and a wonderful street and neighbourhood--what's a little sacrifice? I have seen some chic studio apartments and the important part is just having functional stuff for a bit. I still plan to paint as soon as I get in but right now I'm a hoarder--I'm hoarding kitchen appliances, pillows, you-name-it for when we move out so we won't have to get anything but the essentials during that hectic time!

     Happy Holidays!

O-Range Ya Glad It's Cheap?

Couches are pricy and a huge investment. But they can make or break your living-room. A drab couch can undermine your greatest efforts to modernize a drab house, and a couch in the wrong colour can wreak havoc on the aesthetic or mood of your humble abode. I found a riveting orange sofa at IKEA with what I see as : mod-artsy potential. Fiancee thought it suited somebody with ADHD in a mental institution who had a bubbly, laugh-when-nobody's-in-the-room personality. Hmmm....Black and gray\tan couches are so overused. How many people do you personally know who have orange couches? Or a mint-green one? Or  one with bubbles all over it? Someone is selling a salmon pink sofa on Kijiji right now as we speak! Salmon pink. How is that for a bold statement? It doesn't say Tuna Time. It says : boldly different. Cheerfully here. Modern but fun. I'm pink and I still think. Something like that. Plus,  the orange couch? It's on sale.