I have had so much fun decorating my new place! It is basically all I have done (other than work) since moving. I guess that is what happens when you move somewhere where you don’t know anyone, lots of time to decorate lol.
In the weeks leading up to my move, I spent hours searching the web for chic, affordable furniture and decor. I decided pretty early on that none of my furniture in Florida was worth the cost of moving it (it was mostly Ikea hacks and hand me downs). I decided to invest in new, higher quality items. But, with a move and new job, I couldn’t afford a huge investment.
It is not always easy to find pieces that are high quality, affordable and stylish, so I wanted to share what what found, since I think I scored some pretty great pieces at some amazing prices!
When it comes to decorating small spaces, I think it is important to make a statement with fewer items of furniture. Personally, I prefer clean, uncrowded spaces. For my living room/office space, I started with this stunning navy desk and beige tufted sofa. The navy desk makes quite the statement without needing much else. I went with a more neutral sofa in a romantic tufted French design that would pair well with, but not outshine the desk. Plus, I knew my amazing new Caitlin Wilson pillows would really pop on this neutral beige.
My next task was finding rugs. Why cute rugs at a decent price are so hard to find is beyond me. That’s why when I stumbled on these rugs, I pounced. They are large, affordable, good quality (they don’t shed), and have a great distressed blue pattern. I knew I wanted a design, but I didn’t want anything too busy. These turned out to be the perfect fit and compromise.
I also knew I needed bookshelves (I have a ton of books), but I feared traditional wood bookshelves would look too heavy. I wanted to keep the space, which has large windows and lots of light, open and airy. So, I went with these glass and gold shelves.
My biggest challenge when putting this room together was what to do with the windows. Becuase the windows are quite large, they are something of a feature in the room. And once I got all of the furniture in, the room looked like it was still missing something when I tried plain white curtains. I ordered several blue and white or blue and cream curtains online and nothing seemed to work. That was when I decided to look at fabric and stumbled on this amazing Waverly floral print. The print captures my aesthetic for the entire room–colorful, whimsical but still elegant, and with a touch of influence from decorative Asian art. Ordering fabric and making my own curtains also meant I could make sure they were long enough (I hate short curtains). In the end, these curtains brought the entire room together. If you’re not into sewing, I found an Etsy seller who does custom curtains in this print here.
Inspired by my amazing new curtains, I got to work on my new living room gallery wall. I teamed up with Framebridge to create it and will be sharing more about that process next week, so stay tuned!
So, what do you think of my end result?
I kind of never want to go outside!