Hi [MTV] and welcome to my crib! Okay I wish. Today I'll be taking you into our apartment for a little bit of home decor and opening up the possibilities for DIYs. Would love your feedback in terms of what content you like and what you'd rather gloss over.
Here's a shot of a part of our living room set up for optimal tv watching and ready for visitors. I wish I could keep the streamers up all year, but I'm trying not to be a student anymore. I've numbered the pieces I want to talk about above, so follow along or jump to what you want to see!
“Design is coming to grips with one's real lifestyle,
one's real place in the world.
Rooms should not be put together for show
but to nourish one's well-being.”
– Albert Hadley
Media Bench
I can't express how much I LOVE Ikea. I love the way you have to meander through to get to different parts of the house, I love the meatball break (with extra meatballs, please), and I love how you can get almost everything in one place. Thank you, Ingvar Kamprad, and rest in peace.
Okay, I know you're not supposed to get everything in one place, because it makes it look like a pure Ikea home. Yes, that is true, BUT I'd like to think I grabbed basics and then ran with those. Hear me out.
The Lisabo tv stand is a beautiful piece of furniture with an Ash veneer on top and solid birch legs. Throwback to the days of my furniture design studio, we discovered and immediately fell in love with Ash and were trying to figure out why we didn't have a favorite wood before. Check it out if you haven't already. It's beautiful and every table has a unique grain quality to it.
The best part of this baby...it was 5 pieces! 8 if you include the shelf below. The designers of this table were thinking about all the gripes about losing pieces and having to spend hours on furniture (I think you're all pansies and it's like adult Lego, so have fun). I've included a photo of the hardware underneath the table; it's plastic, adjustable, easy to access, and you don't have to crane your neck to install anything.
The entire table is so lightweight and aesthetically just as light. It's got a place for your cable box or Apple tv or whatever you may have. Just remember to manage your cables! Label them with bread clips or make sure it's clear what is what. tuck them up and away so they're not hanging on the ground and ruining the sleek and minimal look of the table you love so much.
Plant Stand
Now if you're wondering if I'm sponsored by Ikea, no, but I wish I were. Here's another beautiful and simple piece found in the plants section. This is the Satsumas plant stand. It has solid bamboo legs and was really easy to assemble. get one of these! I want the rest of the Satsumas collection, but I'll wait to Ikea-fy the apartment some more.
Art
I framed one of three prints from my 'So She Did'' series. I love having a little bit of color and inspiration on my walls.
For my ladies out there, it's time for us to stand up for ourselves and accomplish the goals we've set ourselves. I believe in myself finally (most of the time).
My Babies
All of my plant friends need full sunlight for a part of the day, and their place by the window is a perfect home for them. As a semi-adult I've been trying to have more green around me. Having basic responsibilities in remembering to feed the little guys is more rewarding than stressful now.
Starting from the top and going clockwise:
Basil - Ocimum basilicum
This guy needs a lot of water, but it's worth it if you want fresh garnish in your dinners or want to make some homemade pesto. A post on that later.Gollum Jade - Crassula ovata
Watering this one is pretty low maintenance. I tend to give it a water once a week and a bit more if I can feel the leaves becoming less juicy.Ball cactus - Parodia magnifica
This little guy is also pretty low maintinence. I give it water once a week as well and he's beautifully prickly still.Pincushion cactus - Mammilaria elongata
I'm having a bit of a struggle with this one, but hopefully it'll sort itself out soon after I re-potted it with new soil. I water it once the soil has dried out completely. We'll see how it goes with a little chopstick crutch for a bit. If anyone has tips, I'd love to hear it!
The Fun
Maybe some of you can empathize, but I HATE paying for party accessories that are cheap and terrible quality. They're never the colors I want and you end up throwing them away after they hang on the wall for one day. I do also know my time is precious, so any DIY I do should be quick, easy, and worth it. I'll be making a post dedicated to the making of my bunting and frills soon.
Cheers for now.
