department of the interior: home decor

the belated realization that 1/2 of my new apartment is only accessible through two doors of less than standard width

this definitely complicates things

fuuuuck

Lechera: I mean I suspect ppl who hire "decorators" aren't thinking about someone's creative essence at all like you are? I have another suspicion which is that becoming most kinds of "decorators" is mostly about adopting the most boring and produced styles that read as whatever at that moment in consumer culture but that's a whole other thing.

as in, consultants from Ethan Allen

i have a friend who is an antiques dealer & interior decorator and i honestly don't understand how it works, like -- his 'decorating' seems to consist of... selling antiques to clients?

maybe that's a bit intentionally obtuse of me, but i honestly don't know that he has any design clients other than himself, in his home and in the various showrooms / storefronts he's occupied

elms, what do you have to get through those doors? Is it the bedroom, and does your bedroom furniture not fit??

the narrow doors lead to the living room & bedroom -- i think the bedroom furniture will fit ok but we have a pull-out couch that's definitely will not go

i mean

that definitely will not go

it's a nice enough couch but we'll probably have to sell it

the move is almost complete, only a few loose ends left. the bathroom is going to be the first room to be painted, so the question is: what wall color will complement a cool mid-grey toilet, bath, & tile and (ugh) maroon accents? it's light grey now, which is acceptable I guess, but drab.

a very pale powder pink might work in theory but i don't think that's gonna be put into practice.

We haven't even put one single thing in the new place yet! Not one item.
Happy moving day/ May Day!! Oh man.

good luck & godspeed! happy may day!

exciting times!!

yeah elmo I was wondering abt pink but ugh so hard to pull off without looking twee/old lady/gross

oh happy moving day elmo and LL. SO exciting.

elmo the maroon is killing me. Wth goes with maroon?@?? Yeah, maybe like a silver wash with some aging effect?

Orrrrrr something with a crackle in it and a brick-red underneath?

In other news I've decided to make my own furniture. I'm no woodworker (yet) but furniture in the US is so insane overpriced I decided why not try? I've found some beginner plans online and they really do look quite simple. You only need 4 tools - a drill (got it), circular saw or jigsaw (got 'em), orbital sander (i think I've got it), countersink drill bit (got to get em).

My first project will be this a King Sized platform bed which will cost $75-$100 to for all materials:

http://blog.thedesignconfide.netdna-cdn.com/sites/default/files/Vintage%20Group.png

If I pull that off I will try to build this twin loft bed for my girl Beatle. This one will cost around $150 for materials:

http://blog.thedesignconfide.netdna-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/big/loft2550_0.jpg

so excited!

tooltime w00t!

io, i have no idea. i think a fresh coat of paint will do a lot for the room. maybe a grey with a reddish undertone? i honestly do. not. know.

also the formica vanity top is ALSO maroon and horribly discolored, i suspect from bleach-based cleaning products.

oh fuck is that the poltergeist phone hiding under the loft bed???

castlemania phone!

Oh lord the vanity might just have to go.

yeah the vanity is a challenge, for sure. it's a trade-off for having a hardwood bathroom big enough to host a yoga class

when you strike it rich you should convert the whole room into a giant walk-in shower

girl i am LIVING for that tile shower, you have no idea

Aaaaaaand we're in! Breakfast in the sunroom iirc.

kudos!

Congrats, LL!

Thanks guys. Currently arranging bedroom closet and waiting for new mattress, my first new one ever! Unfortch I can't find the number of the place I bought it from or the receipt and I'm paranoid I bought it from a phony storefront that stole my cash and fled to Serbia or sthg. guy who worked there kept calling me " the little woman" so clearly these fears are justified.

I can't post pics now, but it should be known that I'm now the proud owner of a small dress-up closet that contains my collection of dress-up dresses from various eras, my square dance dress, my wedding dress, my mom's old dresses, among other things, all in one little irregularly shaped closet. So happy. Dream come true. Also the bed is here.

so got a few samples for the paint in the bathroom and i think we're going for a warm grey, i would describe it as like the color of wet porcelain clay (the name of the color is "smoked oyster" haha gross i hate oysters)

i'm worried that it will look REALLY PINK when it's on the whole room -- it contrasts the cool grey tiles, also the maroon trim really pulls out the red tones. even so, it'll be better than matching the color of the toilet.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/70/70b434fa-2b0b-4423-9df8-a08e256c42a1_300.jpg

posting about taupe paint samples, i live an exciting life *sigh*

Omg I've been having problem after problem today! Was just envying your paint choice dilemma tbrr. I don't know whether to be happy or demoralized or what but this definitely isn't boring. Moving is never boring!

moving is stressful, like how i imagine it must feel like to be a plant when its repotted. you have your roots ripped out of the ground and shaken loose and everything's a huge dirty mess and then it all gets stuffed into another pot.

Current dilemma over here involves another irregularly-sized (ie antiquated) space for the fridge and a replacement fridge oh fuck it I seriously can't even explain it the situation is so dull but basically wtf appliances. Seriously, do ppl get taught this stuff on some day of school that I missed?! Feelin stupid, but ok otherwise.

Also plant analogy super otm! It's uncomfortable.

speaking of, my new apartment gets so much light, which means houseplants galore! my last apt was so dark that nothing could survive

i am going to make so many macrame plant hangers. SO many.

lol elmo, that looks really close to the color I painted my bedroom

how'd that work out, then?

My mom used a grey paint in a white and cobalt bathroom and it looks blue as all getout. So yeah, that probably will be pinkish. Bring out the grey with silver-gilt accessories or picture frames or something? I have no idea, fucking maroon.

The Cleaning thread got drapery on my mind, so here are some that I like, because finding jpgs is easier than making the roller shades I bought all the parts for a year ago.

yes yes go go go

Now that I've said that, I can't find what I wanted to show Lechera! Let me keep looking, apparently I only own one curtain book tho I could have sworn I had at least 3.

elmo, I'm not ignoring you, I just decided to respond with a pic of my finished bedroom and haven't gotten around to it yet

I like the lines of curtains that cross at the top, though I guess you would need double rods for it:

http://media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/550x/79/b0/5c/79b05cdca442a043b48f77e93ca7b212.jpg

http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/550x/81/1c/9d/811c9d7b8a945028a27d335dd3141797.jpgp

http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/550x/81/1c/9d/811c9d7b8a945028a27d335dd3141797.jpg

mh, no worries!

I ended up having to take pics of my own book! That took ages.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Shawlcurtain_zps0c99001d.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Curtain_zps95196c1d.jpg

So both of these are a single cloth or shawl, thrown over or clipped to a rod. Imagine that the first one has a lace fringe like the second one? Sort of. The part where it's partially folded to create a diagonal edge I haven't found a photo of yet.

io, you could do that with a single rod - the curtains wouldn't act independently at the top, and would always retain the same swag when pulled back.

xp, to the gauzy ones and the blue ones