i'd like to explore...

...what's on the other side of that door.

location: charleston, sc

photo by alaina kaczmarski

so this just happened.

40% off j.crew's sale w/ code style40. too good to pass up.

i may or may not have scooped up these neon lace pumps, these pink and gold flats, and this neon striped sweater.

what's on your wishlist?

Ladyplace: So my foot might be broken, but at least I have this sweet headboard!

It arrived last night. The most beautiful headboard the world ever did see. Happydancetimesamillion.

Unfortunately, I cannot happydance. You see, the man carrying my new headboard accidentally dropped it on my foot as I held the door for him. I'm about to head out for an x-ray. If it's broken, it's officially my first broken bone(s) in 27 years. At least I got this sweet headboard out of it! #worthit

My new Biscuit bedding is set to arrive next week. Do we still think Middleton Pink walls?! I'm thinking yes.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Bailey for sprinkling your magic design fairy dust on my new home! And BIG congratulations to you and Pete on your new lil' nugget!

- fabric is Scalamandre Arabella from their Third Floor Outlet
- nightstand is West Elm
- lamp is from EuroStyleLighting

Are you following me on Instagram? Because if you are you would've seen this photo sooo five minutes ago.

LCY Listens: The Oh, Hello's!

Alright, everyone. I've got a good one for you! Their name is The Oh, Hello's, led by a Texas-bred brother sister duo, Tyler and Maggie Heath, but comprised of a large group of musicians and singers. I got to see this self-produced group last week at the small venue Space up in Evanston, and it was such a treat! Their energy and passion and talent for songwriting has captured my attention. I've been listening to their album on repeat - it's available to listen to on their website, but I've included a few of my favorites here so you can see for yourself. Start with the first one, The Truth is a Cave. If you don't like that, then I assume you like EDM and have no business reading my music posts. As always, I've included a few verses I particularly enjoyed for one reason or another.

Ladies and gentlemen... The Oh, Hello's...!

Song: The Truth is a Cave

Lyrics I Love: 
I was young and naive
as I was told, so I believed
and I was told there's only one road that leads you home

and

I was tired of giving more than you gave to me

and I desired a truth I wouldn't have to seek
but in the silence I heard you calling out to me

 

Song: I Have Made Mistakes

Lyrics I Love:
I have made mistakes, I continue to make them
the promises I've made, I continue to break them
and all the doubts I've faced, I continue to face them
but nothing is a waste if you learn from it

Song: Like the Dawn

Lyrics I Love:
and like the dawn you woke the world inside of me
you were the brightest shade of sun when I saw you


Song: The Wishing Well

Lyrics I Love:
curse my restless wandering feet
prone to wander endlessly

Song: I Was Wrong

Lyrics I Love:
I was born at the dawn of our folly
and I was young, and stubborn to the bone
as I took from the tree that was rotting

You can listen to their whole album here!

Ladyplace: Plans for the Bedroom and Shop the Alaina Collection at Biscuit Home!

i've said it once, but i'll say it again. the alaina collection is now available for sale at biscuit home! and i don't know if i've told ya'll, but i've been doing graphics for the brand, and this week, alaina is the star on the homepage. ch-ch-check it out.

 meet alaina.

she goes well with the classics. 

but loves a little whimsy.

SHOP "ALAINA" COLLECTION

so onto recent decorating schemes.

for my new bedroom, i plan on going all out alaina (the bedding) - mint, pink, girly. with the help of my design guru friend and bedding designer, bailey quin mccarthy, i'm taking the leap on a pretty exciting design for my ladyboudoir. are you ready for this...

the inspiration

statement headboard, whimsical sheets, monogrammed pillow cases, pink lamps. lady perfection.

the plan

so my interior design sensei suggested that i invest in a custom statement headboard. i said, ok! with a smile on my face and genuine excitement (despite the scary thoughts of multiple dollar signs running through my head). where to begin? fabric isn't my thing. lucky for me, it is very much so hers.

in exchange for me lending my name, bailey is so generously giving me my namesake bedding along with some fun accent pieces: this duvet, these euro shams, and these sheets. clearly we see a general theme of mint and pink - my favorite colors. so bailey set off in search of the perfect headboard fabric.

she texted me a photo of this:

to which said, "loooove the colors. don't love that there are little people on it."

she understood and went back to the drawing board. an hour or so later, my phone went off with this image:

yes, yes, yes! 

followed by my obligatory how much does it cost?

she said she'd find out. i waited patiently.

well... long story short. it's the uber fancy famous brand scalamandre - of the prancing zebra fame - and this fabric in particular - named arabella - was available through the brand's third floor outlet sale section on their website. what does that mean? it means 1. anyone can order from it. no industry designer code needed. and 2. i got this gorgeous fabric that was originally $157/yd for $38/yd! winning! my other interior designer friend alex berlin gave me the number of a reasonable upholsterer she works with, so for around $500, i'm getting a big beautiful custom headboard. considering i sold my last bed for $450, i'm only down $50 for this dreamy fluff to rest my head against. 

bringing in my white west elm nightstands, pink lamps, and pink geometric rug from my old place...
here's what i will have going on:

white walls...?

....or middleton pink walls?

thoughts? i know the pink wall graphic looks very pink, but the bedding is predominantly white and mint and the pink rug will barely be visible.

thank you, thank you, thank you bailey!

GIVEAWAY: Win a $5000 Dream Room Makeover! Runner-up Wins a $1000 Room Restyling!

The Everygirl and Fizz56 have teamed up to offer two lucky ladies the chance at some major home refluffing! One grand prize winner will receive a dream room makeover valued at up to $5000 to be used toward any brand or store and one runner-up will receive $1000 toward styling product from Lulu & Georgia!

As long as you are on one social media site (Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook), you can sign up! Winners will work with Danielle and me to redecorate one room in their home!

Click here for full details on how to enter.

Winner will be announced in two weeks! Gooood luck!

How I Moved, Unpacked, and Settled in 48 Hours

Yes, you are hearing correctly. Granted I only have a one bedroom apartment, but as we know, I have an awful lot of shtuff. I was 90% unpacked and settled in at my new ladyplace in less than 48 hours (more like 24 hours) after my movers arrived on Sunday evening.

And I did it thanks in large part to one hyphenated word: Redi-box. Thirty of these red plastic boxes were dropped in my living room on the requested day and I threw any and all of my non-furniture item into one. (Note: pups did not travel in boxes.) Moving all of the knick knacks–like kitchenware, decorative items, even some clothes, and the entire contents of my bar–became super easy...

All ready to go! Here's the last photo I took before leaving Belle. C'est la vie big ole' apartment.

After I arrived at my new home, I quickly started unpacking items and placing them into kitchen cabinets, closets, and my bookshelves. Once a box was unpacked, it went on the stack against the
wall and out of the way. The move happened late on Sunday between 6pm and 9pm.
Here are a few photos from the next morning...

By Monday morning the friendly Redi-box rep came to get the boxes and voila! Ta-da!

Redi-box is specifically for the Chicago area, but most major cities have similar companies! I definitely suggest looking into it for your next move.

Ladyplace: They say when you know, you know.

...and that's how I felt when this lil' striped number popped up in a Joss and Main sale tonight.

So here's the deal. I so appreciate everyone's help and love hearing your thoughts! The problem is everyone's input actually confused the heck out of me. Haha everyone made such valid points and I truly loved all of those rugs! But at the end of it, I was more confused than ever and couldn't decide on any particular one. I'd add different styles to my cart, only to walk away and forget to go back and purchase.

Then today, Danielle came over to see my place for the first time. Of course that meant we spent a solid 45 minutes discussing the layout and decorating plans. Now apparently I'm switching everything up. Instead of breaking the living room into separate areas, I'm embracing it as one "giant" space which means I'd need one large rug instead of a 5x7 for in front of the couch. Some of my favorite options you suggested only came in 5x7. So there goes that. This striped rug is 8x11 which means it will cover the entire room. It's listed as 'grey and ivory' so I think it will look slightly less beige in person. And the cherry on top is that it is wool flatweave. My favorite. The dogs can't scratch it up despite their best efforts.

Plus, I've had a thing for striped rugs for quite some time...
Here are a few favorites to show you can't go wrong with stripes underfoot.

 

That last shot gets me every time.

Thoughts?

Ladyplace: Help me choose a living room rug!

So I just painted my walls last night using Farrow and Ball's Wimborne White. Love it! But now I want a lighter, brighter, slightly more neutral rug. These are all options currently for sale on Joss and Main, to which I have a decent amount of credit stored up. 

As a reminder of my other furniture, here's a crappy photo I took last night...

Which rug do we think? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6? Or none of the above?

Ladyplace: Full Before Apartment Tour

because the first sneak peek photos of my new apartment didn't do it justice...
here's the full before home tour.

Upon walking through the front door, you're greeted by this little entryway. Bedroom is straight ahead, living room is on the left. There's a closet door to the right that you cannot see.

THE LIVING ROOM/OFFICE

Main living area view from the entryway

 360° view

THE KITCHEN

isn't she lovely? hah needs some tlc. i emailed the landlord and have full confirmation to move forward with painting the cabinets white. some pretty marble shelves above the stove for spice storage and this will come together in no time.

THE BEDROOM

as seen from the front entryway - bed will be on that wall straight ahead. corridor doorway seen on the left.

looking back at the entryway. closet door on the left.

looking through the lil carrie bradshaw closet/corridor to the bathroom.

bedroom/bathroom corridor with built-in storage and vanity. or as i like to call it, my dressing room.

the bathroom - love the tile.

and the floorplan to help make sense of it all! (not to scale)

the pups and i are all settled in in large part thanks to redi-box, i was 95% unpacked and set up within 24 hours of arriving sunday night. you rent plastic moving boxes, they drop them off at one house, then pick them up a week later at your new location. redi-box is only in chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but most major cities have similar companies.

i cannot tell you how happy i am already. this apartment is beyond perfect for me. it's charming, cozy, and all my own. i cannot wait to decorate this lil nugget. and the neighborhood... i feel like i'm in fairytaleland. beautiful brownstones, armitage ave shopping, lincoln park restaurants, two el lines, and parks all in walking distance, and trees galore! i feel so... home.

i'll have plenty of photos documenting the move and the settling in phase, showing how i decided on furniture arrangement and what not. but you can catch a lot of sneak peeks if you follow my instagram: @alainakaz!