I absolutely loved how my bedroom turned out in the last apartment. The custom patterned headboard, the pink lamps, the Eiffel Tower "Alaina" bedding. It was girly to the umpteenth degree and just what I needed in that home. I would have kept everything the same if my job wasn't what it is; but of course, Danielle and I plan on featuring our new place somewhere (fingers crossed a favorite home decor mag, but we'll see), which means I have to mix it up. Magazines and decor sites don't want to publish something that's already made the Pinterest rounds. "Old news" so to speak.
Before showing ya'll the plan, I like to recap how I got to where I currently am so maybe you'll better understand where I hope to go... (so profound)
my bedroom on move-in day
Once I was bit more settled - clearly needed a rug and curtains. Problem is the ceilings on our second floor are crazy low, hanging curtains would look a bit goofy. And all of the curtains I own are hella long from the high ceilings in my last apartments. So curtains and brass rods are sitting in a closet. Sad.
Then I rearranged... I really didn't like how the dresser covered one of the windows. AND I ordered my dream mirror from Wisteria that I've been wanting for forever, and I didn't think leaning it in front of the window would work. I kept the room like this for a couple of weeks and I quickly learned I preferred having access on and off the bed from both sides, and walking in and seeing a big blank wall was just not cutting it.
I developed a plan to put a gallery wall there and went to
Minted.com to curate a black and white look. Did you know Minted sold art? Neither did I! I saw an ad in Domino Magazine. Hmm turns out advertising does work!
It's pretty brilliant actually. You can favorite whatever items you like and then create a mock-up of what your gallery wall will look like. Pretty fun. I knew I wanted a mixture of photography and paintings/drawings. See below:
The prints I ended up choosing were (clockwise from top left):
Almond Milk by Carolyn Maclaren (because almond milk is my favorite)
You can also add custom framing, which was relatively inexpensive compared to most custom frames.
Moving right along... I knew the bed would have to go back against the wall it was originally on, so I moved it back a couple of days ago. Sometimes I just wake up motivated and make things happen. In an effort to keep the ball rolling in the room redesign, I went to West Elm and picked up their
Jute Boucle rug in their lightest color, Ivory, to see how it would look. (It's been a favorite for years; it looks great with any style and you can't beat the price point.)
I came home, laid it out, and it turns out, I
love it in the room.
The rug looks perfect, actually. (This photo doesn't do it justice.) It brightens the whole space and makes it much cozier.
So here's the new plan (which I didn't mention, I put together back before I even rearranged the room to begin with). I am embracing this neutral-only apartment (my roommate/business partner is adverse to color). And because I didn't really ge to appreciate the bar area in my last apartment (I put it together three days before having to pack it up and move out - solely for the purpose of a photo shoot!), I wanted to recreate something similar. Blacks, whites, gold, a smidge of gray, big gallery wall. Sleek, contemporary, sophisticated, lived-in, and cozy at the same time. Or at least that's the goal.
SHOP THIS LOOK:
Art: (see above)
Throw pillows:
Eskayel (these are sold out but I am OBSESSED and want something similar)
I love so many different styles... contemporary, graphic, cozy, rustic, frilly and feminine, French country, glam, relaxed beachy country... It's really kinda crazy actually. So I'm attempting to kind of throw it all together in this space and just embrace it. Hence the plaid throw and antlers, paired w/ a gold gilt mirror refined dresser, and sleek wall sconces with graphic photography.
Most of the gallery wall is up. I'm still waiting on the headboard and wall sconces. But so far I love it! Here are a few sneak peeks.
After I started to hang the gallery wall, I quickly ran out of black and white art. So I flipped through an old issue of Vogue, last year's issue w/ Tina Fey, and ripped out a favorite snapshot of one of my favorite role models. I think she works well on the wall!
And then there's this grouping, which I lovelovelove.
Antler trio very reasonably priced compared to others I've seen from Kathy Kuo Home
So that's that! I unfortunately won't be able to show photos of the finished product until it's photographed and "published," which likely won't be for a long while (hoping next winter). But I'm always posting sneak peeks on my instagram,
@alainakaz! Just follow the hashtag #DAcoachhouse to see snapshots of the whole place.
Thoughts?!
