Nice and neutral.

I've been going back and forth with how to decorate my new apartment. I've played it safe by buying neutral furniture pieces (most of them used - I love you CraigsList) and I made the obvious choice of painting the walls grey (who's not surprised?), but in terms of adding some color, I remained confused as ever. Some days I like blues and greens. Other days pale pink. Always yellow. But I have big plans for my grey and yellow office. But when it came to the living room/dining room combo, I was stuck. Then I kept seeing neutral rooms on blog after blog after blog... and realized, "Yes. Stick with neutral." If it's not broke, don't fix it, right? The space will include various hues of brown, taupe, grey, and white, with pops of color coming and going in the form of holiday decorations, flowers, and throw pillows.

So with the following images in the back of my mind, I am hoping to make an inviting and relaxing space great for both entertaining and cozy movie nights with my boy and the puppies.

Sit back, relax, and wish you were getting an invite to the first game night...

Elegant and simple. Great window treatments.

Love the natural wood elements in this room. Must find and acquire immediately.

A grey (faux?) fur throw just like the one I purchased not too long ago... perrrrfect.

The couch and chair I'll be using have similar coloring to the seating in this photo. My West Elm couch is a cream/beige (you'll see below) and the chair is off white.

Love the artwork in this photo. And the bar. Double inspiration in one shot. Shnazzy.

Will hopefully get a lucite coffee table similar to the one pictured here. Fingers crossed!

Pretty, eh?

So here is the room... and yes, I am referring to the brighter room with the bay windows and awful ceiling fan/lighting fixture combo. The space in the foreground will be the dining room.

And here is a tiny peek of what the room will look like!

I don't actually own the chair pictured (it belongs to my friend), but I own the couch version of it in that same color. I bought it along with the Andalusia rug off CraigsList for an uber good deal. The charcoal, animal print pillow and fur throw are mine, both of which I plan on using on the couch. The wall color is Dolphin Fin by Behr.

Design Challenge: A City Girl's Apartment part deux

Based on yesterday's post, I had another friend ask for the same thing.

Apartment living.

Girl in her twenties.

What could be better than classic greys with pink and white accents?

Again, click on image to get details of pricing and where to buy.

Girl's Night In by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

Still have to work on a purple room. I know this.

Design Challenge: Studio Redo

As a follow-up to yesterday's post (and in response to one confused male reader's comment), I've decided to change up the design of the brilliantly laid-out studio apartment belonging to actress Rashida Jones. I tried to stick with the main pieces seen in the below sketch, but I provided a toned-down color palette for a female space and a more contemporary look for a guy's place. I hope this helps you, my sole male reader. (Just click on images to view them blown up.)

The Inspiration

Studio Redo: A Lady's Place

1. Dining Chairs

2. Dining Table actually overstock.com

3. Curtains

4. Shelves

5. Couch

6. Nesting Tables

7. Bookcase

8. Bedding

9. Bed

10. End Table

11. Chair

12. Rug

13. Pillow1

14. Pillow2

15. Pillow3

Studio Redo: A Guy's Place

1. Dining Chairs

2. Dining Table

3. Curtains

4. Shelves

5. Couch

6. Nesting Tables

7. Bookcase

8. Bedding

9. Bed

10. End Table

11. Chair

12. Rug

Design Challenge: Living room transition

Over the past two or three months, I've had several friends move into new apartments and ask for help in decorating them. One girl, in particular, moved into a place with her best friend from college. She is only planning on staying there for a year, however, before finding a place with her boyfriend.

The dilemma: furnishings fitting of a female-only space that can transition into a male/female cohabited condo within the next couple of years

The solution: greys and neutrals with some fun, feminine accents

The Room:

LT's Living Room by AKaz85 on Polyvore.com

A few notes:

- The room's main piece, the couch, is neutral and traditional. It can fit into practically any style home.

- The tables and lamps are a mix of metals and woods. Mixing textures and materials make the room more interesting but it's important to make sure it blends. Having wood in two places (table lamp and coffee table) and metal in two places (floor lamp and end table) ensures a sense of cohesion.

- The light blue and cream chair, the two purple giraffe-patterned pillows, and the starburst mirror give the space personality, in this case, making it more feminine.

- The image in the background is the ideal wall color: a light grey. This simple palette provides a great backdrop to tie the room together. Image courtesy of Design Inc.

click on the image for pricing details and where to buy

Happy Lounging, Lauren!