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| Welcome! The view from my bedroom door. |
I live in a third-floor apartment in the hills, in a city that has almost made up its mind about Spring arriving. The tree-lined walk from my apartment to the bakery and coffee shop takes about seven minutes; the grocery takes maybe ten. Best of all, I am a scant half-block from a deliciously well-stocked art store. I have three-and-a-half rooms that I share with my roommates, E and K, and two rooms that I can call entirely my own. Since I moved here almost a year ago, I have been making a concerted effort to completely personalize my space and turn my bedroom into an inspiring, positive place that I love waking up to every morning.
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| And the reverse view from my bed! |
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| Tip: If you share your space with a cat, a litter box enclosure like this one (bottom left), is a fantastic solution to containing both smell and mess. Check out the Designer Catbox. Also, hello, Cleo ^^! |
I knew from the start that I wanted a bold wall color. I considered many color palettes before finally settling on a vivid, magenta-pink that reminds me of the tulips in my mother's garden. My room isn't large, and darker or bolder colors can definitely make a space seem smaller, but I wasn't terribly concerned with creating the illusion of a larger space. Rather, I liked the idea of creating a private, enclosed sanctuary, like the interior of a flower. I consider the green leaves outside my windows as part of my decor, and I love how they contrast against my pink walls. I think this is an important point when decorating any room: if you have windows, consider what the outside view will add to your interior environment! The view from my window also prompted me to pull more greens and green-blues into my room as accents:
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I bought one roll of self-sticking wallpaper from Anthropologie and cut pieces from it to add color to my wardrobe drawers and night stand, and to also tie the look of my furniture into the pattern on my comforter. The striped lamp was actually a $5 purchase from Goodwill that I painted myself, and then topped it with a $15 lampshade from Lowe's.
As the building my apartment is in is rather old, the closets are extremely small and dark. The closet in my room is actually too narrow to fit my hangers! My room also has a slightly odd little nook just right of my bedroom door, and I decided to turn this tiny bit of room space into something like a walk-in closet:
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| I don't open the real closet door very often, so hanging a mirror on it helps bring more light into my wardrobe area. |
Rather than trying to store my clothes in the narrow built-in closet, I purchased a wardrobe system from IKEA and use the built-in closet for storing my suitcases, pet carrier, and household odds & ends. To save a little money, I decided to purchase my wardrobe without doors, with the intention of saving up to buy them later. However, I've found that I really like the texture and color added by leaving my clothes in view. It also encourages me to keep my wardrobe nice and neat!
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| My favorite component of my wardrobe is the slide-out shoe rack! ^^ |
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| I like the bright pops of color and interesting texture added by hanging my purses on the wall. |
I inherited this shelf, also from IKEA, from my roommate, when I found I needed a little extra storage space for my shoes (I have too many ><;!). It also ended up working wonderfully as a little jewelry display and makeup station:
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| I found the standing mirror in a cute little antique shop, and the jewelry box was one I inherited from my grandmother. |
Since I don't have quite enough room in my jewelry box to hold my necklaces, I strung a length of heavy-gauge wire across the back of the shelf and use it to display my favorite necklaces, dangly earrings, and a few vintage brooches I inherited. The two aqua-striped wood boxes hold all the makeup I use on a daily basis (my extra makeup is stored in a hard carrying case). They were inexpensive purchases from the art store that I painted myself ^^
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| I also used the self-sticking wallpaper to cover some plain cardboard boxes for some instant DIY cute storage! |
I had been stalking IKEA's Expedit bookcase for ages, so I made it a goal to purchase it when I moved to my new apartment. I have a huge amount of books (lots of manga and art references, in particular), and really needed a storage solution that would keep them neat and all in one place. I love the amount of storage space it affords (I still have two empty cubes!), and that it's finished front and back, so it can also be used as a room divider. I love how the white finish pops against my walls, and the top of it ended up being the perfect place to display some of my favorite shoeboxes and hatboxes.
Lastly, I took a collection of lovely, ornate, and inexpensive picture frames (both on eBay and at thrift shops) and turned them into wall art by backing them with pretty scrapbooking papers and wrapping paper. I also am very fond of paper lanterns, and created my own light display using two large globes (about $10 each) and cord kits (about $30 each). The third lamp, a large flower-blossom-covered globe, was a purchase from Modcloth, and was admittedly a splurge at $120. However, it was a really fun DIY project to put together and I love the quality of light it produces in my room. Plus, it came with extra flowers that I've scattered on the walls behind it. I want to create more paper flowers on my own and add them to the display for additional color and texture ^^
The process of decorating one's living space is forever ongoing as your tastes change and your style evolves. While I love where I am at with my room right now, I plan to bring more vintage and Mori-girl-inspired touches to it over the coming weeks and months.
