Think I do my design boards just for clients? Nope – even when making decisions in our own apartment it can be really helpful to see everything laid out. Above is my design concept for our living room – minus the bar area, coffee table, and TV area, which are all staying the same.

One reason I feel that I work so well with budget clients is because I’m in the same boat myself (no one ever said being a first-year business owner was going to rake in the dough!). I too want quality products but I have to save up for each one or find creative solutions to get the same look… hopefully with the easiest DIY possible (I’m soooo losing steam on the DIY front – I’d just rather spend the extra money and save the stress for something else). Gathering my “vision” for the room early on can be a good way to steer clear of impulse purchases and quick fixes that only end up being a waste of money when it doesn’t work with the design or I end up hating it six months later.

And this is a good tool for me in combining my style with Ryan’s – I don’t have the luxury of total free-reign over our interior design and we have similar but still quite different taste (like many couples!). So mapping it out lets me see if our styles are both represented and playing nicely together. I think this room may need a chandelier but other than that we’re on the right track!

If you need a little guidance on your interior design, I’m currently accepting new clients! Contact me today.

I know I haven’t shared any progress pictures in a long time (just the holiday decorations about a month ago) and that’s because there hasn’t been a whole ton of action happening. But several pieces are about to fall into place all at once and I’m starting to think of which pretty little online publication should feature it when we wrap up (likely late next summer). Rue, Lonny, Matchbook, anyone…. anyone… Bueller?

Here’s my running list for our 700 sq ft apartment (who would think that such a little place would need so much work?):

1. New living room rug (current is moving to bedroom)

2. Buy dining chairs

3. Buy desk chair

4. Build shelves for over tv

5. Complete Billy bookshelf DIY

6. Mirror for over the bar

7. Buy, frame, and hang art wall.

8. Living room curtains

9. Kitchen window shade

10. Additional lighting in kitchen

11. Plate wall in kitchen.

12. Kitchen rug?

13. Hallway runner

14. Hallway bookshelf DIY (we moved the table out and in its place is a four-shelf bookshelf)

15. Bath accessorizing

16. New bed – mattress arrives next week!

17. Buy headboard (I’m being a flip flopper here and can’t make up my mind)

18. Buy file cabinet

19. Buy new laundry hamper

20. Buy linen chest

21. Choose new bedding

22. Choose fabric and make window seat cushion

23. Have roman shade made (choose fabric)

24. Throw cushions for bedroom and living room.

25. Art for above dresser

26. Additional seating in living room (we’re selling the blue and white chairs)

27. Buy a new sofa (we’ve sprouted a nice rip in one of the 10 year old cushions…)

Whew. That’s still a lot of stuff to do! And did you see that string of “buy buy buy buy buy” up there? Ouch.

In the meantime, I just got the Instagram app. If you feel like seeing my random snapshots throughout the day, please follow me there (lots of antiques, cats, and cups of coffee, I’m predicting). My name there is MaggieMorgan. Pretty tricky, I know. One of my first snaps is above (we got a new tray from West Elm for the bar).

Happy Monday!

The hallway runs almost exactly 14 feet long from the doorway that leads into the living room down to the bedroom door. It’s the spot that Thisbe likes to run her sprints when she’s feeling antsy, and I’m sure the neighbors don’t appreciate the thumping (she’s not very big but we call her Chunker for all the noise she makes jumping and running). Plus, I don’t want to overlook this decorating opportunity just because it’s a small area.

I’ve sort of planned on doing a vintage or antique kilim rug (similar to this one, but not this one because it’s too short). I’ve seen a few that are around $250 (and up).

Pretty traditional and won’t compete with the jute we have in the living room and whatever ends up in the bedroom (likely a geometric, like this one I posted about).

However, I was checking out the (now open!) new High Street Market shop and kind of fell in love with this rug:

I like that it’s herringbone pattern instead of chevron, and two of them would make exactly 14 feet. Plus, even buying two would only be $270 all together.

I’m seriously considering this option, but it will depend in part on what Ryan’s thoughts are and what we’re leaning toward for the bedroom… we’ll probably bite the bullet after Christmas. SO I want to hear your thoughts. Vintage kilim style or new and graphic print? Which do you love?

The frame we have from Crate and Barrel will have to go so hopefully we’ll get a few bucks for that on Craigslist (it’s in great shape). I have been planning on DIYing a headboard since we were living in the old apartment, but now that it’s getting closer I’m having second thoughts. I already have a gazillion projects on my list. There is no guarantee that the project will go smoothly. And honestly, I don’t really consider myself a DIY person, except that sometimes I just can’t afford or find what I want. I don’t get any kind of happy thrill out of DIY. There are tears and way more money spent than I ever thought, and it generally doesn’t turn out how I wanted. Ryan has suggested purchasing a headboard and I’m leaning that way now as well.

This is the one I want:

It’s from Serena and Lily. You can choose the fabric and the type of nailhead used. There are a few fabrics that I like, but this one is a top contender. Problem: I have expensive taste. This is about $1500 just for the headboard. If I’m patient and we save save save, I want this one. But I thought I’d see what else is out there for less.

Pottery Barn (classic, nothing crazy about it, but I like the linen they offer it in): $650

West Elm (my favorite shape of the cheaper choices but I don’t love the fabric options): $449

Crate and Barrel, but in gray (I don’t want the Colette bed): $899

So there are my top choices. What I love about my dream headboard is the fabric and the trim. I’m just not finding anything that compares… unless it’s only going to save us $100 or so. Looks like I’m pinching pennies, friends. DIY just isn’t gonna cut it (besides, the fabric I wanted to use in my DIY version is almost $200 a yard, and I want it TALL).

What do you think?

Ryan putting up the cord covers:

A view from farther back:

They are the Matte Bronze Plug-in Swing Arm Lamp (plug-in is necessary since we’re renters and can’t hard-wire). These handy cord covers keep the cords from looking all wonky. And don’t you worry – a big old piece of art is planned for right in the middle there (then they won’t feel so high up). We love them!

In total transparency (don’t want to keep anything from you), the lights were donated by the company… but not in one of those “We’ll give you swag and you’ll lie and say how you like it” ways – quite the opposite! I approached them about collaborating on a way to show off their awesome products, because I think they’re often overlooked or dismissed as “just a lighting store” when in fact, they have much more! Like furniture (love this table), and decorative accessories (like this glass cloche).

I also thought this would be a really fun opportunity to try out doing a link party After hearing great feedback on my “just for fun” design boards, I thought some of you might be doing similar little projects or have been wanting to try. And I want to give you a chance to show off your vision and creativity. So this is what I dreamed up…

On WEDNESDAY, November 2nd, I’ll be sharing my design board featuring a few of my favorite items from Lamps Plus (besides my killer wall lights, that is!). At the bottom of that post, I’ll set up a link party for you to link to your OWN post (on your blog) featuring YOUR design board (or boards!). It can be for a room in your house, a client, or a just for fun board, but to participate, it has to include items from Lamps Plus (it can have other sources too). After you link up, you can visit the other posts that gets linked as well, and maybe find some new blogs… or new blog readers

A big huge thank you to the awesome team at Lamps Plus for giving into my crazy little idea! Now everyone start prepping your posts for Wednesday (you can link after too, but it will get the most traffic on Wednesday)! Have questions? Meet me in the comments!

P.S. Read my Q&A interview over on the Lamps Plus blog HERE.

Here’s the room in August (it’s cleaner now but nothing else has changed):

And here’s what’s been kicking around in my head:

The black and white is the rug. The floral pattern on the left is fabric for the headboard, in the shape next to it – it will be quite a bit higher than the current headboard to take up wall space. The shimmery pattern on the upper right is meant to simulate what I want for a roman shade for the window… I can’t find a picture of the fabric I want online (it’s a Chinoiserie print in a similar color). I’m liking the diamond pattern below for the window seat cushion. Likely there will be pillows to match the shade and headboard, but I also like this velvet pillow. The cupboard matches our dresser and would replace the bookshelf (the mirror will move somewhere else).

After seeing some of the other smaller pieces come together I’m not sold on the rug anymore, but since everything is in limbo before we purchase anyway, I’m going to see if any other options arise. Other headboard fabrics I’m considering are:

Although I like them all, I really really really love the one I used in the design board. I just don’t know what we’ll be able to afford. They are all Schumacher fabrics (let me know if you’re interested in purchasing).

I’m also hung up on bedding options, mostly because of the cat. I loved our white duvet cover (with pink trim) but Thisbe’s claws put so many snags in it, and obviously her (black, constantly shedding) fur was all over it. So frustrating. I love the look of a really layered bed with a quilt on the bed and the duvet folded at the bottom… but let’s be honest. I’m not a daily bed-maker, and should I really decorate based on what the photos will look like, or what I have to live with at the end of the day? So even a dark quilt with the white duvet that I love doesn’t make sense. Given that I tend to dislike most retail duvet covers that AREN’T plain white doesn’t bode well either. So I’m on the fence on about three different combos of bedding, including having a cover made to match the headboard. But I’d rather contrast, so… sigh. Puts me back at the beginning.

And of course, keep in mind that Ryan is seeing this for the first time with all of you, so his opinion has yet to be included. What do you think, honey?

It’s just over 4 minutes (I tried to walk slowly!) and for those of you watching at your desks at work, you don’t NEED the audio to get a sense of what’s going on. Just keep in mind that my big plans and vision for the apartment take time and money, so this is really just the first layer – mostly items from our old apartment but in new places and with new uses!. It is by no means finished or fully decorated.

Well, what’d you think?

They look pretty clean in this picture but they were in bad shape. The fabric (quilted butter yellow) had large noticeable staining everywhere and had faded unevenly. The faux bamboo frame was painted a creamy yellow with gold flecks (meant to simulate bamboo? It wasn’t working).  They both smelled musty. And this was the charming sight underneath the seats:

The elastic supports were so dry and brittle that only one remained on each chair. The foam was slightly damaged from that, but not totally ruined.

So of course, I snapped them up and stuffed them in my car!

First up was stripping the chairs of all fabric (retaining the fabric so I could use it as a template for cutting out new fabric) and painting them. The stripping went something like this (I took a million iPhone photos so I could refer to them when I was putting it back together):

Then I primed and painted them both using spray paint (and my little nozzle gun to keep my pointer finger from cramping and hating me). I was literally adding a last coat of paint in the backyard while we were moving out of the house (these chairs, without cushions, were one of the last trips to the new place). For the life of me I can’t find my painting pictures so just picture me spray painting. It took at least two primer coats and 4-6 white paint coats plus a coat of spray sealant (which I wouldn’t use again, I’d use wipe-on poly next time).

After we moved the chair project sat a long time while Ryan got more and more annoyed by having two “chairs” that took up space but no one could sit in. Anyone else’s man get all huffy like that? Haha. (He was very patient. Love you, sweetie!)

I was hung up on fabric. I wanted to use this upholstery weight, gorgeous blue velvet I showed you in this picture (the solid navy). But at $35 a yard, not REALLY knowing what I was doing, and piping to sew from a diagonal cut… my yardage estimates were over $100 pretty fast (I was planning four yards but I like to buy an extra yard just-in-case unless I know for certain I’m not going to need it). So instead, we picked up a pair of cotton velvet navy curtains from Ikea for my yardage. This is not something I’d recommend to a client, probably. Upholstery weight fabric is heavier (and more expensive) because it’s thicker and more durable (the texture of the curtains was noticeably less plush to the touch). But I figure with the rate I change my mind about a design, by the time the chairs are worn out, I’ll be ready to reupholster them in something totally new anyway. And the curtains were $70. Win win.

First I had to rebuild the seat, with a few yards of burlap strap and my staple gun.

Then I tackled the actual upholstery. For how I built the back of the chair (which has fabric visible from front and back), I followed Jenny’s tutorials (I’m not going to rewrite the tutorial because she took great photos and explains it really really well). It was more physically demanding than I thought, but easier in concept than I expected.

When it came to covering the seat, I first cut out my fabric using the old yellow pieces as a guide, then stitched them together. I’m still a fairly novice sewer, so this ended up being an epic disaster. Here is my “finished” cushion that I realized immediately I’d have to re-do (there went $35 worth of fabric had I been using the pricier stuff). Something about corners threw me, and then I had all this extra fabric in the back that started puckering… no good.

Cue horns: Waaa Waaaa….

So then I tossed that out and laid my cushion top-down on the back of my fabric, trimmed around it, and then wrapped it up and stapled in place, being sure to pull tight and watching for any errant wrinkles that might be visible at the top of the cushion.

The back is secured from the front of the chair, made up of a layer of fabric that faces backward (stapled in place), a layer of thin foam (I used spray adhesive here), a layer of fabric that faces forward (stapled in place), and a trim glued in place to hide the staples (you can kind of see how it all comes together in my “dismantling”photo earlier). I sewed my own trim, a double-welt cord, but it only looks right on one of the chairs. I think I’ll used purchased trim (gimp) for the other chair – the trim is wonky, and I got glue on the front fabric, so that needs replacing).

Didn’t stop me from taking “after” pictures though!

Close-up of the welting that actually looks ok…

We love them, Thisbe LOVES them (it’s the only place she’s slept all week, practically), and I hope you like them! And since the chairs will be slightly mis-matched, and the fact that I hadn’t taken measurements of the room when I first bought them means we don’t have space for both… I’ll be selling one of the chairs. So if you’re in the Seattle area and are interested, let me know (if you hate the reupholstery and want to do it yourself, you’d save me the step of redoing the trim on the chair, so get in touch!).

So that was me tackling upholstery for the first time and being crappy about taking in-progress pictures whenever I was at the frustrating parts. Sorry about that. Hope you’re inspired to take on your own project. For only about $80 more than I paid for the chairs (and some blood, sweat and tears, quite literally), we have two beautiful chairs and kept something out of the landfill.

Anyway, this print was one of my first decor purchases for the new apartment. We hadn’t even moved in yet. We both love that it’s kind of cheeky and retro… she has the most fantastic sneer. Fast-forward six weeks later and Wednesday night I made myself a drink, put on some episodes of “Felicity” and busted out my craft paint to make this Ikea mat navy blue instead of cream (that was just blending into the walls). I think the navy makes the picture pop a bit more, plus it ties into the living room (err, when I get those curtains done anyway). It took 5 or 6 thin coats of acrylic paint, maybe half of a small bottle? This is in our entry hallway.

This hallway is REALLY hard to photograph. No natural light except the kitchen window, which of course put a big glare in the middle of the picture. I have some plans for it though – a Turkish runner, maybe a new table (or finally FINALLY skirt this one), and I need to find a mirror for last-minute-out-the-door checks.

This post gets the “most parenthetical post ever” award.

A few trips to Storables and Ikea and we’re back in the storage business. Here’s how we’re wrangling all that “small stuff” like silverware and measuring cups…

The silverware is stored in a silverware caddy we found at Crate and Barrel. I’d toyed with the idea of using mason jars and a vintage wire milk carrier, but I really just wanted it to tuck out of sight and not take up space (our counter space is very limited as well).

The flatware is in three slots on the left. On the right we store odds and ends like cheese spreaders, tea steeping spoons, chopsticks, etc.

Directly below, in the cupboard, we made the most out of our two shelves by adding a storage shelf to the top shelf. The top is the perfect size for wax paper and cling wrap, and below it we have plenty of room to store baking pans. To the left on the top shelf we store our pan lids in dividers.

The bottom shelf had enough room for some drawers (see more below).

These drawers are actually designed as sweater drawers for a closet, but the measurements were perfect for our 11 inch tall shelf. The top drawer holds measuring and baking-type equipment. The bottom drawer holds graters, Ryan’s immersion blender, and attachments for the Kitchen Aid. Rubber lining keeps things from slipping around inside the plexiglass drawers.

We had these bamboo drawer organizers from the last house, and we used them again to corral smaller items.

And finally, over the stove we added a metal shelf and a magnetic strip for knife storage. Eventually we’d also like a small shelf/table here for our canister of spatulas, etc, but for now they are only feet away on our kitchen island (directly opposite this photo). We’re still on the hunt for a cute basket to hold the dishtowels, but they will live up there. We opted for magnetic knife storage because we didn’t want to take up counter space with a knife block (and we would have had to purchase one anyway).

Have you ever faced a similar storage problem? I’ll admit, this threw us for a loop, but a few weeks in and it feels very natural.