Style Cure : Update #2

It's already Day 18 lock in your furniture layout and I've yet to get much further then cleaning up my room which is already messy again & I ended up taking back the southwestern rug, find picture inspiration and, think about the furniture layout.  Really it's just been daunting trying to figure out what I want and then sticking to the plan.  As I think I've found what I want and then I get distracted again and feel lost and end up stocking in my tracks.  

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I fear that my perfectionist personality and very small budget inhibits me from going any further in my design plan, but I really want to become someone who makes things happen instead of wishing that it was already done.  I know that when I've completed this project I'm going to really love my main living area.

This week I spent more time doing research on what would work for my space, especially when it comes to which walls are going to have what color and I'm happy to say that after seeing the design sponge sneak peak on Kiera Kushlan I knew exactly what I wanted for my dining room.  As well as seeing this entry way I hope to make it a reality by the end of the year in my home.  I hope that it will help to define the living space.

I'm also really excited to have my wall colors chose and feeling pretty confident in how it's going to come out.   I plan to start with the dining room since all I need to do in there is paint, change out the light fixture to a fixture similar to this double swag pendant and hang up some art.  

I plan on doing the same design as the design as above  instead of the starburst pattern I found last week.  I feel that the curved diamond stamp still adds a vintage look, but also keeps it simple with a slight touch of modern.  The stamps is a UK product so most likely it wont ship to me, and it will take some time, so I will end up making my own or using poster board to cut out a template.

 

I plan to use Martha Stewart's Vapor #1 for the main walls in the dining room and Mimosa #2 for the diamond accents.  The Living room will be Nimbus Cloud #3 and the wall closest to the kitchen will be Endive #4.  I also plan to make the entry wall that goes up the stairs Vapor #1 as well.   

Once I accomplish that I will work on adding the entry wall and painting the living room and determine if I still want to use Martha Stewart's Washed Denim as my accent color in there.  

What are some of your design fears and how have you overcome them?

Style Cure Day 3: Picking the Room

Style Cure Day 2's challenge is all about going on a style treasure hunt and sharing your findings via a Pinterest Style Cure Board. Since my outings this past weekend only consisted of TJ MAXX and Home Goods I didn't find much in my furnishings or decor that matched my style so most of my inspiration for the room was found online.

Row One:
1) Faux Wood "make your mark" 24x36 sign - $24.99

2) Blue and tan chevron Rug by Raj - $29.99

3) Oasis - Ash Grey - Grommet Panels - 40" x 84" - $24.99

Row Two:
4) Lovely Dog Food Bin.  I so want to swap out our black and white one for this. 

5) Plastic Letters "A" and "J"  I really loved the grey of the "A" but don't have a meaning behind the letter, so I simply took a photo.  The J works for my first name, but I would rather have a G for my last name. - $5.99

6) "Dream" 10x10 fabric art - $9.99

7) Blue Treasure Fabric Box - $19.99

Style Cure Day 3's challenge was to pick the room.  In the beginning I had a few rooms in mind, but in the end i really want to complete my living room as it's the first room you see when you enter and I would really like it to look more put together.

It's been a challenge keeping my living room just a living room; tv watching, gatherings with friends, and a place to store my shoes, keys and a few essentials for living in the space, but inevitably other items seem to creep in taking away from the openness and airy feel that I've been desiring. 

My main goal for this room is to have a place to keep my blankets for tv watching, the mail, pens and keys that isn't an eye sore.  I would also like to hang my art on the wall.

Currently, this is my entry way.  It's mainly being used to store various items that are making their way out the door.  The items to the left of the entry dresser are heading leaving with me this weekend.  I was holding them for a friend and I'll be making my way this weekend and I'll be happy to see the pile gone after sitting there for a few weeks.  the radio is going to be taken to work for me to use, but I either don't have enough time to grab it, or I forget that I wanted to take it with me.  

I like the division of the IKEA base cabinet that I've been temporally using as my entry table as we can each have a drawer for our mail, a large drawer for bags, and the bottom one for blankets so I hope to find something just as functional to replace this once it's sold, but not so large and modern.  I also moved my wicker lamp from my bedroom that I wasn't using to add more ambient lighting for movie watching.  

To the right of the floor lamp sits a large box that houses our goodwill items a.k.a. our outbox.  It's been helpful to have the box there, even though it's a huge eyesore, but it's much easier to toss items in whether big or small and they remain in the box.  Then once it's ready to overflow will right the items up for tax time deductions and then make a trip to the goodwill to part with them.

I love my $4 mcm imitation table lamp that I scored at a local thrift store a few months back when I found my couch, but it has been moved a few times and now resides next to the door as my drop zone.  The lotion is for my mom, the chicken is more decor then functional, but I really like it, an the milk glass vase houses my keys. 

Under the table are my store returns.  Yes, I know I have a few, and by the look of my pile you would never know that I mull over these items for a few days before even buying them.  Just imagine if I bought everything I thought would work.  Sadly, some of the items have been sitting there for a while as I have yet to locate the receipt, but I'm glad to say that the shoes and litter pellets will be heading out in the next week. 

My goal for this area is to keep it open.  I also hope to find another place for the lamp as I thought we would use the lamp more when entering, but we don't.  It also blocks my art, which I'm not a fan of.

This little corner has actually not been a problem area and I love my round table there.  It's the perfect height to match my loveseat and holds my owl and miscellaneous change.  I also love the wicker basket, another thrifty find, that works great for doggy toys.

My goal for this area is to simply hang the art piece that is lying in my magazine rack and to hang the curtain draw back so I can pull the curtain back and let some light in during the day.

Our house is void of any real closet space, except for in the bedrooms so we have to be creative on how we store things.  I purchased this IKEA rack on Craigslist for half the retail price and it seems to be doing a decent job, but the corner just feels overcrowded and it's hard to access since the chairs sometimes block it.

My goal for this space is to relocate the coat closet and hopefully find a good home for my mcm end tables (the other one is being used in my bedroom), as I had hoped to use them as end tables in this room, but they are just to short.

Here we have two miscellaneous side chairs that tend to move on the hardwood floor, and it's pretty annoying, but I do love my vintage phone stand that's in between them.  the pillow cover is from IKEA, along with the green planter and faux plant.  The green recliner has been listed on Craigslist for a few weeks, but so far no takers.

My goal for this area is to figure out how to get the chairs to stop moving so much and sell the green recliner.

My dining room is pretty small, really just enough room for my 5' x  4' table to allow sufficient room to walk around, but currently we have items that we've posted on Craigslist and the local fb yard sale page residing on the back wall, and they're a bit of a eyesore.  i did recently purchase the area rug from Ross for under $40, which I'm love. 

My goals for the dining room is to sell the items on the other side of the table, find a mcm table cloth and napkins to better fit my mcm table, hang the retro pendant, and find some art to hang around the mirror.  also, thinking about paining the space a shade of white or grey.

Here's a nice open view from the kitchen, well open if you ignore the clutter like the Formica table, one of the chairs, and the IKEA computer table.  although, I must admit I'm loving how much light is coming through since it's mostly dark in here being that we are a middle townhouse downtown so we don't keep the blinds open often.

My goals for this area is to find someone who wants the Formica table, hang the bike in the kitchen, figure out what to do with the bar stool, and maybe sell the IKEA computer table as it seems more in the way then actually used.  

The Start of Style Cure 2013

Whosh!  that's pretty much how this last month can be described.  It seems as if this last month was like a blur, and I'm looking forward to taking August slowly and really start to tackle clearing out our cluttered basement.

Oh, but the main reason for this post is to talk about a new series by Apartment Therapy called The Style Cure 2013.  I just love their home organizing series.  In January I participated in the January Cure 2013 and I really enjoyed  getting some help with focusing my thoughts & completing some much needed projects.

Day 1 is all about completing the Style Cure Interview, which takes about 30 minutes to review and then analyze your answers. Below is a photo of my interview. 

The Chosen Space:
The Living Room

This is the space everyone sees when they first walk into my home, and it's a bit everywhere considering I have 2 wall colors, pictures leaning against the sofa waiting to be mounted and some miscellaneous furniture pieces that have been posted for sale.

The Conclusion:
Questions: 1 & 2 Form a picture of your style
My style is definitely relaxed classic style that is simple with a touch of vintage. 

Questions: 3 & 5 What you find pleasing, comfortable & beautiful

I find something that says "me" in the space and that I find brings people together.  I loved having dinner parties in my 1-bedroom apartment in South Denver where I had a table that seated 8-10 people where we could celebrate each other and share a space together that was simple and put together.  This was also my most well designed apartment, because I only had what I needed with a simple decor items on the wall and nothing more.

Questions: 4 & 6 Aspirations, form direction and goals

I don't really have one person that i admire, but I tend to look up to people who are strong-independent, who think outside of themselves , and are well-traveled, because it really helps to grow them and they're not afraid to explore and find out that there may be some place better then what they are used to.  My main admiration are those who simply enjoy what they have and are content owning very little and don't overspend.  It's a place that I've been working towards these last few years.  It's been harder since my mom moved in with me, because she owns enough for 3 families. 

I know I want my home to be full of light, but it's difficulty living downtown so we keep the curtains closed most of the time, and there are few windows being that I'm the middle town home.  Natural light is a commodity that I hope to figure out how to utilize what I have to create this feel.  I also want to eliminate the access clutter of items that are not being used or really don't work well for it's given purpose.    Mainly, I hope to determine a wall color so I can eliminate the bland pb color I've had on the walls since moving in. 

My living room is a bit different currently, but this is the overall feel and pieces that I have in the space.