House Apartment

wouldn't this print look great in a small bathroom that has just a hiiiiint of nautical-ness to it?

here's what I'm picturing: white hex tiles on the floor, semi-gloss white walls, a shower curtain made from an old spinnaker sailcloth (or you could make your own!), and a large brass mirror over the sink flanked by a pair of solid-cast salvaged bulkhead lights. I'd definitely pass on the obvious round porthole mirrors, as that would be a bit much in such a small space. hang a bamboo shade over the window and a set of monogrammed towels on a simple bar behind the door and you're done!

oh, did I forget to tell you that last week I visited the largest Ikea in the US? well, I did. and I survived to tell the tale.

it was actually totally manageable, but the fact that we showed up at 10:30am on a Thursday probably had something to do with it...I emerged without buying anything (it was more of a trip for my boyfriend's apartment), but I now have a tidy little list for our next mid-week trip. I want to get more plates and bowls (plain white everything) so that I can host bigger dinner parties, more glasses (these make awesome shot glasses and are perfect for sake), some of these rad tumblers for all the cold-weather beverages I plan on drinking, cheap plants (which they sell many varieties of for like $1.75 in the store), those 50 cent kitchen dishtowels with the red stripe, and surprisingly....bath towels?

normally I'm kind of a snob when it comes to towels...the cheap ones never really absorb water properly and they always get snags. to me, its worth it to spend the money on Ralph Lauren or something equally as middle/high end, because it's gonna last longer. but the Baven series was actually really nice! I almost bought one to try at home, cause that's when you really know if it's worth it, but I'll do it next time. I furthered my surprise by really liking the Baven bathmats (don't care for bathmats in general) and-- here comes the shock of the century-- I'm considering getting one in green. the vibrant colors are pleasantly rich and I'm tempted to stray from my white-towels-only rule and go wild with a kelly bathmat.

what can I say, Ikea makes people do crazy things.

oh, I also liked this new wool blanket, but I can't find it on the site.

okay, I'm thinking about this bed...


is it wrong to like an IKEA headboard so much? also, it's perfect that the simple frame will cover a boxspring, but doesn't add much to the overall width of the bed. I am baaaarely squeezing a queen into my bedroom and there's no extra room for a bulky frame.

the REDALEN could obviously be styled a million times better than in this photo...I'm thinking a down comforter, the new organic sheets I just purchased from Target, a gold-striped John Robshaw bedskirt, and a few hide pillows. or perhaps I'll keep one room of my apartment dead animal-free and go with a cheery ikat or something of that nature. oooh, I still have the Chaing Mai Dragon fabric I ordered on eBay...

I think this bed is one of those IKEA pieces that can be made to not look like it's from IKEA, ya know? it's growing on me more and more. but I wanna hear what you guys think...

I was helping a friend look for a striped rug for her LA apartment and came across this...