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!

I'm constantly dragging images onto my desktop and it's high time I share them with you and throw 'em in a folder.

loving the woven pendant shade and glossy white floors...

I started compiling this hot/not list sometime before the holidays...it's not complete, but I'm posting it cause really want your input! I'm talking to YOU, all of you lurking readers...leave a comment, let me know what you are sooooo totally over and/or what you are still totally digging. come on...I double-dog dare you.

- Keep Calm posters

- chalkboard paint

- chartreuse accent walls

- these little circle rugs from Ikea

- decorating with large, random letters (somehow even worse when they're your initials)

- Imperial Trellis wallpaper

- wall decals (good lord, please go away!)

- things that profess the owner's love of bacon

- ikat print

- draped suzanis

- taxidermy, hides, pelts, fur, antlers, dead things. sorry.

- arranging books by color

- monograms (always a classic, never goes out of style)

- layered rugs

- bacon

as I've said before, this blog serves as many things-- one of them being a virtual bulletin board for all of the rad ideas that I come across while wading through the deep, deep ocean that is the internet. if I spot a great idea and don't post it, I'll totally forget about it.
take for example, this amazing IKEA-hacked bedside table that I found on my new favorite blog, Little Green Notebook...
first, pick up a pair of IKEA Rast dressers at just 40 bucks a pop...

then head to Home Depot to pick out an accent color. the final product in the photo below features a dreamy shade of barely-pink, but I think it'd be fun to play around with a light seafoam or even rich navy...



hunt around online to find new pulls for the drawers. LGN featured these beauties from Bellacor (for $3 each!) and Anthropologie is also a good source for pulls, as is eBay, of course.

put all that together and what do you get? oh, just a perfectly glam bedside dresser, that's all.

this is something I'll absolutely consider when I start decorating my new apartment this spring. thanks, Little Green Notebook (via Penny People Designs)!

navy walls, blonde hardwood floors, antique desk/chest with round hardware, black-painted chairs, and woven accents...notice any other similarities?

I'm spending my days combing craigslist and attempting to find gainful employment in Chicago...and just when my brain is about to explode, I take a little break and retreat to my inspiration folders while the invisible sanity bar at the bottom of my screen slowly recharges itself.

just wanted to share some rad, nontraditional ways to decorate a wall...the first one is my favorite-- I love how the posters are all different, but the colors and typefaces are very complimentary. I'm kindof a sucker for anything that looks slightly dilapidated and the torn-away aspect is what appealed to me initially. I'd love to try something similar with a stack of my pal Matt Maust's posters, as what he designs already looks perfectly dated and weathered.


this wall, which has been layered with scraps of wood, could be stunning in a high-ceilinged dining room with huge skylights. generally I'm very anti "accent walls", but if you kept all remaining surfaces white, this little instillation would have just the right effect.


with a pile of old yardsticks and a can of lacquer, you too could create a nifty backsplash (though I'd opt for some less noticable hardware to secure it, wouldn't you?)


and there's always the classic inspiration wall. my bedroom was a collage of my budding personality throughout highschool, and I've always kinda missed it. if I were to do anything like this today it'd be carefully curated and installed, but it'd still be so much fun to put together. making a giant collage is sortof like making a visual mixed tape...

hey guess what, it's MLA Buddies Week!
I have so many amazingly talented friends and I decided that it's high time I introduce you to them. since this blog is more interior design-focused, I figured I'd kick things off with some gorgeous photos of Martha Mullholland's stunning Chicago apartment.

these were pulled from her recently-posted AT House Tour, which created quite a stir in the comments (as expected). Martha and I did a good bit of growing up together in Kentucky and it was actually her old apartment into which I moved when I first relocated to Chicago...she is unbelievably talented and I am constantly inspired by her treasures and vignettes.
she was also featured in this month's CS Interiors, as the "Mix Mistress" on page 30...


and if you leaf far enough into the CS social pages, you'll find a little snap of Martha and myself enjoying the free champagne at the BoConcepts one year anniversary party.