Bedroom Inspiration

Fabric.  I can sum up my inspiration for the Master Bedroom in one word: fabric.  Ever since I first had the opportunity to decorate my bedroom when I was about 15, I decided that I would always rather create bedroom pillows and accents than buy things off the shelf.  I remember actually making a pillow once with printed chiffon fabric which I double layered.  The fabric was floral, so I took fake flower pedals and put them in between the layers of fabric. 


For the master bedroom, I turned towards fabric.com for my inspiration and palette.  I decided first that I really loved the idea of grey and yellow.  I had seen it in a couple of different places and just thought it was the perfect mix of warm and cool colors for a bedroom.  DP was on board with the color, but we were going back and forth about what exactly we wanted to make and what we wanted to buy. Initially, I had found some yellow and gray fabric that was a very bright yellow - far more modern than I had originally wanted.  I bought it and was going to buy a duvet cover and make pillows and shams for the bed.  That ended up being a direction that didn't seem to work. So when I sat down with DP and was showing him some other options, we decided to build the headboard and cover it in fabric and then buy a simple grey, stock comforter.  I am so excited for this project.  The bird print above will be the headboard and the other fabrics will be used as complements.  The yellow fabric I purchased is a DwellStudio design from fabric.com  for less than $20.  I ended up making two 18" x 18" matching pillows for the bed.  Last week when I was purusing the web I saw the same pillows on sale at DwellStudio (pictured above).  Let me tell you, the pillows took all of ten minutes to make and as I said before cost me less than $20 total for the whole project; the DwellStuido pillows are $58 a piece and sold out. 

I have light turquoise accessories for a splash of color and am still trying to find either fabric for the curtains or pre-made ones, but I am having a very hard time.  I still have a lot of work to do sewing together the Master Bedroom-- but I have to say it is actually pretty easy and a lot of fun.

Living Room Inspiration

I get inspired by hundreds of different things.  For several months I have been reading various design blogs and looking at home stores trying to find inspiration for our apartment.  The look and palette of the living room however I decided over a year ago.  At the Cleveland Art Museum there is a painting called Celebration by Lee Krasney.  Lee Krasney is the wife of Jackson Pollock.  Immediately upon seeing the grand piece I knew that the colors and feeling of life were perfect for whatever place I call home.  I went online and I bought a print of the painting.  The print is nowhere as impressive as the real painting, which measures well over 8 feet long but it has become the inspiration for the whole living room. 

What is funny is that once I picked out all my pantone colors and decided how I wanted the room painted, I started seeing pieces that perfectly complimented this painting everywhere. I found the perfect pillow at Crate and Barrel.  I would post a picture of it but it is no longer on sale (thank God I bought it when I did).                 

I want the print above the couch but I have mixed feelings of how I want it hung.  I love a good gallery display above the central seating area but at the same time, I don't want to over do it.  This is one of the couches we bought and one image I am looking to for more inspiration.  I think I may do a gallery display but simplify it a bit so the central focus is really put on "Celebration". 

Kitchen Inspiration

For DP and I the kitchen is one of the most important parts of our renovation.  We both love to cook and spend a lot of time working and cooking together.  We want a space that is both practical and beautiful. We also want to create a space that looks something like the original probably did. We want to make it feel like it hasn't been modernized, just dressed up a little.  DP came home from the gym a couple months ago and told me that he knew exactly what he wanted to do.  At the gym the movie Moonstruck was playing.  Cher's parent's house in the film is right around the corner from 187 Hicks and shares a lot of features with our apartment. The Moonstruck kitchen is the original inspiration for how we think the kitchen should look.  We love the white cabinetry with very simple detailing, the subway tile back splash, and shelves above the stove.  Because we have a lot of unsightly cooking stuff, we are not going to have all the cabinets with glass fronts but we are definitely bringing that touch in a little bit.

In addition, we need to use the height of the room  (the ceilings are almost 10' tall), so the plan is to build cabinets as high as possible.  Although we won't be able to access the top row of cabinets too easily, we have oh so many appliances that we use on a not regular basis it made sense to have them anyway.  This photo is actually from an apartment we looked at nearby that had been recently renovated.  I love its use of vertical space.  

Appliances have been purchased and we are getting the space measured for cabinets on Thursday- so this project is actually underway.  I can't wait to share the finished product with everyone.

Shelf example

Cabinet and hardware example

Highlights and Lowlights

I had my wonderful roommate come and take pictures of the apartment last weekend.  She captured some of the finer (and not so fine) pieces of the apartment.  There are so many unique features that we hope remain intact throughout the process including some incredible fixtures that highlight the space.  There is a lot of work to be done but we hope to honor man of the original features while giving it the modern touches it needs.

Awesome light switch cover

Dumb waiter, sadly we have to lose this.

Stained glass window in the closet.

Vent?

Beautiful hardwood floors

Kitchen fixture- love this piece.

Awesome vintage glass collection.

Hall Wallpaper- literally amazing.

This we are keeping-- cleaning but keeping.

Kitchen floor- needs a little love, and a level

Master Bedroom - toilet really? 

In the beginning

Every great work of art starts with a blank canvas.   Here is a sneak peak at ours.

The apartment is in "estate condition" which is fun and scary at the same time.  There are missing floor boards, no appliances in the kitchen, electric from the 1950s, and missing bathroom fixtures-- but at the same time there are beautiful 10' ceilings, tons of weird closets, random stained glass windows, and a semi-affordable price tag.

It's a project- and I love projects.  I wanted everyone who cares (mainly my mom) to have the opportunity to see the "house on Love Lane" come to life. 

Living Room

Living Room 2

Guest Bedroom

Guest Bedroom 2

Hall

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom 2

Master Bathroom

Guest Bathroom