Best Seat in the House

My new apartment came equipped with some fabulous amenities . . . and others that are not so fabulous. Take, for instance, the fact that we (my roommate and I) cannot paint any of the rooms. Add on to that the fact that my bathroom is bright orange in color. Two weeks ago, I saw this as the worst thing about the place, yet, funny enough, my perspective has flipped. That very same bathroom is now my favorite room. For this reason, I felt it my duty to share how I made it so.

Step 1: Increasing Storage

Worse than the hard-to-match color was the fact that when it came to storage this bathroom had one towel rod, one tiny medicine cabinet, one small cupboard (that also houses the sink plumbing) and pretty much zero counter space. To change this, I shopped around and found a two-shelf, single-rod storage unit for around $15 at Target and installed it, replacing the sole rod and skyrocketing the space's usefulness. Additionally, I chose to free up counter space by using the shelves to house extra knick-knacks and buying a tree-branch toothbrush holder (from CB2) that attaches to the wall, for $9. (Pictured above-left.)

Step 2: Finding the Shower Curtain

Probably the most difficult task was finding the perfect shower curtain that would suit my taste (for hopefully much longer than one year) yet still match the room. Enter, again, CB2. This store had pretty much everything I could have ever asked for, including a wonderfully bright shower curtain (Rain or Shine) -- for just $40 -- that goes with not only the bathroom but the artwork I had planned to adorn its walls with.

Step 3: Decorating the Rest

The final step was adding a touch of flare, which was not difficult because I already owned some of the things I had in mind. The artwork (picture above-right) I had collected more than a year ago and includes a framed copy of Rosie the Riveter and an autographed Rooney poster, picturing the band's 2010 album Eureka. On the shelves I have placed a gorgeous box, gifted to me from a co-worker, and a funky miniature disco light I received for Christmas years ago. The newer additions include a round vase I purchased at Home Goods to house extra roles of toilet paper (you can never really have too much of that stuff) and a wonderfully comfy cirrus rug from CB2.

P.S. These don't really count as décor, but I also found eco-friendly bamboo toothbrushes in a set of four, reminding purchasers to change their toothbrush every three months (as is recommended).

Feeling Like Homemaking

In honor of my plan to end up in my first big girl apartment soon, I spent a little time earlier this week perusing home furnishing/decorating sites and attempting to find some of my dream items. Though I do have a few nice items already, from having lived in apartments over the past two years, there are some things that I've just always wanted (and plan to get asap). Check them out below. I hope they inspire you as much as they do me.

1. Dishware
I currently possess some dishware already but I would love to find something a little more funky for entertaining with (and just to amuse myself). That said, I was looking through the Macy's website and came across this Martha Stewart-branded dishware. This woman is seriously the queen of home. You can purchase the items separately — and on sale — through the store's website.

2. A room divider.
This decretive element is my ultimate dream possession. For some reason, I have just always wanted one of these in my "big girl" living room and this one is only $180 at Pier 1 ... Maybe soon I'll turn that dream into reality.


3. A Chaise Lounge
These just scream comfort to me. Though this one is pretty basic (at least compared to some I've seen in stores), it was one of the only ones I could find online. It's available for around $900 from Crate & Barrel.


4. Artwork
Every home needs a dash of art (and mine is going to have a lot of it!); this print is something that I will be buying soon: No matter what. What's even better, it's only about $17 through Etsy.