San Francisco Apartment - Bedroom & Bathroom

The bedroom and bathroom are probably the most unlike my old apartment. I had been transitioning out of the old traditional hand-me-down furniture that my mom gave me 8 years ago when I graduated from college, but the bedroom set was a tough one to bite the bullet on and sell. It was nice furniture, but just not my style. In the end, I decided that I didn't want it to make the move to San Francisco, and a friend of mine in LA is quite happy about that (since she got the furniture when I left).

I had wanted a canopy bed for quite a while, previously loving a basic black wood frame from Crate & Barrel. But a month or so before I moved, I saw this iron one from Room & Board (Architecture Bed). It was perfect - very straight, basic lines. I bought the bedding a while ago in anticipation of the more modern look. It's all IKEA, so it will probably be updated at some point, but it works for now.

For nightstands, I wanted something unique. I love seeing the varied things that people do to the IKEA Rast dresser, and I wanted to give it a shot. I wouldn't be able to fit one on each side, though, so I focused on one, and then found another table to go on the other side. I didn't want to put too much money into it, so I went with paint, an overlay for some texture, and new knobs. I actually prefer the look of the dresser without knobs at all, but since the Rast drawers are pretty difficult to open without knobs, that wasn't a very functional solution. The other nightstand is a metal table from Urban Outfitters. The price and the size were perfect. The overall feel of the table is just so-so, but it will do for now!

As for the bathroom, I went from a bathroom with tons of cabinet space underneath a long vanity with double sinks to this small cabinet under the sink and no vanity space at all. My mom suggested getting a small IKEA Expedit for extra storage and counter space, and it was a great idea. I still do not have a washer/dryer unit, but I'm on the hunt! I'm also hoping to buy white towels at some point soon! Other than that, the bathroom is done!

IKEA Rast hack next to the bed

With limited closet space, hooks for scarves seemed like the best use of this blank space between the bathroom and sliding doors.

Urban Outfitters metal table on the other side of the bed. And Ava's dog bed.

Shower curtain and rugs from West Elm

San Francisco Apartment - Kitchen

There are two main additions to the kitchen that I'm pretty proud of. First, the IKEA island. I went back and forth about what size and style of island to get, but ended up getting the unfinished Groland island from IKEA. The initial plan was to stain the legs a shade of walnut, but the wood didn't take the stain very well. My mom worked all day on it, and neither of us were happy with the end result. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't like it after she spent so much time and work on it, but by the end of the night, she suggested that we start over and paint the legs instead. So she bought black paint and painted over what she had stained. The final product was a perfect complement to the maple cabinets and black appliances that came with the apartment.

I had sold my old table and chairs before the move, knowing that they were too big for this smaller apartment. But I was happy to realize that a smaller round table and chairs would fit. I found this set on Craigslist for only $200! It's all Room & Board that usually sells for well over $500. She only had 3 chairs, but they are almost identical to the chair I have at my desk, which I will just add to the table if I have more than 2 people over.

San Francisco Apartment - Entry and Living Room

These rooms were just completely finished yesterday and today with some final touches. First, the entry. I knew I wanted to somehow separate the space to make it feel more useful than one large open area. I have seen desks along the backs of sofas before, and it appealed to me for a number of reasons. First, it would allow me to have my desk without taking up wall space. Second, I have always grumbled about not being able to see the TV while I'm on the computer. I multi-task all the time, so having a movie or something on in the background while I am working is nice. I also knew I wanted the IKEA Expedit shelving for this space. I'd been wanting it for a while because I think it's a little easier to style the shelving in the squares than a traditional bookcase. I also knew I would need a little extra storage for files, so the boxes that fit right into the squares were definitely of interest. Finally, the other main piece of furniture in the entry is my dresser. My bedroom is too small for the dresser to fit, and it was originally built by my great-grandfather, so there is no way I was getting rid of it. I did change out the pulls, though, to let it fit a bit better with my overall style. My mom painted an old mirror that I had, I bought the Z Gallerie lamp that I had been loving via Pinterest, and added an old coat rack in the corner that I found on Craigslist. Closet space is not abundant in this apartment, so the coat rack was a needed alternative. The nook by the front door that had been used as storage is still used that way. I replaced the curtains with something darker.

The living room is basically the same as in my old West Hollywood apartment, minus the coffee table, which I had sold prior to the move. And my old (but recently reupholstered) chair and ottoman from my old study has been added to the group. The other major thing about this area (and the entry) is that most of the long wall of the apartment is textured concrete. My landlord does not allow drilling into the concrete, so hanging pictures was a challenge. After experimenting with the adhesive hangers that supposedly hang heavy pictures on concrete (but don't work on texture), I finally came up with a solution. I bought 1x4 and 1x6 pieces of wood, painted them brown, and leaned them against the concrete wall. They make me a little nervous, but at least my pictures are up. I think I might invest in some sandbags or something for the base to secure them a bit more.

Final 2

I am so sick of looking at rugs, so this is it. I'll explain my dilemma and then am open to thoughts.

I like this rug:

But it is expensive compared to this rug:

I worry that the first one might not go with my couch, and I worry about finding the right greens to go with the second rug. So neither one is perfect. When I started this whole rug thing, I wanted something that would give me a bright pop of color. Both of these will do that, I think, although yellow can sometimes come off like a neutral. But maybe that's ok? I really love the style of the pattern on the grey/yellow rug. Simple, modern, but with a natural feel. The green one feels more whimsical and not as sophisticated for some reason.

That said, this is a big price difference. $390 versus $564 (after a 25% off discount). If I was certain about the first one, then maybe it'd be worth it, but I'm not sure...

So - what do you think?

I don't own a rug...

Remember when I wrote about rugs? Well, I bought one. The first one. They shipped it to me. FedEx delivered it...to the "side door" according to their door tag. Of course, I don't actually have a side door to my apartment. The building has a side door, but that side door faces Santa Monica Blvd, which is much busier than my side street. So certainly they wouldn't leave it there, right? Well, I actually have no idea. But it's gone. Fortunately both FedEx and the company I bought the rug from were great and the company reordered a rug for me at no charge. Yesterday, I was notified, however, that in between the time that my first rug shipped, was stolen, and had to be reordered, the rug had been discontinued. I tried to see if any other vendors might have it in stock, but nope. It's unattainable. Even through eBay, which I thought was a goldmine for discontinued rugs.

So that's out. And it means I need a new one. So the old options are still on the table. Well, except I don't really like #2 and 3 anymore, so let's just focus on the green swirl rug and these new options.

1. Lulu rug

Apparently it's a brighter apple green than this picture depicts. They offer swatches for $2, so if this ends up being the front runner, I think I'll get that to be sure I like the color.

2. Safavieh Dhurries rug

3. Floral Yellow/Olive Rug

4. Stream Rug

5. West Elm Andalusia Rug

6. Argonne Rug

7. Pottery Barn Green Swirl Rug

I own a couch!

Ok, basically this blog has become a music/decorating blog. Pretty congruent with what's going on in my life lately.

To follow-up with the progress of my apartment decor, here is my new couch:

I had it custom made from Custom Sofa Design. It's a modified version of Jonathan Adler's Butterfield sofa. Mine is slightly shorter and with 2 instead of 3 cushions. Espresso wood finish and Linato fabric in color Cafe.

More Decorating

To follow up from the rug post...with a bit more information and ideas.

The couch will probably be one of these colors

• Rice
• Stone

I am looking at a bunch of pillows on Etsy to get ideas. Not sure if I'll find ones similar cheaper at Target or other places around town, but I've found some really great things on Etsy.

Whether I go with green or yellow on the rug, I've thought of doing some brown/white pillows with either the green or the yellow from the rug (or maybe navy/white or brown/white instead of black - I'm clearly up in the air about this). I like these:

Imperial Trellis Designer Pillow

White Black Circle Designer Pillow

Phyllis Pillow

Tied up Pillowcase

Tatami Pillow Cover

Navy Lattice Work Designer Pillow

Vintage Pillow

Oval Geo Print Pillow

Decorating Help

Ok, I need help, readers. I am rug shopping for my new apartment. I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I need something for my living room since there are wood floors. I found some $7,000+ rugs that I am in love with, but until I make a lot more money, that's just not going to happen.

I want something with a kick of bright color - either a green or yellow - because I am going to have pretty neutral furniture and want to be able to just add the color in the rug and pillows.

So here are the front runners. Let me know what you think because I'm having a hard time.

1. Martha Stewart Bloomery Sunflower Rug

2. CB2 Shatter Rug

3. Pottery Barn Moorish Tile Rug

4. Pottery Barn Green S

wirl Rug