Hey y'all! Oh my heavens, where does the time go? I can't believe I'm sitting in the Starbucks up the street from my Cincinnati apartment already. It's been wonderful being back, though I am very ready for it to turn to Fall now so I can break in my new boots and walk outside without melting.
My mom and I got into Cincinnati on Monday and the apartment has been undergoing a facelift ever since. It's definitely going to be a process due to budget and time but I'll share some pictures with you guys of the progress and let you in on whats to come. I know this sounds like a lot of hoop jumping to go through for a college apartment, but since everything I do is on a major budget, I'm not spending very much money, and I plan on being here for the next two years so it's worth it to me. Your home is your haven, y'all.
Okay. Enough talk.
This little nook is one of the first things you see when you come into Casa de Caitlin. It's an odd nook because even though it's off the kitchen, it's a wee bit small for a normal sized table and chairs, but it's a little far from the front door to be a real entry way, even though that was my first idea for it. Here's a crappy picture from my phone of what it looked like when I toured the apartment with the old tenant living in it in January:
And here's what it's looking like right now, a few days after moving in:
(this mug is my current obsession. I'm always on the search for the perfect coffee mug, and I looove this one. It's white and crisp and says "Good Morning" across it. Seeing this in the morning while I brew my cup o' joe makes me a happy gal. Courtesy of World Market)
So. About this space. The walls were painted Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware (thanks mama :)) which is definitely one of my all time favorite colors. It can read as more green, blue or grey depending on the lighting and the other colors in the space so it's really verstaile and feels so fresh and inviting. The desk is from a thrift store and originally had a bunch of butterfly stickers all over it, so my mom and I tried to re do it last year for my old bedroom by sanding, priming and painting it. Just to keep it real, this baby really needs to be redone again. We tried to re do it in a rush and it really wasn't sanded enough so the butterflies still pop up in certain spots and it drives me bonkers. It's definitely going to be getting a makeover in the near future. I may eventually move it to the entry area and upgrade to a bigger desk, but for now, I'm really enjoying the space as it is. In the picture it seems like the desk looks a little lonely, even though I've never noticed that in real life, but it wouldn't hurt to maybe add some storage next to the desk and utilize the whole wall. I'll keep you posted!
The chair is from
The Guild Shop in Houston, TX for $19 buckaroos, the two mirrors are from a thrift store for a couple of dollars each, as was the lamp. The grey and white striped tray was from Ikea and the flowers were picked up from the local grocery store for $2.99. Talk about bang for your buck, people. I was able to make three bouqets from that one bunch of flowers.
On to the living room. Here's a shot of what it looked like when I toured the apartment in January:
And what it looked like on move-in day:
(hi guys!)
And finally, what it looks like now, a few days after moving in:
(please pardon the lack of styling in this picture. I got overly excited and snapped the picture before I fixed the coffee table or fluffed the pillows. Oy)
So. About this space. Again, the walls were painted Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware (I chose to do this in every room of the apartment to help it feel bigger, plus I love the color so darn much) The couch is the Ikea Ektorp in white, the coffee table is from The Guild Shop ($60.00) and the pillows are a mix of Big Lots, Pier One, and Home Goods. The print on the wall is from Made By Girl, which was gifted to me by my lovely cousin Jodi. I adore it, but I'm thinking it will probably end up living in my bedroom or maybe the entry. In its place I want to put an abstract paining that Trevor made for me in high school. I think it would add an unexpected element and mix things up a bit. My biggest issue with the space right now is that it feels really girly, which I like, but I don't want it to get too froo froo, so adding something a little edgier will be the perfect way to offset all of the feminine accents. The tones and textures of the coffee table help with that as well.
{a closer look at the wood on the coffee table}
gawsh. I'm so in love. I think I will marry it.
But I digreess. The rug is a 5x8 from Lowes for about $78. I really wanted the 8x10 but it was a $100 dollar difference, and once I add in a chair (which will happen as soon as my budget tells me I can) I think the size will be perfect, so I'm not too worried about it.
This dining table was gifted to me by the lady that I nannied for this summer (so, so sweet) and I'm madly in love with it. The casters on the legs are what gets me. Stick somethin' on wheels and I'm in love. Honestly, the table doesn't quite fit in the space. It's working okay where it is right now but it can't really be fully utilized as a dining table. For now, I'm keeping it because I love the table too much to part with it without giving it a fair shot.
That's how it currently looks in the space from a far. That big, empty area is right off the edge of the kitchen bar...
(it pains me to post this picture with everything on the counters in such disarray, but bear with me)
I'm thinking once I add the bar stools to the bar (which I am DYING TO DO- winning the lottery would make that happen a lot sooner) and a chair around the coffee table, it will balance out the dining table more so it won't stick out like a sore thumb. Here's hoping because I really want to hold on to this table for when I graduate.
The bar stools that I am salivating over:
I knowww that this is way more than I should spend, and I'll probably end up craiglisting something, but if I won the lottery, these babies would be comin' home with me.
I'm still on the fence about what kind of chair I'll add. I'll keep you all posted on that. Bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen pictures will be saved for another post because they are both only about 2% done and this post feels like it's massive. I'm going to be working on the bedroom today, so wish me luck! Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? There is still much to be done in all the rooms but it's so much fun watching it all slowly come together.
Hope you're all enjoying your Saturday!
-C
