Tempaper to the Rescue

Do you live in a rented space? Wish you could paint your walls a fabulous tangerine or perhaps a peacock blue but your landlord isn't on the same creative level as you? If so, your life is about to change. (Ok, that may be a little dramatic, but it's pretty exciting). Ever heard of temporary wallpaper? Well you are in luck because this month's giveaway will be your very own 20" x 48" self adhesive vinyl temporary wallpaper from Etsy!

Now the hard part, how to choose one?! The best part about this interior accessory is that it is non-committal...you can take it down and put up a new pattern whenever you want! No steaming off old wallpaper anymore. And what's great is it doesn't damage your walls so if you are in a temporary living situation or a renter this is one way to really spice up your space. If bold patterns on the wall seem too intimidating, give it a try on just one wall or in a smaller space like your bathroom.

Here are some of my top picks:

Etsy store: Betapet

White White and More White

Happy Monday and Happy St. Patty's day!

I suppose in light of the holiday I should have entitled this post 'Green Green and More Green' however I generally prefer to use green in small doses. As my taste and style has developed over the years, I have transitioned from thinking that white walls are boring to incredibly chic and eye-catching. Every time I had the opportunity to redecorate a room, I always felt like I had to come up with a striking color to paint the walls and develop my design with that color as a starting point. Growing up, my bedroom went from pink, to canary yellow, to oxblood, to blue-grey. I had fun with each of these but grew tired of them after a short while. The best part about white walls is that if your style changes, you can switch out furniture, textiles, and accessories a lot easier than repainting the entire room.

My favorite inspiration images encompass bright white walls and sometimes floors with eclectic, industrial, and unique accessories. I'm moving toward a much simpler 'less is more' type mindset as opposed to my previous obsession with 'organized clutter'. So how do you achieve this effect? Well, to start, paint your walls white. There are tons of different 'shades' of white, but for this particular look you want to go with a bright white without any hints of yellow or cream in it. My recommendation would be Benjamin Moore's Super White or Sherwin Williams High Reflective White If I had the option, I would paint my floors white too to get the full effect, but sadly I'm a renter. :(

Next, you will want to carefully select your accessories so as to not overwhelm and lose the effect of simplicity. If you are doing a bedroom, I recommend sticking to white bedding also with maybe a throw pillow or neutral throw blanket. My absolute favorite accessory to add to an all white room is some sort of indoor plant. I love love love fiddle leaf figs, they just look so classy:

Architects and designers alike love this 'superwhite' and for good reason. It is best used in minimalist eclectic rooms where the eye focuses on the objects and accessories in the room and gives a sense of calm. Here are some of my favorite inspiration images:

Manhattan Studio Vignette

Happy Friday my friends!!

My apologies for being MIA for the last couple weeks, things have been crazy busy with work, school, and a couple of weekend getaways in between (including Disneyland!). But I am back and ready to put this blog back in full swing.

Recently I have been working on some pro-bono projects for friends and family to gain some experience with decorating and working with clients. My first project was to create a small vignette for a friend's studio apartment in Manhattan, NY. Most of her place was already decorated, but she had this one area she didn't know what to do with. Judging from her pictures, Pinterest profile, and discussion it became apparent that her style is classic glam with neutral colors, clean lines, metallic finishes, and an elegant feel. Aside from these general guidelines and the rest of the apartment to use as a starting point, she also mentioned how she would like to incorporate maps into the design somehow.

To give you an idea, here are some pictures of her space: