Hello again you beautiful people! I promised I would write about my living and dining area and here it is.  This space was such a difficult area to work with because it is a tiny rectangle of a room and its not very big at all. Like I’m talking itty bitty.  It doesn’t help that my husband thinks its a great idea to keep our mountain bikes in the room too.  He doesn’t trust leaving them anywhere else.  

On top of all the bike crap today, I got pulled over for having a stupid bike rack on my car without a bike on it.  Like ooook in Colorado everyone has a bike rack on there car.  How the heck was I supposed to know that its illegal.  Apparently if my jeep gets stolen the bike rack makes it hard for the plate to be visible for the police scanners.  Remind me why I moved somewhere where car theft is an everyday occurrence.  Well anyway I got a warning thankfully because I would be furious if he gave me a ticket for something I had no idea about. WHEW…. rant over with now.

Alright lets get back to the living/ dining area.  I am a huge thrifter/ refurbisher (if thats even a word).  Back in Colorado I was big with using craigslist to find just about anything but here in SA I don’t think I trust people around here that much.  Our couch we did buy brand new a few years ago and we won’t buy another one until we buy our own home.  I wouldn’t want to move around a nicer piece of furniture. Especially the way we had to get this couch in our apartment it was the most sketch thing I have ever seen! my husband is nuts! It would not fit going up the stairs and around the corner so they hoisted it up with a strap and he pushed it over the railing from the top of a ladder…. and we wonder why mens life expectancy is shorter than women.  Anywhoooo, I’m not a huge fan of the dark gray couch but it works for now.  I added some green palm pillows with some gray cane weave down pillow and it really pops!   In a perfect world I would have Dorothy  Draper fabrics with her brazilliance palm print and other gorgeous color schemes! She was never afraid to mix and match things and has inspired me to be a little more adventurous with my home decor.

I was browsing craigslist and I found this deep cushion rattan arm chair in need of a refresher. I bought a blue cushion and added a bright red and pink Kate Spade throw blanket with a palm print down pillow.  All I need to do now is paint the chair.  I still have not decided what color but I think I am going to go with white for the chair.  The bright colors on the chair really bring it to life from the old mans chair that it used to be.

Since our apartment is sooo freaking tiny and our couch has a chaise I decided to add a large tray to the chaise for putting cups and extra decor on.  I found this one at home goods for a killer deal.  It was brown wood so I took the faux metal bamboo top off and painted the base with white lacquer.  Now all I need to do is find some cute coasters or linen cocktail napkins and a blue and white vase or an orchid.  maybe a few books and who knows the possibilities of designing a tray are endless.

My faux bamboo buffet and or console table I also snagged off of craigslist and this one looked straight outta the 70s.  My husband made fun of me for a week after I bought it. It was soooo ugly until I refinished it.  It was such an ugly brown and I lacquered it with a bright Kelly green with Gold pulls and gold base.   It turned out fantabulous! I love love love it!  Add a couple stacks of fashion books and a lamp and voila you have a stylish piece to your home.  In palm beach chic fashion I added a striped black and white Kate Spade lamp to pop on top of the Kelly green! You can find the lamps here ….Kate Spade Lamps.  My Curtains I found at home good too they are blue and white damask print by Cynthia Rowley. I love her stuff it is so unique and fun!  We decided to put the curtain rod up higher because it adds the appearance of luxe and glam rather than being just right above the window.  Another trick for small spaces I’ve learned is to add mirrors when you can because they make the room look larger. 

My point here is that you don’t need to have deep pockets to have a cute and stylish house.  I was able to do all this for very very cheap and I love how it looks so far!   Its such a nice change of pace from all the farmhouse whites, greys, and beiges.  I am forever in love with this palm beach chic look and I am never going without colors again!   Next up I am going to talk about my kitchen, and dining area!

 

xoxox -until next time!