Bedroom Drapes

My landlord updated the outdoor lights.  This has been great in eliminating the late night key fumbling but has resulted in a 10 million watt (mild exaggeration) spotlight that shines into my bedroom all. night. long.  So I headed to IKEA for some blackout curtains. I'm thrilled that they were so inexpensive (less than 50$ including the rod) but I wish they were about 5 inches longer. *shrug* Maybe a future project would be to add length and make them two toned.

I added the blue voile to the panels behind the bed but kept the white for privacy during the day when the velvet panels were open.

As you can see, Sammy has a new home guarding me whilst I sleep. 


While at IKEA, I picked up 4 lamps, basic white cylinders that I lined up behind the bed for added light. One of my longstanding frustrations with the bedroom is its cavelike (i.e. DARK) quality.  These (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90242194/) lamps really brighten the room.

All in all, the way the room has come together is really exciting.  I hope y'all enjoy :)

The Salon Wall

Here is the latest manifestation of an ever evolving wall:

The traditional pre-final furniture rearrangement

As you may have gathered from previous posts, when I am under duress, I rearrange my furniture and/or work on a home project

Here are the pre-clerkship shelf endeavors:

I switched the couch to the west wall.

This adorable little ceramic table is my new yard sale find.

 

 I painted the legs of the chairs white.  A huge improvement, no?

My rock collection and wooden toy snake:

The carpet mosaic and a photobombing cat.

The gold mirror mosaic:

The white mirror mosaic:

Stringed Lights

Gosh it's been awhile. I've been plugging along on a few home projects and the furniture has migrated a bit.  I've recently strung these lights across the ceiling of the sunroom.  I'm contemplating painting the ceiling black/midnight blue to mimic an secluded patio.  We'll see...

Thrift Shop Find and a Sunroom Transformed

 I found this little iron table and chairs for $30 at a local shop. It was dusty with a green-grey antiqued finish but it was the perfect size for this little corner. Away with the conference table, 3 cans of glossy spray paint and an hour later, the sunroom begins to look like my fantasy of a garden solarium. 

I moved the pathos to over the table and fastened the branches with a couple of cup hooks.  I can't wait for it to stretch out and cascade down the walls.

Here's the before for reference:

The Problem with Ugly Light Fixtures.

I've had an ongoing battle with the ceiling lights in my apartment. I know the webs recommend just switching them out for the duration of the lease but the ceilings in this lovely old building are of a crumbling plaster sort & I'm afraid that if I try to fiddle with them, they'll massively cave.  Even drilling something as small as a little hook causes a massive blizzard of white.

So all my experimentation has been with disguising the existing fixtures.  I'm actually pretty pleased with the most recent incarnations.



In the bedroom, I moved the capiz wind chimes from the corner. I didn't cut the strands but rather looped them up and over, giving the makeshift chandelier a fuller, more even appearance.

before:

The main room has undergone several versions.  Originally, it was the ubiquitous ugly ceiling fan lights.  It looked similar to this:

The triple light feature was a challenging de-uglification effort.
I originally covered it with a fat chinese lantern and added a pretty crystal pull for the fan.

but my taller classmates kept knocking their heads on it.

I then found a decorative brass bowl on clearance from pier 1 and fastened it with ribbon:

But it looked amateur and makeshift and showed off the practical but ugly CFLs.

This last week, when I moved the lion lithograph, I took down the ikea light that had been hanging in the corner.  I decided to replace the bowl with that square paper shade:

It's the 1st that I've been marginally satisfied! I like its simplicity & the natural color blends with my other lamps:

The Power of a Single Mirror

I've mentioned before that I live in a little cave. I have a gorgeous expanse of south facing windows but with the thick trees outside and architectural overhang between the sun room & main room, not much natural light hits the reaches of the room. Even on sunny days, I need a lamp on when I read.

I've tried to use mirrors to maximize the light that does come in, with small effect.  Here's my latest attempt.

This mirror, originally framed in a hideous brown-gray (I really need to start taking before photos), was discovered at a thrift shop for $20.  A couple of coats of paint later et voilà.  It fits so well with the permanent molding of the unit and really lightens up that darkest corner of the room. Hurray!

Here's the before: 

 

The Wandering Lion

I treasure the old lithograph that I inherited from my great grandma but it's a bit unwieldy because of its size and the dark dark frame. It definitely dominates the wall and doesn't reflect ANY light.

So I decided to move it from the main wall.... 

 

to a corner spot near the shelves.  Eventually, if I spot one in a thrift shop, I may hang a mirror here to maximize the light from the window.  I feel like I live in a little cave.

I know that it's hung way too high but there was absolutely no other place to put it. I'm thinking of getting a little art light to hang over it.

Here are the befores:

Here are some gratuitous photos of my breathing little lion, Toulouse. She's practicing her world-class laziness.