Lestat
Hi! I'm moving into my first apartment. It's actually going to be the first time that I'm going to be living on my own. It's a small apartment (not like box or coffin apartment small) and I'm looking for some tips or ideas on design. Some of my likes / dislikes are:
Likes
----------
1. I like the color black, but not as in "goth" or batcave.
2. I like classical music.
3. I also like history. I'm very font of italian stuff and the renaissance.
4. I love paintings.
5. I'm generally a very eclectic person.
Dislikes
-----------
1. Any feminine colors or pastels. I'm a guy.
2. Many people like pop music. I dont.
3. I dont like brown. I think that bright yellow should be reserved for "Big Bird".
Please, any help that you can give would be obliged. How would I describe my taste and my views? I believe strongly that I was born into the wrong century.
Thank you very much for any help!
Something else, I'm a sucker for anything elegant.
Answer
Scan magazines and decorating books at your bookstore to see if you can find inspiration there. By scanning through them you'll see what wall colors and furniture you like. You can bring a magazine page with the color you like, bring it to Home Depot and they'll be able to reproduce the exact color for you. The furniture you see will in the magazines will probably be high end, but you can get the style you want, and go to furniture stores to find less expensive ones with the same look.
Based on your tastes (Italian Traditional?), I think you may like furniture and items from:
- Bombay Company store (they have sale going on!)
Some examples:
- http://www.bombaycompany.com/gp/product/B000CSRYKE/sr=1-8/qid=1158963427/ref=sr_1_8/104-6537866-5767921?ie=UTF8&bmBrand=core&m=A2Z4DUPX2Z8M59
- http://www.bombaycompany.com/gp/product/B000EB9D30/sr=1-14/qid=1158963558/ref=sr_1_14/104-6537866-5767921?ie=UTF8&bmBrand=core&m=A2Z4DUPX2Z8M59
- Ballard Design (you can order a free catalog online) -- A bit pricey, but you might want to look at the accessories and wall decor:
Some examples:
- http://www.ballarddesigns.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1776&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C5%2C38%2C191&iProductID=1776
- http://www.ballarddesigns.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2503&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C21%2C84%2C371&iProductID=2503
- Crate and Barrel store (Might be pricey. But watch out for sales.)
- Cost Plus (No, it's not very european.. But they have inexpensive furniture that can be used for any style)
Example: http://www.worldmarket.com/furniture/living-furniture/upholstery-sofa/Taylor-Leather-Bench/lev/4/productId/693/Ne/1100001/Ns/NEW_ARRIVAL_FLAG%7c1%7c%7cCATEGORY_SEQ_2889%7c0/N/1100039/Nty/1/view/10000/index.pro
For sofas and other furniture, check out the selection at COSTCO.COM. You have to be a member, or ask a member to buy it for you. They have traditional styles, and the price can't be beat.
Decorating suggestions:
- Put a big (the biggest one you can afford!) mirror on one wall. It will greatly enhance the sense of space. Or buy those mirror panels at Ikea and put them together to make one big mirror.
- Use "leggy" furniture. When you see the space underneath, again it increases the sense of space.
- For every room, select a focal point, and place your furniture in such a way that your eye goes to the focal point. For bedrooms, the bed is the focal point.
- Make black an *accent* color. Try not to buy a black leather couch. Looks nice, but none of us girls will like it! :-) Anyway, that is too much black. Buy sofa with a neutral color, and put black accent pillows.
- Personalize with the paintings or prints that you love. Your art and history books will also look nice on display.
- Don't settle for something you don't really like just because it is cheap. Wait for it to come on sale, or look for it on ebay/craigslist. Take your time furnishing and decorating your apartment. If you get something just because it's cheap, you'll never grow to like it . Eventually you'll decide to get rid of it and buy something else.
Scan magazines and decorating books at your bookstore to see if you can find inspiration there. By scanning through them you'll see what wall colors and furniture you like. You can bring a magazine page with the color you like, bring it to Home Depot and they'll be able to reproduce the exact color for you. The furniture you see will in the magazines will probably be high end, but you can get the style you want, and go to furniture stores to find less expensive ones with the same look.
Based on your tastes (Italian Traditional?), I think you may like furniture and items from:
- Bombay Company store (they have sale going on!)
Some examples:
- http://www.bombaycompany.com/gp/product/B000CSRYKE/sr=1-8/qid=1158963427/ref=sr_1_8/104-6537866-5767921?ie=UTF8&bmBrand=core&m=A2Z4DUPX2Z8M59
- http://www.bombaycompany.com/gp/product/B000EB9D30/sr=1-14/qid=1158963558/ref=sr_1_14/104-6537866-5767921?ie=UTF8&bmBrand=core&m=A2Z4DUPX2Z8M59
- Ballard Design (you can order a free catalog online) -- A bit pricey, but you might want to look at the accessories and wall decor:
Some examples:
- http://www.ballarddesigns.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1776&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C5%2C38%2C191&iProductID=1776
- http://www.ballarddesigns.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2503&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C21%2C84%2C371&iProductID=2503
- Crate and Barrel store (Might be pricey. But watch out for sales.)
- Cost Plus (No, it's not very european.. But they have inexpensive furniture that can be used for any style)
Example: http://www.worldmarket.com/furniture/living-furniture/upholstery-sofa/Taylor-Leather-Bench/lev/4/productId/693/Ne/1100001/Ns/NEW_ARRIVAL_FLAG%7c1%7c%7cCATEGORY_SEQ_2889%7c0/N/1100039/Nty/1/view/10000/index.pro
For sofas and other furniture, check out the selection at COSTCO.COM. You have to be a member, or ask a member to buy it for you. They have traditional styles, and the price can't be beat.
Decorating suggestions:
- Put a big (the biggest one you can afford!) mirror on one wall. It will greatly enhance the sense of space. Or buy those mirror panels at Ikea and put them together to make one big mirror.
- Use "leggy" furniture. When you see the space underneath, again it increases the sense of space.
- For every room, select a focal point, and place your furniture in such a way that your eye goes to the focal point. For bedrooms, the bed is the focal point.
- Make black an *accent* color. Try not to buy a black leather couch. Looks nice, but none of us girls will like it! :-) Anyway, that is too much black. Buy sofa with a neutral color, and put black accent pillows.
- Personalize with the paintings or prints that you love. Your art and history books will also look nice on display.
- Don't settle for something you don't really like just because it is cheap. Wait for it to come on sale, or look for it on ebay/craigslist. Take your time furnishing and decorating your apartment. If you get something just because it's cheap, you'll never grow to like it . Eventually you'll decide to get rid of it and buy something else.
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Title Post: Easy Eclectic CHEAP apartment decorating?
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Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
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