Lucite, Glass and Acrylic Coffee Tables

I have lived in my current apartment now for over a year and still have not purchased a coffee table for my living room.  I really don't have a whole lot of space and  wasn't sure if I wanted a white frame with glass, or a silver frame with glass, all wood, etc, etc and everything I saw was either too chunky/bulky for the space, or just too pricey.

I've been searching and searching online and have finally found the solution; a see through coffee table! Whether it's glass, lucite or acrylic, they all have a really modern, clean look to them and the fact that you can see through them makes them ideal for a small space. 





Photo from Chic Cottage Charm

Image from A guy, a girl and two Dogs

This one is actually glass which gives it a green cast



This is my personal fave







Image from Emily Henderson Blog

Obvioulsy, you would not have to limit yourself to just a coffee table, as there is a wide range of acrylic furniture, however, they can be very, very expensive. The option I am going to opt for is the CB2 Peekaboo Clear Coffee Table. The price is not ridiculous and I think it will be perfect for my space.  I'm going to pick it up this weekend when I get a moment! I'll be sure to post a photo of the new table once it's home.


Eclectic Frame Collage Wall

For our living room, we wanted something somewhat different, not too crazy, but that also didn't scream "Ikea".  We found many art prints that we loved but that I found either "too masculine", or that he thought were "too feminine" and so we sort of went back and forth for a year and couldn't find anything that we both loved.  After doing some online searching for an alternative to a single print, I came across frame collages. Here are some of my faves:

Photos from simplyluxuriouslife & talkischic

Below is a photo of our wall. We bought the frames from Michaels-waited for a 40% off frame sale and used an additional 25% coupon on top of that.  The frame was from a garage sale that I picked up for 5 dollars.  I liked the idea of mixed frames so we got some silver, white and wood frames, and of course theres the gilded/bronze color from the mirror.  To tie it all in, we kept the photos all black and white.  In total, we spent under $100 and I really love the outcome.

We really thought it would be a struggle to place them evenly and ensure that they were all straight, but all you need is two people, some nails and a good eye.  We did lay them out on the floor first though to get a feel for what we wanted, and then took a photo to refer to...

DIY Artwork Using Old Calendar Pages

So I was at Chapter early last year and saw an old Calendar that had just expired.  It was with 12 photos of Audrey Hepburn and they were really gorgeous black and white photographs so I decided to pick it up (it was only $4) becase I figured I could use it for something.  I ended up deciding to frame them. After my sister saw this she wanted the calendar too so I ended up picking her one up as well.  Then when she went out of town, my mum decided to re-do her room(my mom loves little room makeovers). 

We picked out two cream 23x23 inch square frames which included matts, and then cut the photographs out of the calendar.  We then just placed them in the frame and voila! Instant art!

 

Imagine these pictures on a pop of wall color! They would stand out really nicely!

The one below is my favorite one of Audrey, it's a photo I had never seen before and she looks like she's so happy.  I plan on framing this one eventually when I move out.

An alternative way to frame these would be to buy an album frame (you can get them at Michael's Arts & Crafts for around $12) and frame them that way if you want a more simple line.

This is just a really good way of creating artwork on a budget, or turning your favourite calendar photos into wall-art! Enjoy!

Apartment Porn: Potential Bed(room) Ideas ...and Current Room

My boyfriend and I went to Ikea this evening to look at some furniture and get some ideas on prices and what we would like when we move out this summer.  I wanted to look at wardrobes, since apartments never seem to have enough storage these days, not to mention my boyfriend and I both have a ton of clothing.  I found a nice mirrored wardrobe which I am thinking will probably be our choice. However, I could not find any bedding or bedframes that I like.  I think I'm going to have to find a vintage bedframe and get it restored and re-upholstered (my mum is amazing at that kind of thing!) 

I really like the pop of mustard in this one..it's so vibrant and fun

This one is gorgeous..I really love the upholstered look with the clawfoot legs.  It's so feminine and vintage!

 I don't know if anyone is familiar with the show "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl" with Billie Piper as Belle but I LOVE her bedroom.  It's really hard to find pictures of the room but I did find a couple (which really don't do it any justice).  Her bedroom has a really vintage feel with lots of unique colors and interesting textures

And here is a better look at the bed

Here are some overall bedrooms I like..although I am fairly certain that my boyfriend will not agree..I'm going to have to compromise with him and perhaps get a really girly bedframe and tone down some of the accessories

For me, this one has a tad too much going on but there are elements I really like such as the floral wallpaper, the gorgeous square mirror paired with a rustic looking desk, the indian style mirror on the right. However, I would never pair these together.  I really like a bold wallpaper, but I generally prefer a larger print, and just on a feature wall as opposed to an entire room.



I think I may be able to get a bed that I like eventually, but they are quite expensive..if you look up "Louie bed" you can see what I'm dealing with!

This is my current bedroom.  I have a really bright accent wall behind my bed in a mango/peachy/pinky color with a really nice button tufted style bed set.  The mirror was something I picked up at Home Sense for $250...there were about 10 of them.  I purchased it and left it there because I had to get my dad's pickup truck.  The next day there were only 2 or 3 of them left! They literally FLEW off the shelves! I just love the victorian, Marie Antoinette style of the mirror.  The lamp was also purchased at Home Sense on a different trip..it's got a glass base with a really pretty damask pattern.  In the mirror you can sort of see my vintage geisha painting which I picked up on Ebay (the print, not the frame).  I love the colors of it and I picked my wall color from this painting.

Oh my lord I'm so excited to start designing my new apartment!!!!!