living room makeover- part two

first i moved my paris review lithograph above the bar, and moved my grandma's lamp to keep it simpler. notice my books!!

i then moved the other paris review on the other side of the curtain. now the set is together.

i moved my mark kostabi painting near the door (my furniture doesn't really match it, so it's definitely a statement) and tried to make the table near the front door (my great-grandmother's) more inviting. this still needs a ton of work.

here's the new artichoke that mike bought me while i was re-decorating. the letterpress print of the two dolls were for our 30th birthday. the carzou poster was my mom's, and the calendars are the best find i got at a garage sale- each of the set of 12 are amazing.

i took down the giraffe. i'm sad about it, but i think that this looks more grown up. my grandma gave me these lamps. my friend zoe painted the girl. the mirror comes from seattle's train station.

here are mike and bubba checking out the new digs. bubba keeps putting his toys in the shot.

xoxo,

maddie

livingroom makeover - designer inspirations

readers, i need your help. every weekend i move furniture around and search my inspiration folders. yet i still feel like my apartment isn't even close to the apartment of my dreams. sure, i don't have magazine ready lighting or a stylist tweaking each objet, but i still feel like something is... wrong.

i love art, and i don't want to buy art that is matchy matchy with my color scheme, but my gut is telling me that the art that i have on the walls is what is making my apartment not quite work.

or is it that it's teensy-weensy? what do you think i should do? help me edit.

above are pictures of my apartment, and then pictures of my inspiration folder for a new and improved living room.

Affordable Art- Jayme McGowan

after reading decor8's post on jayme mcgowan, i immediately bought a print for mike. won't the accordion player be a great valentine's day gift? i like to write my message on the white part of the mat. so it will say, happy valentine's day, xoxo maddie. it helps personalize the art

copycat- amanda nisbet's lilac bedroom

didn't you just love this lilac bedroom in the last post? here are my ideas to steal the same look, but for a lot less money.

1. start with the right bed: csn has the perfect lilac headboard for $224:

2. now for the bedding. both of these adorable pillows are from serena and lily
buy this ikat scarf and sew it to make a beautiful ikat pillow


pick up this $35 duvet set and this lilac sheet set on overstock and sew lilac ribbon on the border


3. and now, for the table. first, check out this lamp look-a-like






this nightstand from target isn't quite as modern, but I prefer its lines



4. and now for the art. sorry amanda, but i think that the art on your wall is too pretty in a pretty room. i wanted to go edgier, and one of my favorite sites (more on it later) is http://www.20x200.com/. so affordable! you can get this original photograph in a super large size for only $200. and, you can get it for $50 and $20 in smaller sizes. i love it, and love that it is a masculine image in a lilac dreamy room. this photograph is by juliane eirich.

with a sewing machine and our designer's genius, we can steal the same look for a lot less. i used to think that lilac should be saved for the nursery. but now, after seeing nisbet's grown up bedroom, when we move into a big house with lots of rooms (okay, i'm dreaming again) wouldn't this be a great place to start for a guest bedroom? or should it be the master bedroom?



i leave you with our color inspiration palette, put together by the talented leslie from color me pretty

lovely designer- amanda nisbet

via hcandg

via decorpad

via apartmenttherapy

via unknown

via southernaccents

via mydesignsecrets

via urbangraceinteriors

via unknown

via yossawat

i first discovered amanda nisbet while going through the bedroom gallery on the housebeautiful website.

i love how she's not afraid of color and her rooms have a sense of humor, don't you think?