House Tour::part 1

One of my favorite things about the internet and blogs is getting a glimpse into how people live. I love seeing how people choose to decorate and make a space their own. I've found that I am drawn to many different styles, and as a result, I tend to mix things that don't always belong together. One of my favorite design blogs gives "sneak peaks" into readers and professionals homes. I love seeing them. Our home is nowhere near worthy of a house tour, but it's our blog, and if you like peeking into other peoples homes as much as I do, hopefully you'll enjoy seeing some of our space!

As a disclaimer, I will say that our 1960's ranch rental lacks some of the charm that our previous apartments have had. (NYC: parquet wood floors, wall to wall views of upper Manhattan and Central Park. Connecticut: A 100 yr old house with original details, moldings, built ins, 11 ft high ceilings. Seal Beach: suburbia, popcorn ceilings, massive marble fireplace--what am I supposed to do with that thing? I do like the chandeliers, though.) That made it a bit trickier to decorate. It is also about 500 square feet bigger than our last apartment. Being on a budget, and a bit unsure of what the next few years have in store for us (will we buy a house? where?) we didn't want to invest too much into nice furniture just yet. I spent a lot of time on Craigslist and searching for bargains. It has been fun, but consumed quite a bit of my time. It's an ongoing project that still needs things here and there, but for now I am content with how things are.  I was also lucky to have my mother in law sew us a slipcover for our ottoman using this fabric just off measurements I gave her in an email! It fits perfectly and was so much cheaper than reupholstering or paying for sewing labor.

After seeing this post on painted interior doors on another favorite design blog (beware, once you starting reading this blog you may spend hours reading her archives. Awesome DIY projects that are actually reasonable to attempt) I knew I had to paint our interior front doors black. Every single wall in our house is white, white, white. It was starting to drive me crazy, especially in the entry with the cold marble floor. The entry still needs some work with a painting on the wall and a runner, but I do love the doors. The table in the entry has sentimental value. It was given to us by Paul's grandparents and used to be in their second home in Del Mar. I love it when furniture and things in a family's home has a story behind it. I think that's what makes it unique and interesting.

This print is another favorite. It's a poster of all the different neighborhoods in Manhattan. Ours was the Upper West Side when we lived there. 

This dining table was left here from the previous tenants so we decided to use it for now and painted it red. I would love to wall paper this room, but because we're renting the investment doesn't make much sense. For now, I'm tempted to try this temporary wallpaper idea. What do you think?

There is a peek into part of our humble space. If I can find a moment in the day where toys don't cover the floor of my family room and kitchen I will post pictures of it!