decorate my apartment

This week is going to meld with week five because my office is part of my living room. My place is looking nicer and nicer – I’m feeling really good about it. This week was big for me because my biggest problem with my apartment is the clutter, specifically papers, books, magazines, cds….. So, I’ve really been tackling these.

I’ve also done some research into colour and softness – looking at paint and fabric and art and various ideas to spruce up the decor. This is the most fun!

I feel this was a very productive week.

• I finished my kitchen and entryway…. they are still not quite perfection, but the loose ends will be tied up along the way. For now, they are far more fun/functional than before.

• I’ve continued to get rid of magazines, books, cds and dvds. This is a major project, and one of the most cleansing for me.

• I also (finally!!) finished the curtains. This is something that I have been putting off for a very long time, and it has made an enormous difference. They definitely elevate my apartment to the next level – it looks less ad hoc, more finished.

As I go on to next week, I will continue to declutter, focusing on the living space. I suspect I won’t have to buy anything else (maybe a lamp shade and fabric for a table cloth… also still considering paint). But, I’m really mostly focusing on getting rid of stuff and reworking things to make them more useful (budget is happy right now!).

I have officially finished my kitchen. Whew. Im excited to do more cooking now that everything looks soooo fantastic!

Although, I would still like to buy a few things for the kitchen – a new tablecloth, curtains and a mat in front of the sink – but I don’t like to buy spontaneously, I’d rather wait until I find things I love… so, I will have my eyes peeled whenever I go shopping.

I’m sort of going back and forth between week 2 and 3. I was totally motivated to work on my entryway, so… why not?!

Accomplished this week:
- I cleaned most of the kitchen. I’m not quite done yet, but I did clean all the surfaces, I threw out old food, and I reorganized most of my cupboards, shelves, fridge, freezer. Everything looks/feels so great! I also changed the drawing on my chalkboard and put up an adorable little picture.
- I already have a Brita water filter, which I enjoy using.
- I have an outbox, a large cardboard box. It’s pretty full.
- I cleared several surfaces, but then I started moving things around and I haven’t finished yet, so I will have to clear the surfaces again.
- I already pretty much know my style – elegant, inspired, contemporary.
- I started to rearrange my living room, inspired by the one-room remedy.

Headstart on week 3:
I created a landing strip. I now have a spot to drop my mail, which is divided into 3 sections. I also have a spot for important stuff and everyday items that I always seem to lose. And I have a special dish for laundry coins.

Leftovers; things from week 2 to be carried over to week 3:
- Go through pots and pans and tupperware (match lids!)
- I still have to buy flowers. I don’t know why I’m resisting this.
- Cook a new recipe. I’ve collected recipes, just haven’t cooked yet.
- Figure out what to do with the stuff in the kitchen that doesn’t have a place. Either I need to create more storage or I need to put more stuff in the outbox…?
- Organize front of fridge and top of fridge.
- New curtains. I’ll do this with the other curtains in my apt.

Things I didn’t do, and probably won’t:
- Run my hands over all the walls. I paint often, and my place is small, so it just doesn’t feel necessary.
- I’m not having an official housewarming, but I do plan to constantly invite people over.

What I have done so far:
- I have made a complete list of repairs.
- I have vacuumed and mopped and cleared all the floors.
- I have looked into earth-friendly cleaning products – I am very interested in making my own, and will be switching over as I use up the old stuff.
- I have also gathered pictures of rooms I love, even though this task is for the one-room remedy, I think it’s fun and worth doing in the long run.

I did not remove anything from my apartment, but I did set aside a load of books, cds and dvds. I am going to sell them on ebay or craigslist. I’ve decided that any money I make from my outbox will be donated to my “apartment therapy fund.”

I also did not buy flowers, although I plan to for week 2. I love buying flowers, but I really think that buying them every week is a little too indulgent for me and my budget. Btw, I’m also looking into plants, perhaps ones with flowers! – they last longer.

To LOVE my apartment.

I’ve had the book for a while – I even started to work through it – but I guess other priorities got in the way. So, I’m starting it again. Today. It is technically 2 months, but I’m really going to focus on it in January. Then in February, if there is still a lot to do, I will overlap it with another goal.

Anyway, I’m doing the deep treatment and my ultimate is to have a home that inspires me, and a home that I want to invite people over to all the time, without ever wanting to apologize for the messes, the pile of papers, the oddities.

I’m really looking forward to this!

Btw, I’ve been collecting projects I would like to work on:
http://www.kaboodle.com/endofmay/time-to-redecorate.html

my tasks:
tour apt and write a repair list
clean floors
document the “before” photos
buy flowers!
give something away, put it in the alley
hang out in an unused area for 10 mins
work on style tray

(I’ll update this post after the weekend)

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com
http://store.apartmenttherapy.com/viewitem/books/at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22874016@N06/ (this is me!)

the spring cure starts next week!
I’ve got the book, flickr, a style tray…
I’m all over it.