Decorate my flat

How I did it: I've lived in 7 spaces over the last 5-1/2 years, so have become an expert at packing things up, moving them someplace new, and unpacking them efficiently. Making sure that the new space elicits a warm, welcoming invitation to settle in and *live* is quite a bit more difficult -- but, frankly, more necessary.

1. Get rid of everything that won't actually live in the space to be decorated. As soon as I signed the lease on my new flat, I arranged a time to take detailed measurements and photographs. I constructed a scaled layout of the space on graph paper and determined what furniture and belongings would fit.  Those that didn't were listed and sold on Craigslist.

2. Make note of light and traffic flow; what are the problems? My flat has great traffic patterns and large windows with sunny Eastern and Western exposures, but because the living room is in the center of the flat that room is very dark.  A serious lack of storage was also a concern (one tiny closet, no built in storage places, lots of kitchen cabinets). Also, the bathroom was large but the layout lacked function.

3. Research solutions.  I picked up a couple of books specifically for apartments and combed through the photographs and the tip sections looking for solutions specific to my problems, as well as ways to capitalize on my strengths (great traffic pattern, large windows, gorgeous kitchen). I designed an organizing system for the closet that would allow me to store clothes effectively, bought a half-dozen storage boxes for under the bed, and put some vintage suitcases and wicker cases to work in the living room and landing strip. I also hung a coat-and-hat rack on the back of the door.

4. Arrange objects of beauty in ways that are pleasing to the eye. I arranged artwork and practical textiles into color groupings and placed them throughout the apartment. Blue and chocolate in the bedroom; scarlet, gold, and purple in the living room; ivory and red in the kitchen; ivory, navy, and chocolate in the bath.

5. Figure out what works -- and what's missing. My first thought was that I desperately needed to paint the walls -- but after living with white for a few weeks, I really grew to like the fact that the "canvas" disappeared and my art and furnishings popped. I'll save painting for a time when I feel like I need a change.  My style is very eclectic and homey (afghans and quilts rather than satins and silks), so what I realized I was missing were more elements to capitalize on that -- namely, family photographs for a selection of empty frames.  The big windows let in vast swathes of light during the day, but also at night, when I'm trying to sleep! Finding dark curtains and hanging them in a way that completely blocked the windows as well as installing light-and-noise-blocking liner was a must. And the hardwood floors are gorgeous, but having area rugs in the bedroom and bath was necessary, too.  Finishing off each room with an array of candles to improve incidental lighting, remove shadows, and improve ambiance was the finishing touch.  (I debated bringing fresh flowers and plants into the house, but apart from a single philodendron in the living room have opted for window-boxes of flowering herbs, instead.)

Lessons & tips: Precursor: starting with William Morris' rule of simplicity is a definite aid. "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

Set a budget. My decorating set-up cost about $475 -- including a closet organizing system, decorative shelving for the bathroom, a couple of throw rugs, baskets and boxes, curtains and rods, and various hooks and hardware -- plus the cost of a few tools I hadn't planned for (a screw-gun/power drill, a stud finder, and a set of bolt cutters).

Don't be afraid of trial and error -- or asking a professional's advice. 

Resources: Lowe's Hardware  Having a credit account here allowed me to budget in advance for my projects, gather the things I needed, do the work in the space, and pay the bill over the course of a month.  Lowe's also has a great return policy, so when I bought more than necessary, it was easy to bring the items back.

Floorplanner I ended up using a tape measure, graph paper, and several super-sharp pencils, but considered floorplanner.  Looks like a great system for arranging floorplan layouts for those who prefer computer-generated plans.

Colour Lovers A great resource for looking at color pairings in new ways, even if some of the trends are eye-burningly bad. (I wouldn't have thought to add purple to my living room without inspiration from this site.)

And, a few photos of my home-in-progress.

Apr 19, 02:05PM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer