Harmony's Nook

I’ve settled on my color schemes for my Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen!

In the Living Room right now my walls are painted the Biscuit color as is the hallway leading into the Dining Room, the trim and molding is Ice Cube, and my couch is close to that Analytical Grey color. I’m bringing in hot pink poppy throw pillows which are similar to the color Hot. I want to do an accent wall in Luxurious Red. My mother also gave me a beautiful credenza/dresser that is painted in that Dill green with a distressed finish.

It wasn’t Serendipity, but Joanne (the sofa owner) was lovely and was actually an ex-actress. I’m not worried though the right piece will come. Today I’m obsessed with my Living Room wall art. I’ve decided that I hate all of it. I want all new wall art!

It’s nice to want, isn’t it?

Being a starving artist has it’s pros and cons. On the one side I am surrounded by the most talented, creative, and interesting people you can imagine. I am friends with everyone from an operatic dramatic soprano (the best I’ve ever heard), an amazing funk diva (who gives new meaning to lung capacity), a ridiculously handsome crooner (who could give ole blue eyes a run for his money), and a practically technically perfect musical theater star (and she’s nice to boot). I consider all of them my close friends and equals and feel extremely lucky to do so. I am in a field where creation is my job. I get to do what I love and get paid for it…just not a lot.

On the flip side I’m always broke, rejection is plentiful, and you literally have every inch of you judged at each audition…from talent to weight and height to the way you say hello. I’m ALWAYS broke! I live in a one bedroom apartment with my best friend and I eat a lot of Ramen! While I’m waiting for my big break I call my couch my bed. Don’t get me wrong. I love my couch and am actually quite content sleeping on a couch, but unfortunately my neck and back disagree with me. I really need to have the option of sleeping in my own bed from time to time.

I’ve been scouring craigslist for a daybed or a sleeper couch to no avail. They are either way too expensive for me, or something that I would not put in my home. I need a bed, but my aesthetic sensibilities just won’t let me bring in an ugly or ill-fitting piece despite my neck problems. That may sound silly to some, but I take what I bring into my home very seriously. Besides, most of the sleepers I’ve seen look like they’ve spent 10 years in a frat house. No thank you.

So I’ve had no luck….until tonight…..

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Sofa bed from Crate and Barrel is covered in antique gold stripe (has elegant green-gold cast) and measures approx. 6′ 4″ long and 3′ 8″ deep and 35″ high. Please note – the fabric is matte, it looks shiny in the photos due to the camera flash off the silk threads.
Bed seldom used. Is in excellent condition, and mattress pad included. Sofa recently professionally cleaned.
Also adding a matching coffee/cocktail table for free!

Couch originally $2500 – selling for $300!

Ummm…..Come to Mama! I am hoping with all I have that this hasn’t been promised yet. This couch would fit in perfectly with my home and it would give me a bed. I can see my vintage European travel posters hanging over it. I can see the amber glow of my eclectic collection of lamps illuminating it. But more importantly I see ME quite comfortable on this couch reading, blogging, and ahhhh sleeping. Is it serendipity? I sure hope so!

I have two sides to my “making a home” philosophy and they are always at odds with each other. Part of me wants to get rid of as much as I can so that when I get that starring role on Broadway I can pick up and leave without much hassle. The other part of me wants to nest and create a comfortable home for myself that doesn’t always feel like it’s in transition. So it’s extremely difficult for me to make decisions as to what to keep or what to buy because of this. An actor’s life can change drastically overnight for better or for worse…and you have to be prepared for it.

In my Spring cleaning and as part of my cure I have pared my book collection down to two narrow bookcases. This was really difficult for me because I adore books. I love them so much! I have such fond memories of every book I own. Well I’ve been through them now 3 or 4 times and I think that I’ve reached a point where I categorically refuse to get rid of anymore books. I’m not getting rid of any of my classics, art books, plays, or poetry. I WON’T DO IT! I’ve already weeded out most of my Anne Rice, Stephen King, or book of the month selections. Everything that I have left inspires me by having it.

Whew! So anyway the vagabond minimalist actress in me always wants me to get rid of more. Well the “nester” in me has always dreamed of a library: floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves, relaxing in a caramel leather club chair parked in front of a roaring hearth with a cup of hot whiskey cider and a fabulous book. Sigh…that’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

Well I can’t afford the hearth or the caramel leather club chair. The book and the whiskey cider…I can handle. The built-ins…not yet, but maybe I can create the look of it with some IKEA! I’m eyeing the expedit shelf system. I know that everyone and their mother has this shelf unit. In my defense, I have wanted a grid-like book shelf system since I saw the one my parents had in the 70s. I had never even heard of an expedit until a couple of days ago. But, YES, I am jumping on the bandwagon. IKEA has a new convert!

*Now which color do I get to go with my dining room? hmmm….

It’s 71 degrees! I have sandals on! Could this be it? Is it SPRING?!?!?! I hope so. I can’t take any more snow. I’m really into Spring colors right now. I’ve been looking for the perfect color to paint my kitchen when I get back. I know exactly what I want but I haven’t found the perfect shade yet! I want the color of that gorgeous juicy green apple. Yum!

My kitchen is also where I display my vintage Marilyn Monroe pictures!

I’m so excited about the results of our Spring Cleaning. It’s not done yet. There is a lot more to be done, but honestly are we ever REALLY done? Don’t answer that! Well now that I’m not hating my apartment, I’ve been in the mood to redo some things.

Right now my dining room is stone brown on all four walls. There are Stainless Steel furniture pieces that I dumpster dived for in there! I also collect vintage vogue covers that are displayed. I think that I want to paint one of the walls aqua and feature the vogue prints on that wall. I’m so excited!

*My prints are aged and worn and are a lot less vibrant and I have two more of them.

**The cabinet on the right is the same finish as the one on the left.

Another day, another online source of inspiration. I just discovered House to Home Network today. It’s the home of uk publications such as: Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, Living etc, Country Homes & Interiors, 25 Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Kitchens, and Allthingshome.

Both my roommate and I DREAM about having large bedrooms to ourselves. Here are some bedrooms that I am drooling over right now. I found them all on the House to Home Network! The fourth one is pretty close to what I would design for my roommate, so we will call it Eric’s room.

Whew! It just took me over two hours to upload these photos. I’m on my mom’s laptop and it’s giving me some issues. I miss my Macbook! The adapter broke and let me tell you, trying to find Mac accessories in St. Louis is like trying to find the golden fleece!

Anyway, this is my mother’s magnificent collage wall. These pictures do not do justice to this wall at all. I wish you could see it in person; it’s so beautiful. This is something that I would never think to do. Basically she decoupaged the entire wall tiny piece, by tiny peace. She cut up fine arts books, a couple books on quilts, greeting cards, catalogues…you name it! It took her a couple of months to complete this. She covered a small 3 foot across wall and followed it around the corner onto one full wall in the kitchen. Everything else is in neutral shades, so believe it or not it doesn’t look too busy. This is something that I would probably not do in my own home, but I think it’s beatiful and I’m always amazed at how creative my mother can be! She never fails to inspire me.

One of the hot new trends this year is velvet. While I still wouldn’t WEAR it, (too many bad memories from my childhood) I love it in home decor. Velvet is no longer reserved for only traditional homes. It is being used in surprisingly modern ways, but is still just as sumptuous and glamorous as ever. Velvet is actually surprisingly durable and so comfortable! I love the idea of plopping one of these great pieces or spreads in with a modern home as a pop of color and/or a change in texture. If you add one of these babies into a humdrum room it will instantly come alive!

*The purse is just for fun and because I want it REALLY badly!

In chronological order:

Cobalt Blue Chair: http://www.traditionalhome.com

Chocolate Brown Tufted Headboard: http://www.brocadehome.com

Red Chaise: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

Charcoal Bed Cover: http://www.brocadehome.com

Brown throw and Accent pillows: http://www.horchow.com

Midnight Blue (Ink) Bed set: http://www.brocadehome.com

Maroon and Teal Silk and Velvet Quilt: http://www.shanghaitang.com

Purple Shoulder Bag with Embroidery: http://www.horchow.com

It’s so hard to feel motivated today. It’s so cold. This winter in Chicago has been truly brutal. We’ll have a day or two where it looks like it’s getting warmer and then it dips back below freezing again. At least it isn’t in the negatives anymore. For a while there we were excited if we had a positive temperature. I have radiator heat that I SWEAR is set on a timer instead of a temperature, so it’s really cold in my apartment. It’s okay I’m young and I have lots of blankets, but that’s the whole point! I don’t want to get out from under them. I’ve given myself a deadline though so I have to.

The other sad thing is there were no birds chirping this morning. Spring is being very elusive this year. I know that we aren’t even out of February yet. I know! I just got so excited the other day. I hope those birds are okay. I hope they didn’t freeze and die. Sorry for the morbidness! In tribute to the birds I’m going to do a bird display today. I hope I hear them again tomorrow!

In Chronological order:

http://decornextdoor.com

http://www.potterybarn.com

http://www.dominomag.com

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8656112

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com