Harmony's Nook

…the GREAT apartment I mean. I’m not sure why I haven’t written about it. I’ve been really down. Have I mentioned how much I HATE moving? HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it. Anything that uproots me makes me all emotional and crazy. Then of course there are the money issues.

Moving is so expensive! Depending on how it works out, and this is how it worked out for us, you have to pay rent on the old place. rent on the new place, and an extra month’s rent for a deposit. That is 3 months of rent! That isn’t including moving costs, activation fees, etc. For anyone who lives paycheck-to-paycheck this is a challenge. No wonder I’ve languished in my current tenement (I’m being a TAD dramatic) for as long as I have. 

So because of this and various other personal variables my mood has been like this:

Isn’t this picture stunning? I would like to design an entire room around it. It would look something like this:

In this room I could stare out that window at the rain, read my Edna St. Vincent Millay poetry, and listen to Leonard Cohen. It’s the perfect “dwelling in your bad mood” room.

Don’t worry I’ll snap out of it. Really I should be deliriously happy, and I will be. Once this is all over, it will be so worth it. So let’s forget about my bad mood for a minute and I’ll tell you about my place!

1) It’s BRAND NEW. That’s right! It’s being built as we speak. That means a NEW kitchen with NEW appliances, NEW bathrooms that have never been used. NEW everything. After living in a falling apart, pre-war unit for so long this is very appealing to me.

2) I have my own bedroom AND bathroom! I’m going from really having neither to having both. Oh the bubble baths that I will take! I’m so excited. I’ll have my own zone where I can escape from anything and everything.

3) There is a dishwasher. People that can get by without a dishwasher are better people than me. It doesn’t help that in my current apartment the water pressure is so bad that it takes a half hour to fill up  the sink. I’m not kidding! Washing dishes by hand is a time-consuming nightmare right now.

4) IN-UNIT WASHER/DRYER. This is it. This is the promised land. This was the dream item. We didn’t expect to actually get it, but we did! This changes lives. I’m not kidding. I had an in-unit w/d once, and I still dream about it to this day. I can wash my sheets every single day if I want to, and I just might.

5) An Office for the roommate. Somehow we managed to pull off getting two bedrooms AND an office. I’m not sure how this happened, but it did. Since my roommate works from home this is a big PLUS.

So there you have it. I have to get in there and measure so I can see how much of my furniture is coming with me and what has to go. I just have to get through this rough patch. The reward will be SOOOOOOO worth it. Thank you everyone for your encouragement.

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We’re so close I can taste it. We’re just waiting for the owners to get back into the country so that they can APPROVE our application. Yes, I’m thinking positively now. We’ll know for sure by late this weekend.

I haven’t told you guys about this apartment, because I don’t want to jinx it. I got so attached to the first apartment and then my heart broke when it fell through. I don’t want that to happen again. Suffice to say that it’s everything we were looking for. I will talk about it IN DEPTH if we get it. For now I’ll just dream about having my own bedroom and BATHROOM! (Damn it! I let a detail slip!) Please don’t jinx me powers that be!

BEDROOM PLAN:

My expedit shelf unit won’t fit into the living area of the new place…too many windows and doors on the walls of the room. But, I can’t lose my expedit! I love it and I NEED the storage. So this photo from Country Home really inspired me to think about putting the unit behind my bed. I’ll lose some of the shelf space, but it’s better than losing all of it.

If I don’t have to have my expedit shelf unit behind my bed, then I’d like to do something like this from the late Domino Magazine. (May she rest in peace.)  I have a mosquito netting curtain like that and have never used it.

I LOVE this Ruched Voile Duvet from Pottery Barn. I’m definitely using my white duvet cover and will use a colorful quilt folded up at the bottom of the bed.

I want a vanity area, but don’t want it to be TOO girly. I think the bedding and curtain are girly enough. So this rather simple square desk with just a mirror leaned up against a wall is what I’m looking for. I love the yellow and I love that it isn’t a “traditional” vanity.

My vintage Vogue Prints. Gotta use those!

That’s it for now!

So I’ve decided to snap out of it. One of the biggest upsets is that we’re waiting an extra month to move. That’s an extra month in limbo. I don’t do well in states of limbo. I’m too much of a control freak. I like to know what’s happening, when, and how. I ask a lot of questions in every aspect of my life. I like to be “in the know.”

Anyway, so I have to wait an extra month to move. It isn’t going to kill me. I’ll survive. In the meantime here are some things I’m thinking about for the new apartment.

Living Room/Common Area Plan:

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Why YES Ikea, I AM thinking about getting a sofa bed. Thanks for asking!

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Especially one with storage underneath!

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I’m leaning towards getting the tan one above, although we’re planning on painting the common area robin egg’s blue in the new place. The sage green one looks pretty great with the blue wall behind it, but it also has to go with my existing blue chairs.

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These are my blue chairs! Well it’s only one of them, but I have two!   They’re a little darker than this. I’m getting rid of a lot of stuff, but THESE are non-negotiable. I think they’re so incredibly gorgeous. I can’t wait to display them properly in the new place.

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There is room for my stainless steel hutch! I don’t have to get rid of it. I’m going to put it in the eating nook off the kitchen and use it as a bar. I’m going to FILL it with Bombay Saphire Gin, because it’s beautiful and my roommate won’t drink it! He hates gin. SCORE!

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A little art for the room.

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Some more art.

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I know what you’re thinking. That’s a lot of blue! I know it is, but I’m leaving most of the walls white with one accent wall of light light blue. My tv stand and new tv are both white. The drapes will be white. The floor is wood and will ground everything. The couch will probably be neutral too…unless I decide to go with the green one! Hah! I can’t wait to put my plan into action.

Next up: Bedroom Plan!

Yesterday was pretty much a bust as far as apartment hunting goes. The first place we looked at wasn’t much better than what we already have. At the second place we looked at a bunch of new condos. Each layout was more bizarre than the last. One room literally had a hallway that lead to nothing that was about a foot wide and about 6 feet long. When we asked the leasing agent what the purpose of the space was she dryly responded,  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a bowling alley.” Ummmm….okay.

Each unit we looked at was stranger than the last, until the last unit. This one was actually laid out fairly well and was pretty nice, but it had the oddest feeling of all of them. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in unit. On paper it sounds great, but there was definitely something off. There was sun pouring in the windows, but I felt like I was in a dark basement. It was pretty big, but felt suffocating. I think someone died in that room. I’m only half kidding. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

The whole place kind of reminded me of the hotel in The Shining. The hallways were really wide and were built sort of like a maze or a funhouse. I know that the place used to be a hotel. I seriously think the entire place is haunted or built over an Indian burial ground or something. Seriously creepy.

Hmmmm…it seems that in this strange land not only do these people own a washer and dryer, but the w/d get their own room!  And not just any room. This room is about half the size of my apartment. I’m exaggerating, but not by much.

I mean…yes it’s beautiful, but am I the only one that thinks this is a little ridiculous? Is this the laundry room at Buckingham Palace? I don’t even know what I’d do in there. Obviously I would do laundry, but that much space warrants additional activities. Rollerskating? Also, where the heck is the dryer? I guess it’s on the other side of the room. You mean to tell me that they have all those beaucoup bucks and the room isn’t even designed efficiently? UGH. This room annoys me.

This Old House

This, on the other hand, is my dream. A laundry room that is clean, compact, efficient, and sexy. Yes ladies and gentleman the thought of my own laundry room turns me on.

Country Home

And I’m not picky! I don’t have to have a full room. Look how lovely this is tucked into some kitchen cabinets. This is perfect.

Country Home

Or just hide it behind a curtain. This is fine too! Gorgeous in fact. JUST GIVE ME MY OWN WASHER AND DRYER! I’m not picky. Okay I am. But I’ll try not to be. It’ll change my life! Please? PLEASE!?!!! Powers that be? Sigh.

Thanks for listening.

-Harmony

Sigh…the apartment broke my heart as I knew it would. So now it’s back to the drawing board. Rather than get discouraged I am trying to stay positive by posting some more inspiration shots for the new place.

The thing I’m most excited about in the new apartment is having a TRUE 2 bedroom, instead of a 1 bedroom that I sort of converted into a 2 bedroom. I’m craving light and bright recently. I want white walls, which is a departure for me. My current apartment is very colorful. Now I want white! I haven’t ruled out accent walls, but I know that I want the main wall color to be a bright white to tempt the Chicago sun in.

This is Amy Shutt’s bedroom, owner of DayLab. Check out the rest of her gorgeous apartment on Design Sponge.

This bedroom I keep going back to again and again. I love it. It comes very close to being exactly my style. Not quite, but close. I love how bright it is. It looks peaceful, but cheery. The perfect balance of being able to relax at night, but also being able to be productive during the day. I love the pop of yellow on the bed frame with the white down comforter. The shape and style remind me of my own bed frame. Mine is a black vintage piece with mint green shining through where it’s all scratched up. I acquired it from the attic of a farm house that I rented once in West Virginia. I love it to a ridiculous degree. No one understands it. I’ll post a picture when I get a chance.

I also really like the art above the bed. I don’t normally like a lot of art in a bedroom. I think it can be too busy and distracting for a place of rest. This works, however, because when you are lying down the art is behind you. I have some vintage vogue prints that are similar in color and size to the pictures in black frames. I may have to steal this idea.

P.S. Don’t tell my roommate, but I’ve decided to keep my steel units. Yes, both of them. I was going to sell them for some extra moving money and because they take up a lot of space. Trouble is, I love them. I love them so much that it pains me to think of losing them. I had to beg, borrow, and steal to get them. They’re gorgeous, rare, and worth a fortune. I don’t want to just unload them for whatever I can get for them on craigslist. I have to keep and treasure them. Space-allowing of course. I’ll make the decision officially when I know how much space I’m dealing with in the new place.

I LOVE this. I just found it. I’m suffering from a crazy sleep schedule and doing a little insomnia-induced window shopping on Craigslist. You can find such amazing things on Craigslist if you’re patient. For the new apartment I’m looking to get rid of my huge couch (don’t worry it’s definitely seen better days) and get a smaller sofa instead. A daybed would be perfect because then there would be room for family and friends if they came to stay with us. THIS IS PERFECT.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/fuo/1148359370.html

Oh my gosh I LOVE it! I love that it isn’t a traditional daybed, because let’s face it…most of them look like beds instead of couches. I love the shape. It’s very mid-century modern. It has clean lines, which I’ve been very attracted to lately. AND IT’S GOLD! It’s freaking fantastic. It’s so glamorous. Also, to me metallics (silver and gold) are neutrals and will go with anything.

Will someone buy this please and love it and cherish it as much as this design freak would? Better yet…someone buy this and give it to me! It’s only $100! Anyone? Anyone?

Ahhhhh well. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

This is one of the coolest kitchen remodels I’ve ever seen. It’s the personal kitchen of the author of the blog House Obsession. It’s a fantastic blog. You should check it out.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

How cool is that?!! There are so many things that I love about this kitchen, but mostly I like the fact that it’s a real person’s remodel. They’ve used a lot of ingenuity and saved on cost. I especially LOVE the little half door!