kitchen wish: tile floors

We decided to hold off on kitchen planning for a month, but I’m back in the swing of it now. There might have been a cabinet epiphany. Isn’t it silly the way things like a remodel can become so all-consuming that we can call the decision to use mostly open shelving an epiphany? So silly.

So I’ve been looking at the floor options, and in my budget, they are a bit grim. We will likely be doing laminate wood for the ease of installation and cost. I tried to make tiles work, but the square footage costs are almost double in most cases, let alone the labor involved.

But. If I owned this apartment, I would spring for tile, specifically a hex tile with dark grout. It’s historically accurate (the above photo is from our stair’s landing), graphic, and affordable. (Just not as cheap-cheap as I need them to be for this remodel!)

As bonus vintage tile inspiration, check out the herringbone tiles in my lobby:

As an aside, if you ever worry your love of greek key is going to date you as a Shoshanna-style decor trend-chaser, you are silly. Shit is classic!

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of the moment: splatter

Ever since I saw this bathroom, I’ve had a bit of a thing for a blue splatter print. Now it’s everywhere! You can wear the print while sitting in your splatter room, eating off splatter dishes! Zach Braff is totally going to use that tableau in his Garden State sequel.

{Hinson and Co. Spatter Wallpaper / The Skinny Jean in Splatter Paint - Saturday / Blue and White Splatter Bowl – Furbish}

coach driver mocs

I don’t know if it’s my feet or just my exquisitely painful taste in footwear, but I’ve never had a pair of shoes that didn’t give me blisters at first. Until I got these. Driver mocs, where have you been all my life? I love the versatility of them too–worn with a tee they’re great for walking in the park, and then paired with a button down, I’m ready for dinner. Hobble no more!

I got the Coach mocassin in Ginger, but I’m intrigued by the gold too. If you’re in the market for a new flat, I highly recommend these.

{Coach Nadia moc}

a side project

I only have a few freelance gigs right now, so I’ve been figuring out some side projects to keep myself busy. I always had an interest in prop styling, but never quite knew how to go about doing it. The traditional route is basically… work at Martha Stewart. While I wait on Martha to call my number (ha!), I started a tumblr that’s strictly styling projects: Signifiers of Style.

Since we’re doing housekeeping, do you all use Bloglovin? You can follow my blog here.

{image from my new tumblr}

updates in the dining area

Our dining “room” is really just a corner of the living room in our apartment. Our kitchen is too narrow for an eating area (it’s also too depressing as is). So after many rearrangements, we’ve figured out this corner is the best place for a table in the room.

I painted the chiavari chairs BM Jade Garden, an exquisite color that I’d love to paint a whole room with at some point. I didn’t use an oil-based paint; instead, I used the Advance line, which is an alkyd. The finish isn’t quite the same as using an oil-based, but it’s close and much easier to clean up.

The tole chandelier was an OKL find from their vintage section. I LOVE those sales. Some of the vintage products are expensive, but this chandy was a good deal. Yes, I could do better on price if I trawled the flea, but hey, when you buy curated vintage home decor, you’re paying for someone else’s eye and time finding the thing. So it’s worth it!

The tablecloth fabric was a happy coincidence (and I love the cat hair in this photo). After one of my mom’s visits, she was lamenting the fact we had no tablecloth–she is old school and doesn’t love bare tables. So I just listed to her the colors I was going for in the room, and she found this fabric. I kind of forgot she had sewn me a tablecloth until some friends came over this weekend for a game night, and I pulled it out. To my delight, the fabric perfectly tied everything together! I thought the painted chairs were looking a little rando, but not with this tablecloth. I love when things look intentional on accident.

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