Lady Lair for my Best Friend

Lately I've been really in a funk. It's been gloomy and rainy here, which sometimes I love but when you're already down in the dumps it tends to seem like Mother Nature is just shitting on you. In the form of rain. Gross.

ANYWAY, lately I've been leaning a lot on my lady friends to help me put my life and problems into their proper perspective. My best friend Anna is always an absolute rock for me, and as a school counselor she's also a wonderful listener and advice-giver!

So, in appreciation for her gift of friendship, I wanted to put together a little something something for her in the form of an apartment moodboard! I pulled some images from her Wedding pinterest board (I tend to find that girls are truest to their own style when they're thinking about their dream wedding!) and also some images that remind me of her:

Home For Anna by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

As you may be able to tell, Anna's style is very feminine, classy, elegant, a bit rustic, and chock full of neutrals! So, with that in mind, here's the living room moodboard I've put together for if I were to design her lady lair:

Anna's Living Room by mjchirpich-1 featuring tech accessories

I love that this color palette is mostly neutral but has lots of textures and a tiny hint of lavender to spice things up.

Living room budget options:

• There are several budget items shown, like the $60 side tables (!) and the $35 pillows on the sofa.
• This Ikea rattan chair could be a nice stand-in for the one shown and will save you about $200.
• You could easily find a cheap coffee table on Craigslist and cover it in this fabric using this tutorial to make the ottoman.
• This may be a stretch, but you could get a buffet with flat doors, glue a ceiling medallion like this to the front, and paint the whole thing white for a similar look to the $1500 console table in my moodboard.

For Ms. Anna's bedroom, I envisioned a girly respite--completely neutral (just the way she likes it), with tone-on-tone patterns and a really great chintzy floral that manages to be classic, elegant, and modern all at the same time--just like Anna!

Anna's Bedroom by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

Bedroom budget options:

• this grey floral  clocks in at $9.25/yd as opposed to $132/yd and gives a similar vibe
• You could paint a pair of Craigslist side tables using this $35 Indian inlay stencil  to get the same look without the $895(!!!) sticker shock of each of the side tables shown.
• You could easily buy a small console table, desk, or dining table and paint it black to get the look of the vanity shown here.

Lastly, for the dining room, I decided to go a little beyond what Anna would probably choose for herself. I have long been in love with the amazing aquamarine chandelier from Z Gallerie and decided to play with it for this moodboard. Once I found the vintage suzani with hints of aquamarine and pink to serve as a wall hanging over the storage buffet, it all started to come together. 

Anna's Dining Room by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

Dining room budget options:

• If there's room in your budget to splurge, I would spend my money on the Z Gallerie chandelier. I have never seen anything close to it, and actually $400 isn't a bad price for the size. 
• Since lots o' pennies will be allotted to the chandelier, plus all focus in the room should be on it, you can keep things simple with a Craigslist round wood pedestal table and simple chairs, plus a jute rug (available at Rugs USA for a steal). 
• Although I think the sideboard shown is lovely, it could easily be replaced by a Craigslist buffet table or long low dresser and styled with a piece of art.
• The dishware shown is from Etsy and I think is a reasonable price, but you could easily get basic white dishes from Walmart, Target, etc, and dress up the table with colored napkins or placemats.

I want to move in! Hope you've enjoyed--love you Ann, thanks for all you do :)