New Living Room! Plus mini product reviews/updates

Ironically, right when I say that I'm in a decorating slump, my wonderful boyfriend gets the very rare itch to implement some long-overdue updates to our living room. Late last week I got a text, "I'm rearranging the living room! :)" So I was very pleased when I came home to the TV sitting over the fireplace rather than in the corner on a nasty entertainment stand leftover from my boyfriend's less savory college days.  (I know some people are heavily anti-TV-over-the-fireplace, but unfortunately this is the best setup for our space, so I'm not letting it bother me.)

Serendipitously, I also recently acquired a camera upgrade--the Canon Rebel XT, retailing for $780 on Amazon...for the low, low price of $85 from a pawn shop! So yesterday morning, I started playing around with the various features and captured a few shots of the living room updates:

Another angle...the light is so much brighter now!

I had fun playing around with some styling over the weekend :)

My favorite 'box' of the bookshelf, containing several canyoneering and hiking books we use frequently, a framed artwork ripped from a magazine, a wooden box full of change that I thrifted because my mom has the same one, and a white container with dog treats.

Wouldn't these candleholders from the Nate Berkus line at Target look nice flanking the TV? May be too small though...and we need to figure out a less-junky solution to our need for tinder for the fireplace (see left of the fireplace screen...)

This our tiny entryway that sits behind our futon, right by the door. We need to hang the Snowbird print still and clear out some of our magazine stash, but otherwise the only update I'm planning for this area is to put some black ribbon lining the top and bottom of that white lampshade.

So, what's all different from this time last year? This:

Ch-ch-ch-chaaaaaanges! by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

A couple notes on the improvements:

• The majority of our pieces are obviously very dark and monotone currently. My mom is going to be whipping up some pillows for me with some fun, colorful fabrics as shared here, which will go a long way in brightening things up.  I'm also planning on recovering the black ottoman and am currently pondering fabric options.
• The Lack table is a temporary solution to our need to house the TV electronics. Eventually the electronics will go on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. 
• We've talked about getting another bookcase to put on the other side of the curtains, which would double as a bookcase and end table for the sofa. We would add a lamp to one of the shelves to brighten up that corner of the room. 
• I'd love to get rid of the Ikea Hemnes nightstand and replace it with this end table from Target--I think it would lighten up that area of the room, and the Hemnes is too tall for our sofa anyway.
• What should we do with the TV area? It's so blah right now...

Initial/updated thoughts on products in the room: 

• The Ikea Ritva curtains were a major score--$25/pair for the 98" ones. The curtains block people from seeing in when drawn, but they still let in some filtered light so the room doesn't get too dark, and the fabric is nicer than I would've expected for $25. I'm planning on hemming ours and adding white ribbon strips on the bottom like so. 
• The Ikea Vittsjo bookcase put together easily and is surprisingly sturdy, especially for the $40 price tag. We may switch out the bases of the top and bottom shelves to lighten things up a bit (the middle shelves are nice heavy glass, but the top and bottom are dark faux wood). 
• We bought the infamous $8 Ikea Lack table to temporarily house our entertainment necessities, but it's a huge eyesore. I will say it functions perfectly well for an $8 table. We actually have the coffee table version too, and after 3 years of pretty heavy use it's definitely starting to show its wear. Not a bad investment for $20, though. 
• Our World Market dhurrie continues to be a star in the room. It's holding up well and although it does show little pieces of dirt/debris more frequently than I would like, it vacuums up well and I'm still pleased with the purchase. I'd recommend a good rug pad to go underneath it though. 
• I still love our custom slipcover and the $45 custom-built sofa underneath it. Best money I spent in that room!

What do you think of our updates? Not bad for $98 at Ikea and the cost of some plants, I'd say. Where should we go from here?

My Interior Style in a Nutshell

The other day I shared some inspiration images for a home I'd love to live in. Today I'm pulling ideas from those images to help define my style.

Because of the way my brain works, I had to group my favorite spaces into one image by room to make it easier for my eye to pick out common themes, like so:


Entryways by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

So, for example, these images told me I like high-contrast, mostly neutral colors with pops of green in the form of plants. Funky lamps, artwork, and rugs keep things from getting too boring.

Kitchen Requisites by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

Apparently, I like my kitchens like I like my men: strong, tall, dark, and sexy....just kidding. Ew.
I do see recurrent themes in that I like clean lines, neutral palettes, charcoal against wood against white, floating shelves, and metal seating mixed with leather or wood.

Bedroom Requisites by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

In the boudoir it appears I like to keep it fairly neutral but to spice things up with pattern and textures.

Living Room Requisites by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

I like a little more color in the living room than other rooms, but not by most. Mostly, I like to bring interest with multiple textures, mixed finishes, and wood pieces that tell a tale by their very weathered nature.

Bathroom Requisites by mjchirpich-1 on Polyvore

I think we can all agree that a bathroom should be clean and crisp. In addition to that, I like masculine finishes with more feminine touches, like artwork or fancy mirrors.

Overall, my style in a nutshell can be defined by the following:

So I'm curious: how do you lovely readers develop your personal style while also being inspired by and adapting your style to new ideas/inspiration? Do you have an admittedly Type-A approach, like mine, to picking out what you like, or do you just go with the flow? How do you stay true to your own design voice?

All-Time Favorite Interiors

I've been in a bit of a decorating slump lately.  Sometimes I feel like the more exposure we have to design, via Pinterest, blogs, magazines, and more, the more our own personal style gets diluted, because we start mimicking what we see online rather than establishing our own personal 'voice' or design point of view. 

To that end, I decided to peruse my Pinterest boards for the images that I love the most and that most represent a home in which I would like to live. Here goes: 

Entryways: 

via

via (I think it's originally from Lonny or Domino? shot by Melanie Acevedo)

via (shot by Teri Lyn Fisher)

original source unknown, anyone?

Kitchen/Dining Room/Pantry:

via

via

via 

via

via

(original source unknown, anyone?)

via

Living Room: 

via

via

via

via

Bedroom:

via

via

via 

Bathroom:

via

(original source unknown, anyone?)

Pulling all these images together really helped me reinforce my true personal style. For example, I love a lot of color in other people's homes, but this little exercise has shown me that maybe I don't want to live with it myself. I also like modern and funky homes when I see them in magazines, but for me I like a more rustic, industrial, masculine space with feminine touches. Pattern mixing features largely in many of these images, as does high contrast (charcoal juxtaposed against light cream, for example). I also noticed that vary rarely do I like the purest versions of color--meaning, I rarely pick out pure black or straight white tones, but rather prefer a dustier dark grey or off-white. 

Solidifying my viewpoint will make it much easier to pull together my own home, I think. Check back soon for some inspiration on how to pull all of these images into one cohesive look!

Weekly Wishlist: Black, Gold, and Blush

Fall has rolled around and inevitably so has my penchant for black clothing. Add in a few gold and blush accents, and I'm sold.

Weekly Wishlist by mjchirpich-1 featuring taper candles

Particularly I'm in love with the striped sweatshirt from Old Navy and the black maxi dress from Lulu's. And would you have guessed that lamp is $40 from Ikea??

Packing a Week's Worth of Business Casual in a Carryon

I thought I'd change things up a bit and post What I'm Wearing Weekly at the start of the week!

Today I'm in Anaheim, CA for a couple of back-to-back work conferences. I absolutely hate checking luggage, so I had to pack smart to fit everything for a week's worth of business-casual in a carryon. It's all about bringing easily-mixable clothing! Here's what I brought:

Packing for a Week-long Work Conference by mjchirpich-1 featuring t shirts

And here's how I'll wear it!

A Week's Worth of Business Casual Conference Wear by mjchirpich-1 featuring knee high stretch boots

Hopefully I'll have time to sneak in some extra-curricular activities, so I had to plan outfits for such adventures as well:

Extracurricular Activies by mjchirpich-1 featuring Merona

Some travel tips I've picked up along the way:

• When you're trying to pack everything in a carryon, pick a baseline color and stick to it. Here, most of my basics (boots, pants, etc) are all black, so they all mix well with the colorful items I brought. If you're more of a brown/tan basics girl, that works well too! Just make sure your big-ticket items all work together.
• Stripes go with virtually anything. They pair well with patterns, like the floral-print scarf shown, and can be easily dressed up or down. 
• Dresses are an all-in-one outfit option. You just have to add jewelry and shoes!
• Wear your bulkiest items on the plane--in my case, my denim jacket and black boots. 
• Conversely, pack your slimmest items. My silky pink pants pack down tiny and make a major style statement--same goes for silk or chiffon shirts, which can get wrinkly but hotels will have irons :)
• If you pack mostly basics, pack fun statement necklaces and other jewelry. Scarves pack down tiny too, and packing scarves with lots of colors provides more outfit options.

For other editions of WIWW, please click here,  here,  here,  here, here,  here,  here, here, here, here, here,  here, here,  here,  here, here, here and here :)

Truth in blogging: In these boards I try to use the exact items I own, but if those items aren't available online I've replaced them with visually similar items. This week, I actually own: Travel Day's shirt, bag, and scarf, Monday's dress, necklace, and shoes,  Wednesday's scarf, Thursday's pants, necklace, and shoes, Friday's top and shoes, and Last/Travel day's dress, scarf, and bag. I also own Leisure's 2 shirts, Sightseeing's scarf, Dinner's dress, necklace, and shoes, and Bar's top and shoes.

What I'm Wearing Weekly: September 30-October 4th

Phew, this week just fleeeeeeewwwwwww by! I have a series of work conferences all next week so I'm trying to get ahead on paperwork...seems like I bury my head in papers and computer screens all day and don't take a breath until it's time to leave!

The weather locally definitely took a turn into 'Fall' this week, and the leaves are starting to turn as well! So lovely :)

Here's what I wore this week. For other editions of WIWW, please click here,  here,  here, here,  here,  here, here, here, here, here,  here, here,  here,  here, here, here and here :)

What I'm Wearing Weekly: Sept 30-Oct 4 by mjchirpich-1 featuring cone heel pumps

Anyone else overjoyed to be eating pumpkin-flavored everything and sipping chai lattes without overheating??

Truth in blogging: In these boards I try to use the exact items I own, but if those items aren't available online I've replaced them with visually similar items. This week, I actually own: Monday's dress and shoes, Tuesday's dress, shoes, and necklace (from an Etsy shop though), Wednesday's shoes and skirt, Thursday's pants (thrifted) and shoes (thrifted), and Friday's pants (thrifted) and shoes.

Spice up your workout wardrobe!

Hey friends, I've missed you! Work is crazy right now and I've had to put blogging on the backburner. Today I'm happy to be back with a roundup of workout gear that's currently on my wishlist.

I'm pretty sure it's mathematically proven that the better you look, the better you feel.  The better you feel, the more self-confidence you have, and the more self-confidence you have, the more comfortable you will feel at the gym, in a yoga studio, or out on a long run. Thus, cute clothes = better workout. Ahhhhh, the power of the transitive property....

With that in mind, I've been on the hunt for cute workout capris. It's surprisingly hard to find workout tights that aren't boring black, grey, or see-through. Although I've never seen most of these in person, I'm currently pondering the purchase of the following items:

Spice up your workouts! by mjchirpich-1 featuring NIKE activewear pants

Seems I've stumbled upon a color theme here....anyway, anybody have experience with any of the leggings shown? What is your favorite workout gear?