CarmenJo's Profile

I would do what HomeSweetAntique suggested.

Younghouselove just did a great fireplace makeover you may be interested in: http://www.younghouselove.com/2013/03/fireplace-makeover-stick-a-fork-in-it/

I love your curtains!

I love ispellkonfusion's suggestion. I'd push your bed up against the bathroom wall, and instead of rotating the bed and putting the sofa at the bottom of the bed. I'd try keeping the bed the orientation that it is, and having the sofa back up to the side of it. You could use a nightstand/end table at the end of the couch that would serve both purposes. It would accomplish what DuluthGirl pointed out about too.

If you really wanted to seperate the space, you could hang a curtain in between the bed and the couch. You could even hang a mirror/piece of artwork from the cieling right infront of the curtain to give more of an illusion that there's a wall there. Sort of like this: http://materialgirlsblog.com/houston/2009/07/13/the-layered-effect-art-on-curtains/

The only caveat is that you'd need a really low footboard/no footboard. Or be willing to crawl over the sofa to get in and out of bed.

I'm assuming this is a rental. I'd invest that money in something you can take with you and use as little as possible on something that will only work for this apartment (like banquet seating, which would be difficult to move into another space). I'd get a ceiling hook to move the chain of the light fixture so that it's centered over your table. Maybe buy a new fixture and either turn the table 90 degrees or get a round table for the space.

My biggest decorating/buyers remorse was buying a sofa that my husband and I loved. And then moving into an apartment where it wouldn't fit through the door.

My husband keep talking about how much he wants the Keysquare:
http://www.machine-era.com/blogs/news/6879785-the-keysquare-gentlemen-there-is-a-better-way

He's seriously obsessed. It's a bottle opener and holds your keys.

I love #9.

This is my dream sofa! Have no idea how we'd be able to afford to buy one! Thanks!

I agree with others. It's very nice as it is and new, so it seems to be a shame to do something relatively drastic like replacing all of the doors. Maybe take of the door on the corner, diagonal cabinet and use that area as a display shelf/open shelving. I liked JDAD's ideas too.

Adding color would add a lot of personality. Switch the fruit bowl, pendant shades, kitchen towel, and maybe add a rug infront of the oven. I think cobalt blue/teal/green/yellow would look great in there.

I'd recommend frosting the glass in that shower window. Young House Love shows how they DIY'd it:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/04/frosting-tanking-sucking-it-up/

Cleaning will so a lot of good, like others have said. I's keep the colors light in the bathroom. Crisp white, light gray, I'd even do a really pale pink with your tile colors. Light pink/peach could acheive a color-blocked look. Then I'd bring in dark navy and brown in with accents, just so it's not too overwhelmingly pink. A bright white shower curtain would keep the space bright too.

In the living area, I'd go crazy and paint it whatever color you want. You're so limited in where you can add color on the walls, that I'd do something bold like orange-y red, navy blue, or mint green. Why not? It'll add tons of personality. I'd love to see what you end up doing!

I got married at 22 (now 23, just celebrated our first year!) for many reasons. One being that my husband is the most amazing person I can even imagine. I don't think the institution of marriage is less culturally relevant today that it was to our grandparents and parents. To me, it's sad that it's suffered so much. Many of the people I know who are skeptical about marriage or are not considering it are people who have been deeply hurt by a relationship, or relationships, group of people, their family, you name it. And it's forced them to put up their guard towards such a commitment, or level of intimacy. I encourage them that marriage can far exceed their expectations (realistic expectations) and be the most fulfilling relationship they can imagine. The analogy of marriage being a team is great, either you both with or you both lose. It's so great to always have someone in my corner and to know I'll always back him up too.

I believe in Jesus and to me, marriage is a reflection of the relationship He has with the church (anyone who believes in Him). Jesus died for anyone who believes in Him, and the bible tells us that in marriage the husband is like Jesus. Not that the husband is a savior but that he should serve and love his wife as if he was dying to save her. A completely selfless act! I think that is incredibly romantic! It's really too much to type, but it boils down to being selfless, serving each other, and committed for life. And of course having fun!

And since this is a design blog - I love the sense of permanence it gives me when buying things for our home. Before getting married it was so hard to decide what to invest in because roommate situations changed every year or so and I never knew what I'd need in the next place or what I'd have to get rid of. It's nice knowing that a piece of art work or furniture will be staying with me for a while.