decorating for less |

For about six months, my sister and I attempted to decorate our new apartment around the free furniture we had received from family. At some point, we realized that we wanted to take our decorating to a more sophisticated level, i.e. not a clearly twenty-something pad filled with hand-me-down furniture. The kitchen space was the most troubling for us thanks to the outdated flooring, cabinetry, and trim. Our solution? A large rug that set off our eating space from our cooking space, a modern table (Ikea), pops of red (sleek Target chairs and three red candles did the trick), and a Matisse print. We focused our color pallet on just three maine colors: black, red, and blue to make the space look clean and modern. The transformation clearly works, since I’ve found myself cooking more and spending more time in the kitchen than I had before!