Tag Archives: interior design

Before & After: “Open” Dresser

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My aunt and uncle were kind enough to provide a whole bunch of used furniture for my new apartment. Most of it fit well into the place, but this piece below was a little trickier. We didn’t have enough space in the living room and certainly not in our tiny kitchen. As a result, it ended up as shelving in the garage. I also happened to be missing a dresser and considered thrifting around for one until I realized that this piece could be the perfect dresser. I painted it a mauve-lavendar and bought cloth containers to act as drawers. The result is a versatile “open” dresser that matches my intended room decor and cost me far less than anything else I was considering to buy.

Before

After

Total cost of this project?

Shelving unit: Free

Paint: $12

Total Cost: $12

Ciao!

Sarah

5 Images to Inspire

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Because I could use some inspiration on this rainy evening.

Giving credit where credit is due. Where I found these photos (most come from some pretty interesting blogs and are worth checking out!):

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Creating Beautiful Framed Art on a Budget

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You would be suprised how much something is elevated by framing it. A mat and a simple frame can make a piece of art  (or something else entirely) into a beautiful and affordable way to decorate a space. There are three main objects that make beautiful wall decor when framed:

1. Artwork. I am artist so this one is pretty easy for me. For one project, I found a matted poster frame at Ikea and framed a conte crayon drawing I drew in Florence. Matting it really transformed and elevated the work. I also collect artwork from street and art fairs around the world. When I travelled to Europe, I bought a painting (usually quite cheap from a local artist on the street) in every city I stayed in for more than three days. I did the same upon returning to the States but chose to purchase prints instead of originals as originals tend to be more expensive here. It was a fun way to collect memories and also a fun way to decorate my home.

2. Postcards. I also collected postcards from Europe, particularly postcards of my favorite artwork from galleries and museums. The postcards were usually less than a dollar and I found cheap matted and unmatted frames at GoodWill to frame them with. Framing the postcards, especially the art postcards, was an easy and affordable way to introduce some beautiful art to my space.

3. Sheet music books. My mom found a few old sheet music books from a garage sale, and they manged to fall into my hands and end up in my apartment. They were so easy to frame because they came in a standard frame size. I chose to use a matted frame because the edges of the sheets were worn slightly. The mat hid the wear and made the sheet (and the stunning art on it) really stand out. The results were fun, retro art pieces that added interest and needed ivory coloring to my living room.

What is your favorite decorating idea?

Ciao!

Sarah

Visualizing my (Home) Vision

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I think the worse mistake I can make when trying to decorate my new place is attempt to do it blindly. I like to think that I have some vision for a perfect house in my head, but until I have some way of truly visualizing it, there’s not much hope that my vision will become reality. So, as well as finding inspirational images to  get my house vision on track, I also utilized Polyvore to create my color pallet and pull  some key images to create the mood for my bedroom. I’m going to introduce pops of bright colors through a couple Venetian masks, a vase of fake flowers, and my bulletin board/jewelry organizer. I suppose I’m going for a vintage, feminine, peaceful space.

What do you think?

MiaPrimaCasa: My First Place on a Budget

Bettina Prentice, Lots of Stuff, & My New Place

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I ran across this Vogue article about Bettina Prentice’s NYC apartment and found that her space has the essence of what I want to achieve with my bedroom (on a much smaller budget, of course). What I’m drawing inspiration from in Bettina’s apartment is the eclectic mix of lots of stuff. Having traveled Europe and having a penchant for antiquing and thrifting, I’ve collected a lot stuff, and I like the idea of displaying it all and incorporating it into your decor. I’ve chosen, for example, a pallet of purples, yellows, and blues to match my Venetian masks and vintage cameo collection. Centering the room all around these little things not only fills up space in an inexpensive way, it also keeps them from being stuffed into a box in my closet.

Images from Vogue.com

So far, I’ve created inspirational bulletin board jewelry organizer and bought a shabby chic comforter. My place isn’t like Bettina’s yet, but I hope soon enough to have an eclectic, shabby chic bedroom full of lots of stuff.

Ciao!

Sarah

Great Finds: Vintage Native American Rug

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My sister and I just moved to a new town, and we recently explored the local antique shops. For my bedroom, I had decided to find a Native American-inspired rug in subtle pastels.

Urban Outfitters offered a pretty one, which was $40 at the time (and can be found here), but then I ran across a

beautifully worn down cotton rug at the local antique shop for $30. Not only did it cost less, but to me, it felt more real and less like a trendy buy. I’m excited to incorporate it into my bedroom soon.

The cost?

$30 for a  vintage rug at local antique shop

What is a great find you’ve discovered lately?

Ciao!

Sarah

No-Sew Pillow Covers

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I ran across this project on Pinterest, and I figured it was worth a try given 1) I currently don’t own a sewing machine and 2) even if I did, I’d probably never get around to actually sewing. The two pillows I covered took only about twenty minutes and look pretty gorgeous! See the original DIY post here.

The cost for this project?

Pillows: free (took them from my parents’ home)

Fabric: 5 Euros at a Florentine market

Total: about $6.50

Do you know of any other creative ways to cover pillows on a budget?

Ciao!

Sarah

My First Place

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I’ve spent the past four years with a desire to decorate and maintain a beautiful space, but living in a dorm and moving in and out every three months doesn’t encourage a beautiful atmosphere. So now, as a recent college graduate and new member of the workforce, I’m committing to creating a comfortable, inspiring first place…on a budget.

I’m going to experiment with DIY projects and take advantage of every thrift and antique store in the area, and I am going to update you every step of the way. So if you want to get great DIY home ideas, keep up with interior design trends, and learn how to decorate your place (first or not!) on a budget, follow me and la mia prima casa.

Ciao,

Sarah

p.s. I might throw in some fashion here and there!