Hello, Ya'll!
We are down to the final installment of this apartment series! For a little refresher, we started with a balcony tour then moved inside to the entry way and office area and left off with a bedroom tour. I believe I wrote, "this is my favorite spot or piece in the apartment" at least once per post but you got to trust me that this section of the tour is a step above the rest! One of the qualities I absolutely love about this apartment is the open layout, but it's also the most difficult to decorate. This difficulty was resolved with some fun colors and creative use of furniture.
This space had to act as the living room, library, kitchen, dining room, and craft room while still having a cohesive feel. Functionality was key to make sure the furniture and the layout utilized the space to the best of its ability, without a large price tag. Most of the furniture used for this apartment came from my first apartment - other than the bright blue couch. The couch was a wonderful IKEA find! One word. Washable. A light blue couch may seem scary, especially with pets but every piece of this couch is washable, from the arms to the cushions. Plus if you, your pets, or children absolutely destroy a piece of it, you can order a replacement piece without having to buy a whole new couch. And just like the perfect party dress...it has pockets! Great place to store remotes, magazines, and tablets. I could basically write a whole blog post on how much I love this couch hahaha.
To maximize the space, the bookcase was placed behind the couch, with the bottom shelves being used to store old textbooks, while the top shelves hold the important things like my Harry Potter books and geodes. The bookcase was an antique store find several years ago that was a very gross green and missed several shelves, but there's nothing a trip to Lowes and some elbow grease can't fix! Another fixer-upper from the old apartment was the china cabinet turned entertainment center. The television fits perfectly and the drawer is convenient to hold DVDs and games. To finish off the living room section of the space my old couch was placed under a small gallery wall. The little grey couch adds seating during important events like Saturday football.
Behind the blue couch is my cute crafty corner. Another piece from my old apartment, this furniture is one of the most functional pieces in the apartment. Not only does it store my hoard of craft supplies, but also the middle section folds into a desk for working on smaller projects. The bright yellow of the piece complements the blue couch and helps transition the space from the "living room" to the "dining room".
The dining table base and chairs are the same color as the bookcase which helps to create a cohesive look. My obsession with blue and white can really be seen on the dining table but who can pass up a clearance section at Home Goods?? Quick life hack, keep the dining table set and you won't end up using it as extra storage and lose it under a pile of stuff. With having such an open space, I always try to keep the table set and cleaned off or the whole apartment feels messy. Sadly, the dining table is rarely eaten at, I enjoy drinking my morning cup of coffee and eating breakfast at the kitchen's island. And to be honest, I usually eat dinner on the wonderful blue couch...another perk of being washable haha.
To finish off the space is the little music room. I turned my old bar cart, which used to collect dust, into a record player table. It is such fun to listen to records when hanging out around the apartment or cooking in the kitchen. The rug is a gift from my aunt which anchors the small unique space while blending with the rest of the room with pops of blue and pinks.
This apartment truly feels like my happy place. I have really enjoyed the new little home and I have enjoyed sharing it with all of you! I hope you have enjoyed it as well and maybe learned a thing or two along the way. If you have any questions about a particular piece please let me know!
Blessings from Birmingham!
