With the exception of hanging artwork (the scale is all wrong–what I'd like to hang as single pieces aren't large enough for the walls anymore) and getting the bathroom light fixture I bought professionally wired because it's lacking a junction box, my new apartment is now presentable. Picture will be taken soon, after I motivate to clean up some clutter.
Here are all three shades of green, from living room through entryway to bedroom ceiling. The living room paint, Beau Green, really is more green than blue but it never reads that way in pictures.
The thing about reading design blogs and magazines or browsing Pinterest, or at least certain blogs, magazines and the people I follow on Pinterest, is how a specific aesthetic emerges and how quickly everything shifts. Who decided warm metals, succulents, Aztec, arrows, geometric shapes, watercolor fades, neons and pastels, tapestries, macramé, no upper kitchen cabinets and shaggy Kilim rugs were in? Chevron and ikat are fading. Damask is dead. Subway tile won't die.
I'm trying to be careful to not go all in on one trend too hard. The marble and brass hardware and painted cabinets of today will be the Formica and harvest gold or the cherry wood and granite of yesterday. All I know is that stainless steel has got to go. I don't want to spend my money on it when it already feels dated.
On the other hand, I love my fleshy pink (too un-PC?) bathroom and have no plans to change it, despite it being a potential repellant to future buyers who want something luxe and hotel-like. The bathroom is so tiny that if I were going to revamp in a meaningful way, I'd have to expand into my bedroom or the hall to meet current expectations. And really, this genre of building isn't luxurious–no doorman, no gym, no playroom, no garage, just laundry in the basement–so overdoing things in a ostentatious way will not pay off. These people didn't know what they were doing; these people did. There's a reason Jackson Heights did not make an appearance in this article about Queens ascendant. There's crazy charm, but not modern amenities. It takes a certain person to apprecaite, a person who's all too scarce in NYC anymore (says the person with suburban sensibilities).
I'm also not sure who decided slip-on sneakers were in style (not dissing–I just bought a cheap DV by Dolce Vita pair marked down to $34 on Nordstrom.com, though you could spend $595 for Lanvin or $525 for Jimmy Choo). Since I've decided that I can't really afford to re-do my kitchen in a way I'd like to at the moment and realistically should wait until the new year when the lower expenses of living here and my current credit card debt (roughly $6,000, if you want transparency–normally, I charge everthing I buy to get the points and then pay off the balance, but have not the past two months) begin balancing out (and learned last weekend that this co-op doesn't allow dishwashers even though an apartment for sale in the exact same building next store boasts one and only costs $10,000 more than what I paid which is giving me the vapors. A dishwasher can be had for like $500, by the way, I'm not sure why everyone considers them this crazy luxury and as if I'm a snob for wanting something the rest of America takes for granted. The 100-year-old plumbing is the issue, which I'm not convinced is true. That $500 could mean $5,000 in resale value. Not that I'm looking to sell, but it seems a waste to spend money on a kitchen reno when it's still not going to appeal to future buyers, many with the above referenced suburban sensibility, because of an obvious missing appliance) I'm back to buying the occasional clothing or household item that I said I would refrain from in the rest of 2014.
Actually, I've been on a bender of tiny things since I joined Amazon Prime and Target has free shipping through the holidays.
Perusing my "buy" folder in gmail where I store all online transactions, in one month I have bought the following in reverse chronological order:
Orly Bonder Rubberized Nail Base Coat, .3 Ounce (Amazon)
Novelty 10082 Full Depth Round Cylinder Pot, White, 8-Inch (Amazon)
Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix, 8-Quart (Amazon)
Black & Decker 15557 Drill Bit Set, 10-Piece (Amazon)
OOK 50918 Professional Picture Hanging Value Pieces Kit (Amazon)
Stanley 42-294 8-Inch Torpedo Level (Amazon)
Master Lock 4680DNKL TSA-Accepted Set-Your-Own Combination Lock, Nickel (Amazon)
DV by Dolce Vita 'Gordie' Slip-On (Nordstrom)
Pedag Stop Padded Leather Heel Grips, Gray, One Pair (Amazon)
Vintage Vera Napkins (Etsy)
Tickets to Ride, Terminal 5, New York, NY, Thu, Jun. 4, 2015 07:00 PM (Ticketmaster)
Halo Spot's Stew Healthy Weight Grain Free Salmon and Whitefish Recipe for Cats, 6-Pound (Amazon)
Revlon RV544PKF 1875W Tourmaline Ionic Ceramic Dryer (Amazon)
Totes Ladies Signature Basic Automatic Compact Umbrella, Metro Dot, One Size (Amazon)
1 x DIFLUCAN 100.000 mg 7 CAPSULAS (VINCI FARMA (GRUPO PFIZER)) (Goldpharma)
The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, Kindle Edition (Amazon)
Floral camo shirtdress, purple (Gap)
Women's Leopard-Print Crew-N, Black Animal (Old Navy)
Wit & Delight Disposable Dinner Plate 10ct – Gray (Target)
Oh Joy! Abstract Stripe Rectangle Paper Plates 10ct (Target)
Oh Joy! Abstract Stripe Serving Bowl (Target)
Threshold Ceramic Paint Dipped Butter Dish – Green (Target)
Senecio rowleyanus "Bead Plant" 2.5" Pot (Logee's)
Philodendron gloriosum "Velvet Leaf Philodendron" 6" Pot (Logee's)
Comfort Seats C1B4E2-90CH Deluxe Molded Wood Toilet Seat with Chrome Hinges, Elongated, Black (Amazon)
Method Lemon Mint Dish Soap 18 oz (Target)
Metal candle holder-Brass (H&M)
Metal candle holder-Copper (H&M)
Steel 2 Decorator Wall Plate – Bright Brass (Home Depot)
1 Duplex Steel Wall Plate – Bright Brass (6-Pack) (Home Depot)
Black Wood Round Toilet Seat (Lowe's)
House Number in Dark Smokey Grey Plexiglas Acrylic Number 2 (Etsy)
Threshold Starburst Mirror (Target)
Stamped Round 1-Gang Flat Black Decorator Rocker Steel Wall Plate (Lowe's)
0.5-in x 6.25-ft Two-Sided Tape (Lowe's)
Yes Please, Kindle Edition (Amazon)
Ode To The Unhasty Wallpaper (Grow House Grow)
Rejuvenation hand-crafted lighting fixture (Rejuvenation)
Threshold Ultra Soft 300 Thread Count Fitted Sheet – White (Queen) (Target)
Threshold Ultra Soft 300 Thread Count Flat Sheet – White (Queen) (Target)
Sculpted Drawer Console, Parchment (West Elm)
That looks insane, but with the exception of the West Elm console table and the wallpaper, which were expensive, most of these items were under $20 and many under $10. Also, I don't buy anything except groceries in-store if I can help it.
Update: Oh shit, I just bought an ultralight down jacket at Uniqlo (maybe I do have a shopping addiction?). It was the perfect storm of $10 off, free shipping and the sudden jump from temps in the 30s to high 60s that made me realize the only water-repellent coat I have is a big parka and I could really use something one notch down. This was not an impulse purchase–I have had my eye on this coat for a month but they never had XL in purple in stock (as recently as yesterday) and today they did. So there.