My husband and I lived together in our current apartment for a few years before we got married. Then we had a baby. Now that baby is a very active toddler. My family of three, and all of our stuff, have officially outgrown our LA apartment. We’ve been house hunting for a while, but it is a long and frustrating process and I’m trying to keep myself from getting antsy and impatient by updating our current living space. And I love how it turned out.
Many couples live together before they get married these days and many of you also pay for most, or all, of your own weddings. You’re on a budget. And if you live in a city like I do, you have space challenges as well. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live in a great space and that you can’t redecorate. Here are 5 easy & affordable ways to update your living space.
1. Change your throw pillows.
Changing up your throw pillows allows you to add pops of color and texture, and just freshen things up without a lot of effort. Play with mixing patterns, shapes, and sizes, keeping it cohesive by staying within the same color family. Most of my pillows are in shades of teal, aqua, and pale blue in different sizes and patterns. I threw in a couple of matching grey chevron ones and one in coral to add an extra pop. The California shaped pillow was an oldie-but-goodie piece that I love, but that is showing some wear because Charlie is really into pillow fights these days…
2. Add pops of a new color. 
My previous color palette was pale blue, cream, and beige. I switched it up by adding pops of coral in affordable pieces like a table lamp and an ottoman (both on clearance at my Target store!), which tied in the coral throw pillow. I added a patterned shade in my palette to the lamp (also from Target).
3. Change your window treatments. 
Curtains and window treatments can get expensive, but they can also make a big impact. I picked these ombré ones from Target that look gorgeous with the light that comes through and were really affordable as well. Oh, and I added a brass accent table too to bring a little more modern into my vintage style.
4. Add a fabulous rug. 
My favorite addition is my new grey + cream chevron striped rug, which was a One Kings Lane score. It anchors the room, ties in the color and pattern palettes, and I love how the shag style adds texture. And Charlie likes how it feels on his toes. Rugs can get really expensive, so shop around. Sales on One Kings Lane and Joss & Main are great places to look, as well as places like Target & World Market.
And you can see that Charlie added his own touches by scattering cars all over the floor. Pretty standard around here. Always cars, everywhere.
5. Don’t forget to add some personality. 
Add some art, a hang new print, change up your framed photos, mix your quirky vintage finds with your modern pieces – add a bit of ‘you’ to the space. I love my Abraham Lincoln quote print from etsy, which inspired my new color palette. It centers my workspace and the gallery wall of other prints and art I have. One of my favorite-ever vintage finds is that white cameo ceramic container, which I use on my desk to hold my pens and my grandmother’s vintage scissors. It sits next to my new brass elephant. Don’t you love brass?
Inspired? Here’s your shopping guide!
Here’s where you can find some of the things I used to update (and a few oldie but goodie pieces) in my living space: ombré window panels / brass accent table / chevron rug / brass animals / coral x bench (from target but only available in some stores – I found mine after going to 4 area Targets, on clearance for $35!) / coral lamp (another in-store clearance find) / coral pillow / aqua ikat circle pillow / teal knitted pillow / light blue kaleidoscope patterned pillow / grey chevron pillow / grey chevron baskets / brass lamp / macbook chevron decal / CA pillow
Here are some other great pieces to try that would be great additions to living space to add texture, color, and a fresh look: coral pouf / yellow framed mirror / coral lattice tray / white ceramic stool / coral polka dot ottoman / gold chevron glasses or votives / black + white chevron rug / candy striped baskets / green modern patterned pillow / mod end table / white whale pitcher
Since this weekend is Mother’s Day, and because I’ve wanted to share for a while (after some time had passed and it wasn’t so fresh) I’m sharing my birth story. If you don’t want to hear my birth story, you should skip today’s post. If you think giving birth is as easy as Kourtney Kardashian made it look in that episode where she pulled her baby out of her own vagina while looking pretty darn good (I totally thought if SHE could do that, it would be a breeze for me), skip this post. If you are on the fence about having a baby, skip this post. If you don’t want to hear a ‘real’ birth story, with all the bad stuff that can come along with it, SKIP THIS POST. I don’t want to scare you and I don’t want to gross you out. Let me just say up front, I did not poop on the table. Or at least everyone is polite enough to tell me I didn’t. I honestly don’t know how you couldn’t, but I was told I didn’t. So you won’t hear that – that’s good news, right?
