star-crossed smile

Leslie End Table c/o Hayneedle

It will soon be my one-year anniversary in this apartment and I’m still decorating the place. It takes time, you know? And since this is my first place entirely on my own and I have full creative authority, I’ve been really considering each design decision. I tend to decorate in spurts- I bought quite a few things when I first moved in, and then there was another round in the fall before I held my first big gathering.

One of my favorite pieces in the apartment is this gold side table from Hayneedle. I spent quite a few hours browsing around for an affordable side table and this one stood out to me as soon as I saw it. My coffee table is the very sleek, modern, acrylic table from CB2, so I thought it would be nice to contrast that with something with a more vintage feel. I love color of this side table- instead of a bright, in-your-face gold, which I sometimes find jarring, it’s an antiqued, burnished gold. I also think the mirrored top is so pretty, especially when it catches the sunlight. Size was also important to me. I didn’t want something too bulky that wouldn’t fit in the space, or too heavy that would ruin the light, airy feel that I’m going for. This table is a bit delicate and dainty, but still practical and not too fussy.

Now that I’ve waxed on about how much I love this table, I thought I’d share a few affordable side tables that have caught my eye!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Which one is your favorite?

 

I figured it was time for an update on the home front. The apartment is slowly, but surely, coming along. I’ve already started to make some changes, but first I thought I better show you guys what I’m working with.

I kind of decided to tackle the living room first. I’m not sure if it was a 100% conscious decision, but I like having people come over and I want to have an inviting space to host them in. Before, I’d rarely hang out in the living room, but now it’s where I spend most of my time when I’m at home.

THE COUCH

One of the first major purchases I made for the new apartment was the Karlstad Sofa from Ikea. I actually bought mine used from a site called AptDeco because I figured it would be a bit cheaper and because they don’t make this particular sofa cover (Isunda Gray) anymore.

I already knew that it’s a pretty comfortable couch because we had the bigger, three-seat version of this sofa in my old apartment. I also knew that I wanted a light/medium gray couch for the new place. Once I settled on a style, it was just a matter of stalking Craigslist and other furniture sites until it turned up. They used to make a sofa bed version of this same couch and I would have liked to purchase that, but it was even harder to find (I only found one listing while I was looking, but it was in NJ).

I think it’s a great size for this space and I love the texture of the sofa cover. Unfortunately, so does my cat, but I knew that was a risk I was taking when I bought this couch. Even though I try to discourage him, he’s scratched up the sofa arms a bit. It’s not too terrible though and I think I can fix it so that you wouldn’t notice that much.

THE RUG

This rug was carried over from the last apartment. It was a rug that I chose when my last roommate moved in and we started to decorate the old apartment together. As I mentioned in this post about choosing a rug, I still like this rug, but what I really wanted was a lighter-colored rug. I know a different rug will totally transform this space because right now I feel that the current rug doesn’t quite fit. I received the new rug weeks ago, but I haven’t put it out because I don’t have a kitchen table yet.

You’re probably thinking, “Huh? What does that have to do with anything?” Hear me out. I pretty much only eat in the living room, while sitting on my sofa. Now that I have this lighter rug, I think that all eating near the rug should cease, because something is bound to spill/drop on the rug without me tempting fate. I have space in my kitchen for a small table and chairs and I’d like to start eating all of my meals there. But until I purchase that kitchen table, I think I should hold off on the new rug (as much as I really want to see what it looks like in person!).

THE COFFEE TABLE

I have wanted the CB2 peekaboo acrylic coffee table for years. If you’re a frequent Pinterest user or reader of blogs, I’m sure you’ve seen it all over the place, but I think there’s a good reason for its popularity. It’s such a good small apartment coffee table (and let’s face it, most NYC apartments are small. Very small. Tiny.). The table is a decent size, but since it’s transparent, it appears to take up very little space. It’s like a blank canvas and I think it blends seamlessly with a lot of different decor styles.

I knew which table I wanted, but I did not want to pay full price for it. After a few months of Craigslist searching (there were multiple listings, but they all sold really quickly!), I found it in great condition for half-off. I’m so happy to have it in my apartment, although it needs a good cleaning and proper styling. For now, I’ve just placed a few pretty books on top, along with a decorative lantern from Anthropologie that I couldn’t resist.

I think that’s about all that I wanted to discuss in this post. I finally, finally put up my gallery wall over Labor Day weekend and I freakin’ love it. So much. Like a lot. I am so happy with each of the pieces that I chose and I can’t wait to show it to you guys. I also have a snazzy new end table next to my couch that I’ll be talking about in an upcoming post.

Unsurprisingly, after a flurry of moving and decorating these past few months, my finances are quite low, so I need to hold off on additional purchases for a while. The next big items that are on my list are a kitchen table and chairs and an armchair for the living room. I also want to put up a few more pieces of art on the walls. I was thinking of blowing up one of my own pictures and hanging it above the TV, but it could get pretty expensive (although it will probably still be a lot more affordable than buying a large piece of original artwork). I’d need the photo to be pretty large and I think places like Walgreen’s and Staples only go up to 20″ x 36.” I’m not sure though- I need to do some more research and also see if I can find a decently priced frame.

If you know any home sites for affordable furniture and decor, do share them in the comments below! Have you made any updates to your home recently?