Lofty Dreams for a New Apartment: The Bedroom

Lately I've been getting excited about looking for my own space once again. After the first apartment disaster I've learned a lot, and I honestly just want to put the whole thing behind me and start fresh. One can only couch-surf for so long, so as I begin to save up for a new place I'm dreaming of how I'll decorate. This time around I won't have a roommate to share all the decision making with, which is slightly sad, but still really exciting. For the first time I'll be getting a space that's all my own, eep!

I've been stalking the Ikea website this past weekend since I heard they were discontinuing their Expedit shelving. I'd really like to snag myself one, but more on that in my next post. As everyone I know has learned, once Ikea is brought to my attention I get sucked in and can't stop gazing at all the neat stuff I can't afford and have nowhere to put right now really want to buy for my future living space. I have digital scrapbooks in the works with a lot of their furniture, and I love showing off my favourite items and gushing over everything. That's why most people I know tiptoe around mentioning Ikea with me in earshot, haha!

Today I'm going to focus on the bedroom. While I really wanted a damask print theme throughout the room, my mum bought me a leopard print bed set for my birthday two years ago (when I was younger all I ever wanted was animal print, and she remembered that!) and I can't bear to give it up. It's still brand new, and has been in storage since we moved right after I graduated highschool. I can't wait to dig it (along with my bedroom furniture) out when I finally find a new place to live! I'm planning on focusing on a red and black theme as much as I can since I can mix-and-match those with the leopard print. I suppose my bedroom is where I want to let the little 16 year old Goth that's still tucked away inside me out to play. Here's some linens I've been ogling:

DVALA Sheet Sets in Black and Red

I'd like the black set to go with the duvet set below, and the red set to go with my leopard print duvet set. I'd probably snag extra pillowcases for both and sew on lace or ribbon, or maybe screenprint them for use as deco pillows. I'd love to be one of those people who has a prettily made up bed every morning, and deco pillows would definitely turn me into one of those people super fast.

DVALA Duvet and Pillowcases in Red

I'd love to have a second duvet set for when I'm washing the leopard print one, or when I want to switch up the look of the room. It's so simple but in my experience it makes a big difference.

POLARVIDE Throw Blanket  in Red

EIVOR Throw Blanket

A throw blanket on my bed is a must. I am permanently cold, so having something extra to toss on top of my blankets is always welcome. Besides that, I love how cozy and careless it looks to have a throw perched at the foot of the bed. And how easy it is to flop down on top of the covers midday with a good book and grab the throw to cozy up under. It's one of my essentials.

VIVAN Curtains in Black

TUPPLER Black-out Roller Blinds in Black

RITVA Curtains in Red

BLEKVIVA Curtains in Red

I'd like to pair either the black curtains or the roller blinds with one of the red curtains, depending on how sheer the black ones are. I'd really like black sheers under the red. Otherwise, I'd leave the outer curtains permanently pulled back with a pretty homemade curtain tie and just use the blinds to block the window.

EKBY MÅNS Brackets in Black

EKBY VIKTOR/EKBY MÅNS Shelf in Red

I think these would be really cute for displaying some of my collections, stuffed animals, or candles. I really love the EKBY MÅNS brackets! They're so fun.

EKBY ALEX Shelf

EKBY GRUVAN Shelf

I think I'd like to do a floating shelf instead of a nightstand. I wouldn't mind having a longer one, or one with drawers so I could fit all the crap that tends to accumulate within arm's reach of my bed, like a lamp, the books I'm currently reading, my glasses, medications, a glass of water, box of tissues and so on. I like the airiness floating shelves create, and that would give me floor space for a garbage can and my slippers to live underneath.

LEIRVIK Bed Frame

I already have plans for a custom made bedframe based on nomad-furniture designs so I can store a lot of my stuff under my bed, but I couldn't resist throwing this frame in this post. It's too adorable! The only way I would love it more is if it was a four poster or canopy bed instead. Although I would definitely take a coat of paint to it.

I would definitely go broke if I was unleashed in Ikea, even with a few thousand dollars in hand I'm sure. I don't think I'd ever allow myself to outfit my home in all Ikea, but I'm really loving drawing inspiration from what I'm finding there. I can't wait to start apartment hunting again, especially now that I've seen what Kate and Kaylah have done with their new spaces! Too rad!

My Spray Paint Addiction

Thanks to Kate Gabrielle (Scathingly Brilliant) I have developed a spray paint addiction (Thanks Kate!)
I am now going broke because I'm spray painting everything I own, and I don't regret it!

The first thing on my list was some form of storage for my pens, brushes, markers and whatnot. I saw this image floating around and decided I had to attempt to make my own.

Found on Imgfave

Super cute right? I wasn't a fan of these particular colours but, as Kate said "as long as there is paint on this planet it doesn't matter." Which resulted in the beginnings of my own recycled can organizer. I'll be sharing my progress later this week.

There wasn't a huge selection, but I love these two!

I took Kate's philosophy and applied to the rest of my stuff too. I picked up two cans of Krylon at Walmart on a whim a couple weeks ago after reading her post. I love personalizing things. It makes my stuff feel like mine, and I'm always happier when everything in my personal area is up to my visual standards. I rarely find furniture or other items in colours I like, and for the longest time my bedroom set was just white. Which can be beautiful in a properly decorated space, but it just bored me to tears. To the point where I wrote all over it in sharpie when I was fifteen. I can't wait to spruce it up in a couple weeks... And get rid of my graffiti. Though the doodle of Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas might be allowed to stay haha.

In the meantime, I'm sticking to having some fun with the supplies I use for packing orders. I want a portable order packing kit so I can just grab it and go when I need to. I picked up two of these baskets at the dollar store hoping my supplies would fit. They weren't an awful colour to begin with, but I have a colour scheme in mind for my future studio/office space and I want everything to fit in with it. They, along with some office supplies, were treated to a mini makeover, and I love how they look now.

The Pistachio is close to the actual colour, but I overexposed the Gum Drop stuff... it's much more purple in person

I also decided to makeover a drawer tower I've been storing my bathroom stuff (read: nail polish and hair products. Yes I really had enough to fill 3 drawers) in. I'd like to switch its currant contents with some of my art supplies, so I decided to purple-ify it as well. Unfortunately I waited just a little too long in between coats and part of the paint bubbled up. I'm thinking of decoupaging over that area instead of stripping it and repainting.

Berlyn, pay attention to your exposure, yeesh!

And there you have it! All of this is, of course, getting done because of my excitement over the apartment. I'm going to have to get more spraypaint and go nuts with everything else I own now. I'll be posting my progress in the weeks to come. I can't wait to share some photos of it all set up in the new place!

Stay Scary,
Berlyn