Rug Life {Amy}

So we've got a rug. It was once a nice rug.... It was once a $10,000 rug (no we did not pay that much for it - one of the perks of the consignment industry)

Here it is back in our apartment from 3 years ago....

So we've been looking for a new one because it's probaby 20 years old, and we've come to ther realization my expensive tastes are not exclusive to Alcohol. YAY! - not -

This gorgeously patterned rug, is out of our price range and also not the right color.

So we think we know where we're getting the replacement this weekend, maybe.I think we're going to go for an all red rug. And the only thing that makes me not want to run for the hills at the idea is that I've seen our sofa with one.

Design Problems: The Bathroom Shelf {Amy}

So, remember how we had that annoying corner that ended up getting the desk? One of the shelves we had there went into our bathroom. 

Towel storage is fine... but the other three shelves need something to deal with the other clutter in the open spaces. I'm thinking baskets... but finding ones that fit perfectly is proving to be tough.


Also, if you look close enough, you'll see that it does block a cabinet and a drawer - but we use that for long term storage, stuff we're not going to need to use EVER in this apartment.

Moving the Desk {Amy}

We talked about doing it for a month… and then, we finally did it. We moved the desk. (I talked about this problem corner a little while ago.)

When you live in a studio apartment, space is at a premium, and fidgeting with a good layout after you’ve found one that works can be risky business. But, we took the plunge and addressed two areas that had been giving us trouble in one go. We moved the desk.

The pain in this process was mostly that moving my desk involves moving three tons of paper as well. But we managed to get it sorted and moved and I’m happy to say, the end result is something I love!

The Problem Corner {Amy}

We have a problem corner.

It’s a part of the apartment that I don’t know what to do with. And so, it’s become a sort of a catch-all?

I’m working on a plan to make it a functional, useable space… perhaps by moving my desk over there?

Here are some of my thoughts and inspirations.

An Accidental Design Element {Amy}

On occasion, design elements happen on accident.
One that happened for me came with the collection of random glassware and baubles for the wedding. With no place to conveniently store them, the first few wound up on top of the bookshelves housing our movies and other such things. And when we looked at them up there, we realized they looked pretty cool.
So we kept adding to the collection – both from necessity, and for aesthetic – and then we tossed a set of LED strip lights up just for the fun of it, and this is what we got!

Dealing With The Kitchen Shelves {Amy}

One part of the apartment that has always been a bit of an annoyance is the shelving system in our kitchen. So, I decided to make it work for me, and I thought I'd share the de-cluttering with you.

 

Before: 

 

Initially when we moved in, I grouped things by color, which was fun, but didn't actually last long. So, looking at the shelving system as they were, let's talk about the problems.

• The top two shelves weren't being used to their fullest potential. They were being cluttered with items that weren't used every day, or were purely decorative. What I want to get out of them: Storage for semi-used kitchen serving-ware/mixing bowls.
• The "Jars and Such" shelf was a bit of a mess.  I don't know if you can tell, but there's a bag of flour hanging out at the other end and there's some random Tupperware items that found their way onto the shelf and never managed to leave.What I want to get out of it: An organized and clean looking method of storing bulk items.
• Below that, there's another shelf of random items - mostly tea related things that do not get as much use as I would like. What I want to get out of it: Dry food Storage to clear up space in kitchen cabinets.
• The bottom shelf has a basket with all of our spices, and then a bunch of random serve-ware (and my depleted lemon juice stock) It looks like a mish-mash, and I don't enjoy that. What I want to get out of it: Same as above. Dry food Storage.
• On the floor are baskets with out cooking oils/vinegars, noodles, canned goods, and baking supplies. I just don't like keeping this stuff on the floor. What I want to get out of it: Earl wants to use it to store our water bottles... and I'm okay with that.

 After: 

In the end, I think it worked perfectly for my purposes. I just had to get two more baskets, and straighten things out/rearrange. If you're wondering where all my tea stuff went, check over here.

Tea Storage & Display {Amy}

Anyone who knows me, knows I love tea. I drink it every day, even in the dead heat of summer. And along with my love of tea comes a love for teacups. Which is why I have a slowly building teacup collection.

Every time we move, the teacups have to find a new home. The previous two times, they ended up on top of the kitchen cabinets. It’s a place that is good for viewing… but inconvenient for use, and they get AWFULLY dusty up there.

This time around, I have a set of shelves just beyond the kitchen. and I decided they were perfect for storing my ever fluctuating supply of tea. The bottom three shelves are for our abundance of board games and puzzles at the moment.

Are you wondering what that grey box is?

It's kind of like an electrical tackle box, but it's PERFECT for keeping tea bags corralled! (And, if the house catches on fire, I could grab it and run! {Kidding - mostly} It has decluttered the shelf amazingly. It holds the equivalent of aproximately 17 boxes of tea! along with some bigger cubbies to hold my loose leaf Cranberry Sweets Cranberry Hibiscus, my loose leaf Orange Pekoe, some "zinger" samples, and my make-your-own tea bags.

I'll probably paint it soon. So that it doesn't look like a big grey brick on the shelf... or maybe I wont. I haven't quite decided yet!

I have my eye on a few teacups I saw recently at the Brass Armadillo, so I might have to find room on my shelves for a couple more…

Design Problems: Musicians Without Space {Amy}

When we moved into a studio apartment, I knew there was going to be some space issues – even though we have a very BIG studio apartment. One of the things I didn’t really think about was the fact we’d wind up with more music equipment in this apartment than we had in the previous ones. 

 

 Moving in, we had a surplus of guitars. We gave two of them homes over the nightstands, and I think they’re lovely there. The other two… well, they’re hiding about in corners of the apartment and I’m still trying to find places for them. And then... we finally found the half-stack Earl used to use, and so he snatched that up as quick as you like.

But we have nowhere to put it! It doesn't constrict that walkway so much as to actually be an issue, but I'm not happy about it being there. So I'm on a mission to find another place for it. (Please note that we still haven't gotten around to putting the cooler away after the trip to Oregon)

And then there’s my keyboard….

 

I have had this keyboard forever. Okay, that’s not strictly true…. I had the keyboard from sometime in middle school through high school, then I moved to Arizona, and the keyboard ended up at my grandmother’s house for some reason. I only managed to work out getting it back down here this last trip up there in August. So now it’s here, but I don’t actually have a place for it. Right now it’s blocking a door and has no outlet, so it’s not like I can even use it.

I’m, going to try to figure out what to do with this lot this month… hopefully I find a solution!