Home Ownership: More Choices, More Responsibility

Up until now, I’ve only had one major home maintenence project since I moved into my condo in 2010.

Now I’m gonna take on the BIG GUNS.  It’s time to renovate the kitchen.  Well… at least most of it.  Oh boy.  I feel like a big girl now!

This was the setup when I moved in, and it’s still the same now (except now the countertops are covered in kitchen-y things).

Oak cabinets, blah white tile countertops, ho hum, white everything and some brown neutral tile floors.  The plan is to keep the current cabinets for now and change the countertop, sink, and appliances.  Not all at once, though.

The microwave recently broke down (just great) and I just bought one yesterday.  After the countertops go in, I’ll change out the fridge (which is OBSCENELY TINY).  We plan on doing the major reno while Justin and I are in Fiji in May, and Dad will supervise.

The thing is though, Dad has advised me not to get to expensive with the reno, appliances and finishes, since he thinks we won’t be living here within the next 5 years.  Renting?  Selling?  Hmm.  >1000 square feet is doable, and it’d be nice to have a bigger place…. but who knows what will happen.

So I’m going to try to do this as cheaply as possible, with nice, polished, yet neutral finishes to please any tenants or future owners in the future.

Since the kitchen is so small, I’m thinking of going with granite countertops in a white, close to marble finish.

Justin requested no granite with lots of sparkles.  It’s too bad we’re living together now or else I’d get a countertop chock full of SPARKLES complete with glittery chandelier!! Just kidding.

If I had things my way I’d get WHITE CABINETS ALL THE WAYYYYY but I have to use what I have.  So, oak cabinets.  Light granite countertops.  The backsplash… White subway tile?  Is that tacky?  Will this scheme go with my weird neutral-brown tile floors?  I’m not sure yet.

I’m a little scared.  This isn’t some HGTV special with perfect contractors, no designer is going to whip up a color plan for me with stone swatches.  Ultimately, I’m going to have to choose who will put everything in.  I’m going to choose the finishes.  It’s going to be… just me.  Of course, Justin will help me decide, but I’ll have to get the ball rolling, as I’m the one big on interior design and all.

#AHHHinternalfreakout!  Haha.

First time renovation.  So many choices.  I just hope I’ll make the right ones!

♥ E&I

Vanity Reorganization!

Muji has finally come to the west coast!  I had not shopped there since I was in Matsumoto, Japan, over 2 years ago and I am SO happy that it is here locally.  I was so obsessed at the time that I lugged my bulky Muji goodies around through SEVEN cities in Japan inside my luggage.

I bought a few bins for the bathroom this time as well as some clear acrylic drawers for makeup and jewelry storage.  (instagram haul here)

Here is what my vanity used to look like:

Open, but not practical.  I wanted to get my everyday items out from those little desk drawers & my makeup bins so I focused on storage that stacked vertically.  Before, makeup would spread out everywhere on the desk surface and I had a hard time putting things back where they were.

Current setup:

My makeup brush storage is the same but I moved it over to the right side (I’m right handed) and stacked two Muji trays together underneath for lip products and less-used items.

On the left I stacked some bins of makeup and false lashes.  A tray holds my everyday base makeup.

The acrylic drawers hold my jewelry and some eyeshadow, blush and bronzer.  I also found a cheap frosted plastic pen holder from Target on clearance to hold eyeliner pens and eyelash curlers.

Bottom drawer: Most-used blush and bronzer

Next drawer:  Urban Decay Naked palettes

Third drawer up:  Bracelets

Top drawer:  Rings and earrings (the tray is also from Muji)

The very top:  Wrap bracelets and misc jewelry

My rings are in my old fabric tray:

Necklaces and chunkier bracelets are in the mirrored tray on the right:

And the rest of my eyeshadow stash is in the desk drawers:

♥
E&I

Great decor doesn’t have to be expensive!

Last night I stumbled upon this great LA Times feature:  ‘Million Dollar Decorators’ shop Kmart, & Marshalls.  It shows 4 master decorators shopping at local discount stores and their thoughts on the store’s quality, prices and also some decorating tips! The slideshow is over 30 slides long and I spent a good half hour drinking it in.  Marshalls and TJ Maxx are some of my favorite places to shop.  And I feel that it’s rare to to get into the heads of professional decorators when it comes to discounted decor.

Shopping for the home isn’t easy… there are so many choices to make!  Is this going to fit in with everything that I own?  Is it a good price?  I’m always striving for a nicely decorated space and looking to Pinterest and interior design magazines for inspiration.  This feature reminds me once again that I can achieve that coveted ‘look’ I want on a budget.

♥ E&I

Nate Berkus for Target Collection

Tags

decor, nate berkus, Shopping, target

Finally… a Target collection to get excited about!  Remember when the designer clothing collaborations made the general public go bananas?  (Missoni?  Rodarte?) I think those days are finally over, but I’m honestly very excited for the Nate Berkus decor collection that’s coming to stores on October 21st.

I have two of his lamps in the bedroom and even though time has passed I still love them very much.  He is very good at blending modern, organic, warmth and glamour together!  I am a big fan of gold and metallics.

{see more home photos here}

My favorites:

The turtle wall hanging, the ikat towels, the geometric picture frame and the faceted gold vase!  And maybe a pillow or two.

{all images via Target}

Do you see anything you like?  I’m not sure if I should buy right when the collection comes out or wait until clearance time. Hmm.

♥ E&I

Mirror, mirror

Tags

decor, decorating, home decor, marshalls, mirror

I found this Indonesian-made mirror at Marshalls last night for $30.  The glue on the back piece of the mirror was coming loose, so I asked the cashier if I could get a discount.  She was kind enough to take $5 off!  I fixed it in 3 minutes using my trusty hot glue gun.

Now I can do a hair and face check before going out!

I’ve been searching for a circular mirror for the entryway for a very long time.  I keep seeing square or rectangular mirrors in all of the big box stores but I have a lot of pieces that are angular around the house.  I think this breaks it up a little bit.

Rawr!

♥ E&I