The little floral painting came home with me. Can you spot it?

since i barely leave the house these days, i thought i would take advantage of the parachute sale to buy some new linens for our bedroom.  the cloud cotton quilt and matching shams are so amazingly soft, and i love the rumpled white linen for summer.  i still decided to stick to the gray and white scheme, but the darker gray on the inside of the quilt adds a nice contrast.  i also like folding the duvet at the base of the bed, since it gives a neater overall appearance.

{before}

{after}

my post from the holidays made me realize that i never did a dining area reveal.  while this area will still change over time as we collect more art from our travels, it makes me ridiculously happy to eat at as is.  the lamp is from drew barrymore’s collection for walmart and fits in perfectly without blocking the art.

we’ve been keeping the apartment pretty clean lately, so i thought it would snap a few pictures of some of my favorite corners.

i also decided to get back to my shopping list method of focusing on what i want for the season.  its funny that some of the items from my prior lists are still on there.  i either never found the item, or i bought one and it has since worn out.

earlier this year, i was finally able to complete some long-awaited renovations on my apartment.  though i had finally saved up enough money last year, there were delays with building approval, the contractor, and ordering materials.  and then there was the bathroom light that took forever to be replaced, which is why this post is just happening now.

despite the headaches and the $$$, it is something that i would 100% do again.  it is a dream of mine to do a full renovation on an apartment, even though it is far more expensive and time-intensive than they show on hgtv (especially in new york).

let’s start with the listing photo that i had previously posted to this site.  as i mentioned, this makes it look far nicer than it was.

here are some photos i snapped before the renovations began.  even though i had made small improvements, the lack of storage, the rotting ceramic tile, and the useless rusted drain (among other delightful features) eventually drove me over the edge.

all the interior doors looked like this.  rotting frames, unfinished surfaces, and uneven placement.

my bedroom closet doors which had been painted over about 10 times and were made of some cheap style of metal.  oh and they came off their hinges all the time.

my new tub hanging out outside the bathroom.  i figured i will want to remember this one day.