my new apartment is still coming together, even though i moved in almost a year ago.  i wanted to show you a glimpse of these great nightstands i got from target (for $60 each!).  the lamp is temporary, and will end up in the living room.

new diptyque candle and my favorite mary green eye mask.

i moved into a new (bigger!) apartment at the end of november, and i have been having a great time getting it into shape.  my first order of business was to paint the walls (previously a heinous glossy (why???) taupe) a matte light gray (i used benjamin moore’s moonshine in eggshell).  the reason the walls were so important to me is because my home never feels like a home until my art is up.

i fiddled around with the arrangement of my gallery wall since my last place, and i am much, much happier with it now.  i am by no means an art hanging expert, but here are a few things that i learned since then:

1) try to avoid mats.  most pictures don’t need them, and they tend to create unnecessary holes in a composition.

2) hang pictures in a set together.  i know this sounds silly, but i would try to mix and match everything before, which was clearly a mistake.

3) try to create horizontal or vertical lines of space between pictures throughout for harmony.  i used 3 such lines.

4) try to put the piece with the heaviest visual weight (in my case, the trumpet player drawing) in the center.  otherwise, it will tend to drag the eye to wherever it is placed.

5) don’t rush!  i never buy art to fill a space.  i buy what i love, and then i find a place for it later.

i finally got around to taking some pictures of my new sofa.  it is the liam sofa, by mitchell gold + bob williams.  it is makes the exact statement i was looking for, with its clean lines, lush blue velvet, and brass nailhead trim.  i am completely in love.