Category: Making it Yours (MiY)

MiY 3c: A More Masculine Apartment

Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then it moved to the bedroom.

Now our fictional apartment dweller has moved in with her sweetie, and they would like a less feminine look for their apartment. The couch has stayed, but the pink chair is gone and has been replaced by the dark gray scan lounge chair. A pair of angular wooden side tables pick up on the wood legs of the chair and couch, and a self-referential news rack corrals newspapers and magazines in the room. A few wiry forms like the floor lamp and wire spheres keep things light, while a whale print keeps things heavy (ba dum bum). The wall color is one of my new favorites, Down Pipe (as seen in AB Chao’s gorgeous bedroom).

We’ll see the rug next in another version of the living room before ending up in its fifth and final space.

October 1, 2009
MiY 3b: Bedroom

Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment.

The rug has moved into the bedroom now, and the room is much more calm than the rest of the apartment. There is still a touch of pink in the sheets, but just barely. The Hoffman Bed is the same bed that we have (I love it), but in green. And I just had to put that Maskros Pendant in the room. If I can’t have it over my bed, then I can at least include it here! Two Engan dressers function as nightstands, and there is a nice creamy gray paint on the walls.

Next we’ll see the rug in the living room of a new apartment, butched up a little.

September 21, 2009
MiY 3a: Girly Apartment

It’s about time for another round of Making it Yours (MiY), don’t you think? MiY explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’ll be focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It will start out in the home of a young woman who has just splurged on the rug (it’s the most expensive thing in her apartment!), then make its way with her through several changes of residence.

Nothing here is extraordinarily expensive, but our young apartment-dweller is starting to gather some nice things for her living/dining space. IKEA’s Karlstad with a green slipcover is a great sofa for only $499, and the hot pink chair is a fun addition to the room. Wicker chairs keep things light and airy, and the tee pee dining table is a piece that will be loved for many years to come. The pink lamp is a steal at just $49 (on sale), and it would look great on a substantial white blocky table. White wall flowers and a pink print dress the walls, and a cute pillow sits on the sofa.

Next up, we’ll see the rug move into the bedroom.

September 18, 2009
Entryway (MIY: Real Good Chair)

Making it Yours (MIY) is all about using the furniture you have in new ways and taking pieces with you throughout your life. In this edition of MIY, our fictional homeowner has moved from a home with a breakfast nook and room for four Real Good Chairs to a new home where the chairs will have to be split up. We’ve already seen the chairs in a home office, graphic bedroom, and vintagey bathroom.

Now we’re seeing the fourth and final chair gracing an entryway.

The pendant has the same angles and facets as the chair, and the duck egg stacking boxes have just enough of the warm sand color on them to tie in the brass finish of the light. The console table and mirror are simple enough to not compete with the rest of the room, and the little white dish would be an excellent catch-all near the door. The Haseform Dachshund Coathanger is adorable, and the rug add just the right amount of pattern. Dark grey woven baskets and blue/grey walls finish off the entryway.

Making it Work for You

I know that the Blu Dot chair is fairly taste-specific. I like it (obviously), but some of you didn’t. The whole idea of Making it Yours though is that you can take a piece that you love, and keep using it in different ways and at different points in your life.

Let’s say for example that you love Chippendale chairs. The accompanying furniture and paint colors may change, but the MIY concept still applies. Here’s an alternate version of the entryway.

The chair is from Pieces, and the paint color, hooks, tray, and rug have changed. The concept is the same, yet the look is very different. I hope that gives you some ideas for how Making it Yours can work for you!

January 12, 2009
Vintagey Bathroom (MIY: Real Good Chair)

Making it Yours (MIY) is all about using the furniture you have in new ways and taking pieces with you throughout your life. In this edition of MIY, our fictional homeowner has moved from a home with a breakfast nook and room for four Real Good Chairs to a new home where the chairs will have to be split up. We’ve already seen one of the chairs in a home office, and another in a modern, graphic bedroom. Now we’ll see the third chair in a vintagey bathroom.

First off, can i just say that I would LOVE to have a bathroom big enough to fit a chair? Yep, that would be nice. But our fictional homeowner here has lucked out and has the room, as well as a lovely clawfoot tub and hexagon tiles. The Lombard ceiling fixture fits in well with the tub and tile, and the green goes nicely with the color of the chair. The bath mat and wall color further link the colors, without exactly matching, and Supernova Modern Vases by j. mendicino are a cute touch. The shower curtain picks up on the hex tile, but in a more feminine way while still keeping the room from getting too cloying and colorful.

Next up, we’ll see the fourth and final chair in the home’s entryway.

January 8, 2009
Graphic Bedroom (MIY: Real Good Chair)

Making it Yours (MIY) is all about using the furniture you have in new ways and taking pieces with you throughout your life. In this edition of MIY, our fictional homeowner has moved from a home with a breakfast nook and room for four Real Good Chairs to a new home where the chairs will have to be split up. We’ve already seen one of the chairs in a home office, so now we’ll see another in a modern, graphic bedroom.

I noticed that I had been using a lot of light wall colors lately, but I thought a nice deep olive green would work well in this bedroom. I think the trick to using a dark wall color is to balance it with lighter elements (like in my library), so the bedding and headboard will help with that. Then of course, we have some crazy pattern. I love Thomas Paul’s work, and the rug and pillow tie all of the colors in the room together. The Digging Up print (in a RIBBA frame) matches without being too ‘matchy matchy’. A blue silk pillow is a nice addition too (it’s always good to throw in some solids when there are lots of patterns going on, yes?). Further breaking up all of the patterns, there’s IKEA’s simple MALM dresser, and a handsome pair of swing arm lamps to flank the bed.

Next up, we’ll see the chair in a vintagey bathroom.

January 3, 2009