03/1/13
The cherry on top
The past few weeks at the jungalow have been about overhauling the living room–first I got the new sectional, then I redid the gallery wall and put in a new wall sconce but I was missing just one final touch before the room felt totally *me.* Yup–the ceiling light! If you look at the ‘before’ picture, the existing ceiling light was, well, dinky (and ugly!) and it was stainless steel when all of the other hardware (and some of the art) in the room is brass.
It took me a while to choose a lamp for the ceiling and then I narrowed it down to two (the other one was this one which matches my sconces) but I finally opted for the brass Sputnik light at Euro Style Lighting and I’m so glad I did. Immediately after Jason finished installing it, it became clear that it was the cherry on top of my living room overhaul; the crystals, the little floral shapes–it’s like a shiny brass bouquet that makes me smile e v e r y s i n gl e t i m e that I look up at it. (It also can be wall-mounted which I think would look amazing too–so maybe I’ll do that in the next overhaul.) Also, the light it gives off makes the darker hours of the day seem sunny and cheery. I can now say with full conviction that besides that pesky little rent check that we wrote this morning (happy March!) this house no longer feels like a rental. Honey, I’m home!
Robert Abbey Sputnik Brass Crystal Flush Mount Ceiling Light C/O Euro Style Lighting
02/21/13
Let there be lighting
When I tell people that Jason and I are starting to look for a house to buy they are surprised. Everyone assumes that we already own the house we live in. I think it’s because I put in so much time, energy, love and so many holes in the walls! (Luckily our landlord is awesome). There is really only one area that (until now) I avoided adding my personal touch to (because it just seemed like too much of a hassle for a rental) and that’s changing the light fixtures. Every time I walked into the house and saw the existing sconce on the wall I cringed a little bit. (You can see the old sconce in this pic) I hated it so much, in fact that when I photographed the gallery wall a couple of weeks ago–I digitally remastered it out of the photo(see!?) And once I did that, I knew it just had to go.
I had fun choosing a new light fixture and after weeks of searching I decided on this sconce from Euro Style Lighting. I love that it’s brass (so much more my vibe than stainless steel). I love that it looks tropical, and 70′s and kind of bamboo-like–so jungalicious. And it adds so much more light into the room–it’s crazy. It actually C H A N G E S the colors in the living room–making everything even brighter and happier. I can’t tell you what a big difference it made!! Sometimes a small detail can really make a huge difference–and I’m a believer in turning a house into a home, rental or not. I’m so glad I finally swapped it out. And I’ll just take the lights with me when we do finally buy a place. It’s a bit addicting though, so watch out–now I wanna swap out every light in my jungalow for something swanky and awesome.
Do you make your rental feel like your home? What are things that you’d change even though you know that you don’t own the home?
The Pink Ojo de Dio by Little Nicki (thank you! I love it!)
Get brass seagulls similar to mine here
Meurice Antique Brass Metal Robert Abbey Wall Sconce C/O Euro Style Lighting
The jungalow has needed a new sofa FOREVER (I even did a post about it last year). Our last sectional was a hand-me-down from my grandmother and it was 20 years old (and not in a good way). I had given it a DIY upholstery job that was a little too DIY (if you know what I mean). We held on to that couch for about four years–it served us well–but alas, we needed something new, something affordable, something practical, something jungalicious. Since we don’t have a guest room I wanted a sleeper sofa, and the L-shape of the old sectional fit well in the space–so those were two requisites. Other than that, I was kinda open and I looked EVERYWHERE including Craigslist for about four months.
Finally I found this Mandalay sectional sleeper sofa from Fashion For Home. It was available in TEN different colors and they would even send free fabric swatches. Done and Done. I was shocked at how affordable the sleeper was–about 30% cheaper than everything else we found that was similar. We ordered the sofa in mustard–and I love how the color it illuminates the jungalow. But besides the color–I am THRILLED with how easy it is to open into a bed–and I kinda just like the way it looks open–I mean–check out this super dooper loungey situation. Movie night anyone?
All in all, I am very happy with my Fashion for Home sectional–my only criticism is that it took while to get here once I placed the order–but it was worth the wait. The shape, the color and everything else about it is very me. It’s comfy, not insanely heavy for if we do move in the next little while and the color–it just makes me happy. Fashion for Home also has some other affordable pieces that I love–so be sure to check out their site. I’m especially smitten with this chair and look how cool this shelfy thingy is.
All photographs by Justina Blakeney. This post was brought to you by Fashion for Home.
02/4/13
Jungalicious, Est 1976
I’m researching for an exciting new project and I bought a bunch of old books–I’d been missing the feel of paper between my fingers. This one book, A House & Garden Book Decorating with Plants by Marybeth Little Weston (1976) had some really weird and cool interior spaces that I found inspiring enough to scan and share here with you all. Here are my favorites. I’m in love with that first image. The cluster of cacti (Euphorbia Ingens) on the right has me wishing my ceilings were higher. And don’t get me started on that greenhouse/pool situation.
01/29/13
painted canvas headboard
I’ve been experimenting a lot with our new king sized bed. Over the weekend I found this amazing unsigned painted canvas. I placed it behind the bed to create a ‘head-board’–I am so in love with it! I’ve always wanted to have art behind the bed but don’t love having frames over my head while I sleep–so this is kind of the perfect solution. I also love the way it looks juxtaposed with my new duvet and green and orange are my favorites.
Photos By J. Blakeney
I got a chance to visit some friends and family in Seattle last week and one of my favorite stops was at my friend, Nina’s house in the Capital Hill district. I walked in and the first thing I thought was “yay you have a jungalow!’ Full of plants, patterns, color and crystals, Nina’s pad is light and airy but still full of character. I love so many of the old details that the apartment has to offer: the built-ins in the kitchen, the old, ornate heaters, the large windows. And the way that Nina has decorated keeps it simple but still very jungalicious. I love how she uses a color scheme I wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards–blues paired with reds–but it totally works here! I have pulled some of my favorite details from her pad and created a ‘get the look.’
& lovely Spider Plants
Thanks for letting me share your home, Nina!
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