The plan was to live at home with my parents until I had finished college, grad school, and paid off any loans afterward before moving out on my own.
College is over. Grad school is completely paid for. And the time has come for this little bird to spread her wings and fly.
However, finding a cozy place of my own has proved to be a bit more challenging than what I had anticipated. After months of scouring zillow.com for fixer-uppers in my beautiful little city, I’ve had my hopes dashed more than a few times during the house-hunting process. I’ve often discovered that the cute little houses pictured are actually in one of the worst areas of town and that the sweet little 800 square foot doll house was in much worse condition than I actually wanted to deal with my dad wanted to repair. As a result, I’m still at home and attempting to make the most of the little personal space I have at my parents house. This doesn’t keep me from dreaming, pinning, and planning so that when my perfect cozy place appears I will be ready to take charge of my personal little domain, though!
If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ve probably realized that I pin an obnoxious amount of home decor ideas. I’ve noticed that I’m drawn to clean, streamlined spaces with small bursts of color in unexpected places, bookshelves for knick-knacks, and mismatched pieces of furniture. Obviously, everyone has her own style of decorating, and while I realize not everyone is going to love the images I’m sharing today, I hope they inspire you to search for a look that speaks to you when it’s time to decorate your little space!
SF Girl By Bay
I really love the idea of all-white walls and trim and bringing little bits of color in with furniture and accessories. It exudes an air of cleanliness and effortless decorating. Also, books. Not only are they great for reading and expanding one’s horizons, they’re great for decorating!
Finding Home
I’m not a cluttery type girl. I like everything to be in its little home, which doesn’t always happen unfortunately, but that’s always the goal! Bookshelves like these are the perfect place for “pretties” and stuff that generally takes up a lot of space. Once again, notice how crisp and clean everything is with all of the white!
Little Green Notebook
As a piano teacher, the music room is an integral part of my personal space. (Just ask my family…I’ve overtaken the entire family room in my mother’s house just for lessons!) Anyway, once again the fresh white paint is refreshing while the beautiful black piano gives great contrast to the overall look of the tiny space.
From the Right Bank
A bit of a fancier take on the piano room, with the gorgeous chandelier and candles on the coffee table. I adore this look for a music space as well, and I think combing elements from this photo with the one above could potentially create a cozy, yet almost-formal feel for a usable piano studio. And can we just take a few moments of silence to appreciate those windows? Windows make me so happy — they’re definitely on the prerequisite list for my future little cottage!
Houzz
A door with windowpanes as a shower closure?! Totally smitten, my darlings. And those little black and white tiles are just classic vintage enough to break up a bit of that white that I like so much.
Interiorholic
This appeals to very girly-girl nature of my personality. Still keeping with the white theme, but adding just a dash pink is noticeably feminine. And those chair covers and ruffled tablecloth? Perfect for entertaining guests for brunch or a mid-afternoon caffeine fix. The chandelier in this room is quite similar to the one in the previous image, and I like that it adds just a bit of class — enough to make the rooms less trendy and more timeless, but not enough to take it old school Victorian.
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I’ve decided that as soon as the opportunity presents itself for my little space to become a reality, I will implement three things into decor: 1.) all white walls throughout the house to keep a clean, spacious feeling, 2.) lots of bookshelves for organizing, and 3.) vintage glass chandeliers in every room possible to add just a touch of elegance.