First off, Happy National Donut Day!
If you’re looking for a super easy, super delicious donut recipe [that doesn’t break the calorie bank, might I add] look no further. Happy Holidays.
Anyway, moving on, from donuts to….coffee.
Tables.
Let’s talk coffee tables. Let’s talk my latest obsession-interior design. I blame house shopping. So my husband and I have been tossing around the idea of moving from our one bedroom apartment into a house for about a year or so now. We’ve been squirreling money away with the plan to continue saving for the next several years and after that, starting the hunt. Well, after talking to [insert the names of EVERY SINGLE PERSON we know] about this plan we were repeatedly told the same thing, over and over: “start looking now“.
According to everyone we know, the search can take years so the best thing to do is to start searching now, while we’re saving, because by the time we actually find THE ONE, we’ll probably be ready to start looking anyway.
So, we dove in. Alas, thinking about buying also means thinking about selling which in turn made us take an objective look at our apartment. I love our apartment so much. It’s our home and it’s the home we built together. However, as much as we loved it as is, it needed some fine tuning. We started with the basics by installing brand new, stainless steel appliances and moving extra junk that we didn’t really need (winter clothes, a plethora of books that have already been read, picture frames and art work that we never hung, extra candles that I’ve hoarded away, etc) into storage, getting granite counter tops and repainting.
With all these updates our apartment has been looking so effin’ good that it’s inspired me to start redecorating. I have no shame in admitting that I’m a bit of a hoarder; I quite like stuff. However, when these new appliances came and the walls and doors were freshened up with bright, crisp new paint I realized how clean and effortlessly beautiful it looked. The extra “stuff” started to make me feel cluttered (see below) and just didn’t fit with this streamlined new look.
So I started cleaning out my stuff and reorganizing like crazy. A perfect example of what I’ve been doing is the restyle I did to my jewelry area. Next up was the coffee table which I’d been iching to restyle for a while. For years we’ve had the same pieces sitting on it and it would get the most attention during the fall and winter with all the holidays. However, it always looked cluttered.
The first thing I knew it needed was a tray–a neat little piece to hold all the stuff in, to keep everything in one place instead of scattered throughout the table. I realized that what crowded my coffee table more so than anything was candles, but I still wanted to keep them out. Neatly aligning them in a fresh tray was the perfect way to keep them all out but keep the table as a whole looking neat.
The next thing I looked at was height. A beautifully styled coffee table seems to have two things in common: a variation of height in the things that lay atop it and a sweet little flower arrangement that provides an accent of color. I wanted to keep my tray of three candles because I love their calming effect but I decided to add in this himalayan salt votive for a spring/summer appropriate pop of blush.
To carry on the blush theme I bought a light pink colored fake flower arrangement from Home Goods to balance out the accent color. The tray is a neutral taupe shade that brightens up the space but still matches the rest of the color in the room. Next I added a beautiful glass lantern to add height and drama. What I love about this pieces is that it’s clear glass. This was perfect because the fact that it’s clear kept it from overwhelming the set up, despite how large it actually is. I placed my homemade ice candle inside to keep the flow of candles of neutral colors. Finally, I put our little piggy in the tray as well because I didn’t want to hide him away but I didn’t want him just out on the table top as he was one of the pieces that contributed to that “cluttered” feel. Keeping these little knick knacks and candles all together in one clean space has opened up and tidied up the table immensely!
I only left two things out and one was a set of coasters, which are there for practicality purposes as we often sip drinks/have snacks and congregate around our coffee table. If they seem to overwhelm or crowd the space they can be hidden in the tray. Next, I left out a hand-painted vintage dish that I filled with pretty matchbooks I’ve collected from restaurants and travel that are used to light our candles. While I was going for a bit of a clean look, I still wanted the table and surrounding area to feel a bit laid back, lived in and welcoming which I think the matches and coasters provide.
I’m pretty obsessed with how it ended up looking and the organization of the candles and pretty pop of pink in the flowers instantly brightens my mood and makes me feel relaxed!
xoxo
lindsayylovee 