Modern Elegance

Modern elegance is one of those decoration styles which entails so many different things. Such as marble, gold accents, geometric prints, beautiful florals, gallery walls, chandeliers etc. 

Another common theme you'll notice is black and white. I am not sure if it's my taste, but everything modern & elegant happened to have splashes of black and white, which I personally love, and hope you do too.

Image

Remember the gold accents previously mentioned? Prime example below. Also, note the modern and elegant gallery wall with geometric pillows.

Image

The huge mirror compliments this elegant entry in such a modern way.

Image

The clear table below is modern yet chic all at the same time, and looks elegant paired with the fancy lamp and neutral sofa. The question is, is the table glass or a thick plastic? The world may never know, but I do know I want this table and whole set up in my living room sooner than later.

Image

This glamorous pad is borderline gaudy, but I love how feminine, modern & elegant it is. One thing is for sure, the light fixture needs to be burned and replaced with...you guessed it, a chandelier. 

Image

Nothing says elegant quite like a royal blue tufted sofa and black and white toile chairs, am I right?

Image

Now let's look at modern elegance in the kitchen...

Image

Can we talk about how elegant those traditional curtains look paired with the chandelier and the modern factor of the sleek chrome appliances and counter top?! Oh, so much love for this kitchen.

Image

The next kitchen is exactly how I want my kitchen to look one day. Well, let me rephrase that- if I could pick one kitchen to mimic, and if I had an unlimited amount of money, I would pick this one. BUT I would undoubtedly add three eye catching chandeliers and maybe a subway backsplash.

 Image

At first glance this kitchen looks transitional as can be, but if you look closer the backsplash is made of chrome subway tiles, and guess what else is chrome to match? The handles of the drawers.

Image

Velvet, chrome, gold, fur, marble, geometric patterns...oh my!

Which modern elegant interior is your favorite? Comment below.

Subscribe via Bloglovin' to never miss a beat!

Desk Area Do's

One of my favorite spots in an apartment is the desk area. Whether it is small, spacious, big, wood, black, white, or a pull down from a wall, a desk is an absolute essential when it comes to college students or people who work from home aka Bloggers. The truth is no matter what you do for a living, everyone needs a nice quaint desk space to organize all of their junk or to simply read and pay bills. Some of my favorite desk areas are in apartments.

Every office needs:

1) A functional yet attractive desk to house all of your office supplies and/or hobbies. This desk should include a drawer, or cubes *multiple cubes*.

Suggestions: EXPEDIT Workstation- Ikea and Corner Desk-Target

Further reading about secretary desks from One Kings Lane

2) Desk chair- You do plan on sitting down at your desk, right? Comfort is key, but not so comfy that you fall asleep while working…not so professional. To avoid that, opt for a bright color like the affordable one below. More of a conventional worker, try one of Wal Mart’s Best Selling chairs in the normal black leather.

Suggestions: Lona Mesh Chair- Target and Wal-Mart Best Seller

3) Some kind of pencil cup (mug, cup, pencil organizer)- Try a festive (Valentine’s Day) mug or buy the basic pencil cup, whichever floats your boat. You could even do something crazy like use a mug you already own (haha).

Suggestions: Eat Cake For Breakfast- Kate Spade mug and Nate Berkus pencil cup

Only real nerds lust over designer pencils, aka me; which are also from Kate Spade, surprise right? I thought so too. Or how about some Jonathan Adler pens? Ahh now we’re talking.

4) Bulletin board- For important dates, memories, inspiration. Bulletin boards need push pins to hold items.

How about some Kate Spade bow push pins? Perfect.

Bulletin board suggestions: DIY bulletin board and Nate Berkus cork board

5) Book storage- Every desk needs books and every book needs a place.

Suggestions: Floating bookshelf- Ikea and Billy bookcase- Ikea

Monday’s blog post on Bows and Moccasins features What To Read: fashion/home and inspirational books.

6) Paper Organization: Bills, receipts, recipes, notes from the office, printed out emails…are you exhausted yet? There is nothing worse than an unorganized office with stacks of paper on every corner. It is time to tame the clutter that has been building up and find a place for every loose piece.

Suggestions: Magazine Files- Ikea and Paperboard Magazine File- Office Depot

7) Task light- It is absolutely essential that this piece has a working light bulb then whatever else is up to you.

Suggestions: Royal Velvet- JcPenney and Royal Velvet- JcPenney (I bet you can’t guess I love these?)
 Also check out Lite Source Inc. Euros Desk Lamp- Kohls and Forfar Desk Lamp- One Kings Lane

8) Extra bits and bobs- The details pull everything together and make the office area/study officially yours.

Inspirational Wall Art- One Kings Lane

Kate Spade candle

Ruffle House Desktop Calendar- One Kings Lane

Paper Sugar print

Jonathan Adler 17 month Agenda

Square Scroll Picture Frame- C Wonder

What is your favorite part of a functional office? Tell me in the comments!

Oh my Gallery Wall

Apartment life sometimes gets lonely so a nice gallery wall to spice things up is necessary. I love gallery walls as if they are almost statement pieces in an apartment. Actually, in my apartment there is a huge blank wall that has a few holes in it. I am in the process of constructing an eye-catching gallery wall and have been searching for inspiration in a number of places. Of course, Pinterest was my first resource, but then I branched out to magazines and even began watching a little HGTV.

Gallery Walls come in all sorts of themes, sizes, and basically the possibilities are endless.

A few questions come to mind when deciding what to add to a gallery wall:

1. Do I want to use photos, and if so- my photography or printed sources? Do the photos need a matte or border? How many individual units do I want? 
2. Quotes are a nice touch, but what kind of quotes, and what fonts am I going to use? Could I order a print from somewhere, but where? Etsy, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Hobby Lobby are all good options to start when searching for typography prints or printed words with fancy fonts!
3. Frames, a gallery wall needs frames; which frames and what sizes? 
4. Do I want my gallery wall streamlined and measured, or randomized and unstructured?

Another thing to keep in mind when deciding what to place on the gallery wall is that every person who steps in your apartment will see it, or (in my apartment they will because it's in the living room and right when you walk in the door) so make sure everything on it is appropriate and is cohesive to the theme of your room.

I have seen gallery walls in living rooms the most, some in bedrooms, and only a few in an office setting.

Some of my favorites:

Found from Apartment Living

Found from Pottery Barn

Found from DIY Playbook

Found from Desert Domicile

Are you inspired yet? I know I sure am!

ALEX

The ALEX line for the popular Swedish company IKEA is perfect for small spaces.

Furniture is an investment, but is worth every penny. Ikea's price-point is on the lower side for frugal living people like you and me, but the 9 drawer piece pictured above ranges around $120. I own this piece and it keeps my cosmetics completely organized while not taking up much space, thanks to its vertical design. Props to this little guy for un-cluttering my bathroom drawers and taming the chaos. 

The second piece pictured features 5 drawers and is really tempting to place on top of the tall one. I had no clue the desk even exists, but it also looks appealing and makes me want to buy both. 

The shorter version is only $80 and the desk is around $200. I am pretty sure the desk would be completely worth 200 dollars because it is almost like 2 of the smaller ones ($160) + a desk. I really want to make the desk my craft and or sewing table! Two hundred is a lot to fork out, but I know it would be worth it.

Have you tried any of the furniture pieces from the ALEX line at IKEA? Tell me in the comments!