Interior decor ideas: living and sleeping area

Photo credits: 1. Vilman at Flickr, 2. potandkettlestudios at Etsy.com, 3. Finlayson, 

4. H&M, 5. H&M 6. H&M, 7. H&M, 8. H&M , 9. Ikea, 

10. Ikea, 11. Bellacor.com, 12. Ikea, 13. Ikea, 14. Ikea, 

15. notonthehighstreet.com, 16. Sotka

In my previous post I announced the exciting news about my new apartment. I also warned you that there will be a lot of interior decorating on my blog and here we have the first interior decorating themed post of all the posts to come.

As I'm not rich and my parents won't be decorating my apartment, I will have to get most of the furniture second-hand. Luckily my aunt and her boyfriend are moving out of their apartment, back to my grandparents for some time, until they can find another small apartment to suit their needs, so I will be getting some things from them, at least for the time being. I also already have some things that might come in hand. D is happy to purchase things too, as he will be benefitting from them as well when he moves to Finland.

The lamp on my inspiration board resembles a lot the ceiling lamp I already have. I had it in my old room at my parent's place and when I moved to my grandparents' two years ago, I brought it with me. So I will definitely have a round lace ceiling lamp in my apartment.

D and I can't agree on a bed. As my apartment is only a little over 3 meters (about 9 feet 10⁷⁄₆₄ inches) wide, I don't want a huge double bed to take over the entire living area. A sofa bed would be the most logical choice, since some seating would be useful for when I invite people over. However, sofa beds aren't the most comfortable beds available so we have been considering getting a real double bed. I'd be happy with 140x200cm (standard double size bed) but D thinks that it's too small. He wants a 160x200 cm (queen size) bed. Mind you, neither of us is really that wide so I don't get the point. According to D, a 20 cm (about 8 inches) difference won't be the end of the world but in a small apartment, 20 cm might result in not being able to place anything on the opposite side of the room because there would be no space to walk around. But if in the end we manage to agree on a bed, we will probably get a cute headboard wall decal like the one in the picture. Real iron frame beds are quite expensive so I love the idea, even if I say so myself.

I actually already own the bed sheets in the picture, D and I got them as a Christmas present from my grandparents.

Pillows are such an easy and inexpensive way to spice up the room. As long as I'll be living on my own for the most part, I'll definitely be creating a more feminine feel to my home with pink, sequins, sparkle, lace and what not. My home is supposed to represent my style and until D moves in, or we move to a different place together, I won't be hiding my love for all things pink and sparkly.

As you know, I love knitting, and as soon as I'm done with all my other projects, I might knit (or even learn to crochet!) a blanket like the one in the picture.

I'm so happy that my aunt loves mirrors as much as I do. I had been considering buying the big Ikea mirror either new or second-hand but as it turns out, my aunt has the same one and she is very happy to let me have it for the time being. Saves me money and saves them (and my grandparents) storage space. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Usually I like sleeping in dark rooms so dark curtains would seem like an obvious choice but dark and heavy curtains would make my apartment look so much smaller. There's only one (big) window so light curtains are the smartest choice. The lace curtains in the picture are from Ikea but my mum might have simple white curtains hanging around somewhere. At least in the beginning I'm happy to accept any donations to save my little money. I'll upgrade when my budget allows me to.

My parents have an old dining table, much like the one in the picture, stored somewhere and I'll be getting that one. It's a nice table and it should match the wooden floors quite well.

Not sure how smart it is for me to get any real plants, as I tend to forget to water them, but I think I'll manage one or two plants. I'm also thinking of growing my own herbs, and the cute little greenhouse from Ikea would be perfect. Of course, it's not the first thing on my list, but it's cute.

I will be getting two chairs matching the dining table and that's about the amount I need on a daily basis, but for when I have guests, some fold-up chairs would be nice. These chairs from Ikea are quite price-y for my budget at the moment but perhaps I can find them second-hand. (on a side note, I hate how messily I added the picture to the board... but can't be bothered to fix it anymore)

Fairy lights are such a cliche at the moment, considering the amount of fairy light pictures I can find on weheartit and the like but I'll risk being cliche because I think they are so cute. I might feel different in a few years but who cares!

Among other things I'll be getting from my aunt, is a bean bag chair. The one I'll be getting (or holding for them) is not as dark as this one though, it's more of a light-brown colour. Not the most comfy choice of seating, but it saves me from having to buy a sofa chair or something like that, and it's better than sitting on the floor.

A lot of mix and match, just like the clothes I wear, but I'll take the challenge gladly. Getting everything right away would be a little boring, now I'm forced to use my imagination and creativity. The bed is the only problem at the moment, but if I can't come up with anything else, my aunt has a bed that should last me until D comes to Finland and we can go bed shopping. (I already feel sorry for the salespeople at Ikea or wherever we head for mattresses and such)

Can you tell I've been nesting ever since I heard the news?