Happy 1st Birthday Condo!

Two months ago I hit the one year mark since becoming a homeowner. I had this great idea to post a look back at all my post-grad homes since my style has really changed over time. But, thanks to work being crazier than ever, the post (and many others) was put on the back burner.  However, today I am finally ready to share.

This was my first apartment after college in Chicago.  My  building was part apartments, part hotel. My unit was a former hotel room that was converted, hence the lovely blue carpet & beige walls. I wasn't allowed to paint, but I was OK with that.  When I first started picking out furniture/decor, I was REALLY into everything matching & looking like it came from the Pottery Barn catalogue.

Oh, hello white slip covers. This would be pre-Duke.

I loved this apartment & but I was living in Lincoln Park & I wanted a more "downtown" vibe. So, my furniture & I moved into a high-rise in River North & I was finally allowed to paint! I found these paisley pillows at Crate & Barrel that had tiny hints of teal in the pattern so I decided to go bold with a teal accent wall. I bribed called in my friends to help me transform my white box of an apartment.

 Oh the days of a bold accent wall.

After 3 amazing years living in the city, Duke & I packed our bags & headed for Los Angeles. When I arrived, my new apartment hadn't been repainted from the previous owner & everything was red & beige. I'm not opposed to red, but I'm not friends with beige. I called the management company & they said a painter could come in TWO hours if I could go get paint now. UM OK. Grey walls were just becoming a thing so I ran to Home Depot again & picked out 2 grey's for the living room, thinking I knew what would look good. 

And my apartment was now purple. It's kinda hard to tell in the photo, but trust me. Purple.  So much for just eying paint cards & thinking it will look great.  My couch did get a facelift with some Ikea slipcovers. White couch & dog do not mix.  This apartment had a tiny loft, which was great because my desk was massive & wouldn't fit anywhere else. It's also how I got this lovely birds eye view of my living room.

Then J moved to LA.  J moved in for what was supposed to be a temporary situation, but turned into he never left. While we loved being around each other all the freaking time, my apartment was just too damn small. So we moved to a rental house in Sherman Oaks.  

 

I can't even share a home photo with you because the house was so huge (#firstworldproblems) our furniture was swimming in it.  We couldn't do a lot to the space due to it being a rental & looking photos just depresses me because man, did that place have some major potential. After a year in what should have been more like 3-4 years, the owner passed away & left the house to his brother. His brother had no desire to be a landlord & decided to sell the house for way over we could afford.  

 

Instead of renting yet ANOTHER place, we decided it was time to be financially responsible & invest in a piece of property. After living in a house with a very private backyard, J & I were set on finding a single family home.  But looking at a few places FAR from where we wanted to live, we decided to go with our townhouse because the location was AWESOME.  Plus we had a 2nd floor, which really made the space perfect. 

Here's just a peak into our current home. I am still working on my picture taking, so for now, all you get to see is our dining room aka only place to put a table. 

This table is actually the same table from my very first apartment. Over hiatus it got a makeover that was the largest pain in my ass. A post on painting furniture is to come.

How fabulous is the Chicago skyline Starry Night style painting? That was a birthday gift from J a few months after I moved to LA while he was still living in Chicago.

Thinking the bookcase is going to get some type of makeover…but haven't decided what yet.  Feel free to send ideas!

This fish planter is possibly one of my most favorite things I've ever purchased for our home. It's from CB2.  Everyone should own a gold fish planter.

It's been a great year here. Can't wait for what's to come!