Jen Shares How She Turned Her New House into a Home

Last month my boyfriend and I made the big decision to move in together. We weighed the pros and cons of living with one another and in the end, felt that it was the right step for our relationship. Once we had made our decision, we turned our attention toward finding the perfect place. In LA finding a home that fits your budget, is in the location you want, and is some place you actually like is a tall order. We were fortunate to find a place that checked all the boxes- an idyllic home nestled just steps from the sand in Venice Beach.

Two big decisions down, one to go–how to decorate our new home. Since this was the first time we were living together we needed to find a way to design our space in a way that we both found suitable. That meant no dark leather bachelor pad as he would have it nor a pretty pink palace as my old place had been done up.

Here I’m sharing the process we went through to turn our house into a home we both love–not too manly, not too girly, just right.

1. Find Inspiration

In the couple of months leading into our big move, I turned my focus toward sourcing inspiration for our new place. I wanted to get a feel for how others were decorating their homes and what sorts of design schemes had grown popular. Since I don’t have a natural knack for design, I knew this would be the best way for me to get started. After having a look at the different design routes we could take, my boyfriend and I could then decide which type of look would best suite the both of us. Three of the sites that I turned to quite often during this phase were The Everygirl Home-Tours,  Glitter Guide Style at Home, and Cupcakes and Cashmere Decor.

2. Create a Mood Board

After sufficient inspiration hunting, we decided that we wanted to go for a “modern industrial” look and feel. I liked how the look blended trend and comfort together and he liked how it kept things clean and uncluttered. Once we’d agreed on the theme, I turned my attention to Pinterest to create a mood board of this design scheme. The goal of the mood board at this point was simply to collect ideas for color patterns, furniture designs, room arrangements, and accents pieces. I wanted to have something that when we began the purchasing process could guide our decision to buy or not buy.

3. Find Your Favorite Pieces

When our mood board was filled with ample design ideas, I set about sourcing specific pieces that could fit within the aesthetic we were aiming to achieve. When I would find an item I liked while shopping online I would pin it to my board and share it with my boyfriend. If we felt like the piece fit well within our theme the item ultimately ended up in my shopping cart. If it didn’t, I would discard it and keep looking. A few of my favorite home decor shopping sites are: Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Overstock, and Hautelook.

4. Go From Big to Small

My boyfriend happened to own much of the furniture we needed to fill our new space including indoor and outdoor couches and the coffee and dining tables. Since we both liked the pieces he had and didn’t feel a need to replace them, we chose to let these serve as our design foundation. From there we began filling in the gaps. First we purchased the pieces of furniture we were missing including our living room and dining chairs. Then we layered in big design elements such as our living room rug and throw pillows. Lastly, we focused our attention on the accent pieces that would pull together the whole look including the table vases, coasters, and kitchen towels.

5. Add Something Personal

The last touch we have left to complete our design is to add in a few personal pieces. So far we have incorporated this Los Angeles coffee table book which shows off the history of the place we call home. Next we’re on the hunt for wall art that can capture some of the things we love to do together. We’re still deciding if that will be our love for biking, traveling, or spending time at the beach. Right now my favorite place to shop for cool prints is Society6 but if you know others let me know!

 

What design ideas to you have to share? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SingleDiariesXO!

Superbly Single,

Jen