Settling In.

I thought today I'd share pictures of the next new house we're living in. I've come to love the house a lot more than I did when we first left our dream neighborhood to come here. It's truly fun living downtown. The house is a good size for us, it would actually be perfect if I could just tear down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. Do you think the landlord would keep our security deposit for that? At least that would be reasonable. We've had a couple of parties and the house works pretty well, not as good as the last house, but on the upside, we're not being told our basement is flooding because we didn't shovel the snow away from the foundation.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the living room, because we still haven't done much of anything else!

This is the front door and stairway. Wouldn't this door look awesome painted black? Kind of like this. We're not going to because this is a rental, but still.

We created a front foyer area using our sofa and book case.

Here's the view from in the room. I love that staircase.

On the bookshelves are a lot of pictures, photo albums and a couple of storage boxes making room for my camera stuff and in the bottom corner the Homework Drawer where we keep everything you need to do homework. Well, everything but will power.

I found the vintage bingo cage at a shop in Ferndale called American Pop for $2. I would like to make the balls inside ask questions or give fortunes...but I'll be honest. I'm never going to do that.

Did you know Logan and his brother made this bookshelf? Back when we first got married and Logan convinced me to live in his bachelor pad. We made a deal, I'd do that but we needed a new sofa and a bookcase. They made it the perfect size to fit under the window in our tiny duplex. And it's fit perfectly in every house since.

I bought the China Man lamp (is that totally politically incorrect? The Eurasian Man Lamp?) at the Royal Oak Flea Market for $15. There's a Eurasian Girl lamp that matches but I can't seem to find one.

Also in the background of this picture you can see the big orange electric cord we're using to plug in the desktop Mac in the dining room. 1920's houses don't really have a lot of electrical outlets.

At the old house we used this flea market find dresser/baby chifferobe, as a dresser for Max. But it wasn't really very good for big kid clothes. Before that we used it in our dining room as storage at the house we owned. This house, with it's lack of cupboard space, is in need of places to keep stuff. So we put it in the foyer/living room.

*I got the poster here.

It holds our bills. Hey, that big envelope on the right? Logan and I are playing chicken with the Tax Prep. I'll lose, I'm sure.

And remember the neat and tidy junk drawer I left behind? Here's the replacement.

Here's one of our bookcases. There's an Orla Kiely for Target fabric box on the top shelf and I'm also storing some of our serving trays on the second and bottom shelf. I need to edit these, the one on the other side has a model Ducati motorcycle in it. Ridiculous.

Finally here's the mantel, also a kind of work in progress. It's a little cluttery for me. I'd like to come up with something more dramatic and sleek but for now I like looking at things I love.

On the other side, I have this little girl trapped in a vase. I love it.

I bought the pig here and found the fruit at an antique store at Eastern Market in Detroit about 1,000 years ago when Maggie came to visit (November 2007).

Comments

[becky]

Nice work! It looks elegant, but comfy and homey.

[Nicola]

Hi there
I wondered where you got the orange poster, 'keep calm and carry on'?
Nicola

[Melissa C]

I'm with Nicola - I love the 'keep calm and carry on' picture. and I swooned a little over the green lamp in that same picture. Everything looks beautiful. You've inspired me to spend some time this weekend decluttering, and decorating with the things I love.

[Catherine]

Wow, Melissa -- I LOVE IT!! This house really suits your style (or, perhaps, your style really suits this house). Great work so far. I kept seeing things and thinking: "Ohhh, I should do that here" or "Wow, I want a fabric box like that and a completely organized junk drawer." Then I remember that it wouldn't match anything in my house -- dull, dull, dull. I will never have a junk drawer that looks that neat. The best thing about frequent moves is that you do pare down the junk and clutter. Try living in the same place for 10 years and see what your "junk" drawer looks like. YIKES. And, yes, it can happen to you. My husband and I moved 7 times in the first 8 years of our marriage. Then we lived in the same for almost 10 years. We just moved to a new house in the same neighborhood and I swear I am not moving again unless he has to take a job in another city. So there!

[tutugirl1345]

I love it! You make me want to go shopping for stuff for my house.

[Jill]

Love it! It has a wonderful cohesive and personal look... I love that all the pieces are so versatile that you can move to a new home and they look just as great there! Love the new place!

[Nichole]

I love your house, and I love all of your stuff.

[ashley]

I just ordered that poster in chartreuse last weekend, I have a red couch and I have stuff on my Etsy favorites from the same shop you got your pig. That is freaky, man.

[Kate]

As a companion piece to the "keep calm" poster, you might like this:
http://www.typetees.com/product/1466/Now_panic_and_freak_out

[jenny]

I love it. A great reminder that as frustrating as it is to move often, an upside is the constant paring down and decluttering that goes with it. And I do love to take things out of boxes and set up little vignettes, remembering where I got them and what their stories are.

[Janssen]

My heavens, you guys have extraordinarily good taste. Also, that house is so darling I want to cry that I don't live there.

[Barb]

Such a warm and welcoming space. Nice job.

[ella]

Love the new place. THat staircase is awesome!

[Grammar Snob]

Melissa,
Thanks so much for posting those pictures. I'm in a huge rut with design and love the clean lines of your home and decor. Gives me hope that I can de-clutter :-)

Oh, what I would give for hardwood floors. My next house, for sure!

[Mitzi]

Hi Melissa -
Thanks for showing us your den. I love the red sofa. It just pops in there. Great job on the room. Have a good weekend.

[Jamie]

Lovely! And I love that print.

My house is currently in the decor scheme of "can'tgetmyshittogetherandloadsofdoghair!"

[Lisame]

Where are the cake toppers?

[Ashley]

I love love love your decorating style.

Especially the red couches. They make me happy!

[esther]

srsly, chinaman lamp? do you also have a sleeping mexican doorstop and some mammy dolls in the closet?

[MelissaS]

Yes! And a lawn jockey!

Please note the little girl in the vase. I hate white little girls.

[amy]

Seriously gorgeous home you have. And love all your collectibles..

[Ginjoint]

I just read an article in the Chicago Tribune about the story behind that poster - here's the link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk_keep_calm_postermar21,0,4857099.story

(Sorry, I don't know how to make links short and pretty. If you want to fix that, feel free.) There is also, by the way, www.keepcalmandcarryon.com.

[andrea from the fishbowl]

I love it. The colours are amazing. It is very you.

[Jeanne]

Diet Pepsi came out my nose when I read your comment back Melissa...

The house looks beautiful.

[Marissa]

I instantly wanted to know where the bookcase came from so I could purchase one of my own. Highly disappointed it is one of a kind!

I wish my house looked this put together.

[Abby]

LOVE the little girl in the vase. Love it. I'm stealing it. The idea, not your actual little girl in vase.

[Janine]

OMG! I love your house. You've really pulled everything together so nicely. I would love for my house to look that way. While we've done some major redecorating in the last year, it's still being overshadowed by the copious amounts of toys that belong to our 2 and 4 year-old. Without all the toys, it wouldln't look half bad. But, since we have another baby due in September, my toy-free days are still pretty far off. Please keep posting pictures of your beautiful house so that I can live vicariously through you!

[AmyinMotown]

I love your taste and the house--we have, apparently, the only 1920s house in SE Michigan without awesome built-ins. I envy that talent for making cool stuff look intentional and interesting instead of a random collection of crap (my style). And I LOVE that antiques place at Eastern Market. We found a cool 1930s bar cabinet there for something ridiculous like $30 that is the most complimented thing in our house.

[Laura]

Can you come to my house and make my stuff look that good? It's not that we have no taste-we just don't have any specific style so our stuff just looks random. You could seriously make a business out of this-staging homes for people who aren't moving.

[reen]

Your home is gorgeous! I am jealous of it AND the fact that your rental is painted nicely instead of unrelenting eye-stabbing WHITE everywhere like most I've lived in. Nicely done!

[MelissaS]

We painted it. So we'll have to paint it back at the end of the lease.

Good thing I like painting.

[f]

I have no problem with a lamp with a Chinese man as the base (assuming the man doesn't have buck teeth and slanted eyes), but the term "China man"? Yeah, offensive.

[MelissaS]

Sorry I offended you.

[Katherine]

Love what you've done with the place! I have the very same little apple doodad in my kitchen!

[Mary Nell]

I want to know if that is a Jennifer Convertibles slipcovered sofa? I have one exactly like that and can't find a different slipcover for it! The JC stores here in IN have all closed and the closest one is in Chicago - 5 hours away! If you know where I can purchase a slipcover like yours, please let me know. Email attached.

THANKS, Mary Nell

[Lioness]

Your house is gorgeous, very elegant and yet with a home feel, not an easy combo to find. Your Keep Calm And Carry On poster finally forced me to delurk in gratitude, it's absolutely brilliant! I found the UK site and am all cheery now, having purchased it. Now all I need to do is find the 'Don't Panic' one and I'll be all set against life's little madnesses. Cheers!

[Irene]

Do you still have the name & brand of the paint color in your living room. I love it & must use it in my office.