MY TOP 10 BEST HOME BUYS

A lot of what I feel makes our home feel unique and like “us” comes down to the sentimental pieces, the vintage finds and the souvenirs from travel. However, when it comes to more mainstream purchases – there are a handful that we’ve purchased for this apartment that I truly love and would recommend. Below, my top picks and reasons why.

SHOP MY TOP 10 HOME BUYS:

No. 1 – Blue Velvet Couch: this was probably our biggest purchase for the apartment and so far we’ve been so happy with it (isn’t that nice when that works out?). In rich, navy blue and easy to clean performance fabric this feels like both a statement piece and also something with a practical, long life in our home.

The Steele Maiden: DIY Fireplace Makeover with The Home Depot

No. 2 – Glass Lanterns: I wanted the decorative fireplace in our living room to feel warm and cozy each night. These gold lanterns play off the geometric tile we chose (full DIY fireplace design here) and bring a sense of warmth to the whole space.

No. 3 – Bedroom Wallpaper: I looked at what felt like hundreds of options, but I still swoon over the one we ended up with (linked as similar as I could find as the original is sold out) and it truly elevated the entire room. I love that it’s a traditional looking floral/brand design in a modern feeling oversized scale. I honestly feel happy every time I see it.

No. 4 – Milk Glass Ceiling Light: I’ve talked about it before, but replacing the stock lighting in a home makes such a world of difference. It’s an affordable upgrade and if you’re a fellow renter, simply store the originals and then take the new ones with you when you go. This milk glass ceiling light is a huge improvement from the weird black, three pronged fixture that was there before.

No. 5 – Mantle Mirror: I was looking for a mirror that was large in scale but small in price and this one fit the bill at almost 4′ tall. It turned out to be such good quality for less than $60! I painted the wood frame to this ivory color as a small upgrade.

No. 6 – Clothing Rack: Not only does it perfectly hide the strange eyesore that is this extra door in our bedroom but it also provides SO much extra storage while looking pretty seamless with our other furniture. Judging by the fact that I get DM’s every time this appears in the background of my style videos, I think you all agree.

No. 7 – Electric Tea Kettle: I’m embarrassed by how long I was heating up water in the microwave or a pot on the stove. This electric kettle looks like a real teapot but heats up lightning fast and the copper looks chic enough to leave out on the counter.

No. 8 – Jewelry Box: I’ve had this gold jewelry box for a few years now and still love it. It holds a ton, has a tiered, removable shelf inside and looks sleek on my dresser top.

No. 9 – Jute Rug: I wanted something that provided a lot of coverage without being too expensive in case it doesn’t work in the next place. I love the look of this natural jute and it’s still soft on bare feet!

No. 10 – Record Player: Our old record player was what I’d call a ‘starter model’ but when it finally gave out on us after a few years we knew we wanted a slight upgrade. This one is still compact in size but has better quality sound and a sleek, more modern look.

BEFORE/AFTER: THRIFTED DRESSER MAKEOVER

If you’ve been following along with the process – last April we moved into a new apartment. It was a year of transition and while I would have loved to immediately decorate the whole thing – reality intervened and for the first 6 months the bedroom was kind of in a temporary state. Case in point – we spent the year without a dresser of any kind, digging socks out of baskets tucked away into the closet and silently cursing our lack of dresser (okay, sometimes I was audibly cursing). The budget was being held for other more pressing things and I didn’t want to buy something inexpensive just to buy it. Our last dresser was from Target for about $120 and looked ragged and cheap just about as soon as we’d put it together. In this apartment I wanted to do things differently, practicing patience until I found pieces I loved and would grow with us for years to come.

Early in Spring I happened upon this dresser in a thrift shop while visiting my parents in Pennsylvania. It was $35 and in rough shape but I saw potential (Adam, for the record, did not.. but he came around). I love the thought of giving something a new life and not just accepting the way it currently looks as the way it has to stay forever. Especially with housewares, be willing to think of a new purpose for something or consider a small tweak that could make big impact. It makes for a home that’s way more interesting than having everything be straight out of the box, store bought.

I removed the old hardware, used an electric sander borrowed from my Dad to fully remove the old varnish finish and smooth out chips and dents then painted a chalky black color. From there I found simple, brushed gold drawer pulls, lined the old drawers with fresh contact paper and was nearly done when I realized that I needed something for the top. I wanted to be able to toss down my earrings or a mug at the end of the day without worrying about scratching up the paint.

At first I thought about having a piece of custom glass made, but since the whole project had been so affordable up to that point I kind of didn’t want to blow it all at the end. My Mom suggested a chic, oversized tray (I learned all my interior magic tricks from my incredibly resourceful parents) and that’s when I stumbled across this marble pastry slab at Crate and Barrel – almost the exact dimensions of the dresser top and I had already used marble contact paper to line the drawers! DIY serendipity. The entire project cost about $120 – for a beautiful, real wood dresser that is tailored perfectly to the space. Sometimes (okay a lot of the time) it pays to wait.

SHOP THE STORY:

5 EASY AND AFFORDABLE RENTAL-FRIENDLY UPDATES

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

This time of year always makes me want to switch up my home decor. Luckily, we’ve still got plenty of projects to work on here – but if you’re in the mood for something that freshens up your space, below are my favorite weekend projects that are big on impact but still simple, affordable and rental friendly!

CREATE AN ACCENT WALL:

Hands down my favorite way to make a big statement in a room without a huge commitment. My go-to has always been a rich, dark color – in my first NYC studio apartment I carved out a “bedroom” nook with a deep charcoal grey color behind my bed and it felt so cozy, but in this apartment I love our navy wall that leads into the entryway). And if your landlord approves it – I can’t recommend wallpaper enough. More expensive than a can of paint but SO much fun and personality can be added via print on a wall.

SWITCH YOUR HARDWARE:

I found the below nightstands at Home Goods – and while I loved that they were simple, narrow and included a drawer, the original black knobs made them look cheaper somehow. I found these agate and wood rectangle knobs at Anthropologie, swapped them out in 5 minutes and it elevated the whole look. Plus no one else will have the exact same nightstands now! An under $20 upgrade that makes me happy every time I see them.

The Steele Maiden: Fall Reading List

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES:

The only thing I truly disliked about our current apartment was the stock, rental light fixtures. If you’re a renter you know the kind. Those sort of gross flush mount ones that barely put off any light? Yeah.. get rid of those. I store mine high up in a closet so that when we move I can throw them back on and take my new lighting with me wherever we go next. While you’re at it? Add a ceiling medallion. I found this one for around $20 at Home Depot and it adds an instant bit of old world elegance to the place. Another 5 minute project that makes your place look really finished.

JUST ADD PLANTS:

To be honest, it’s really taken me a solid year in this new apartment to feel like I’m developing a green thumb. It takes daily maintenance. But the rewards of walking in to your home and seeing LIFE all around you is huge to me. Plants are proven to help filter the air in your home and definitively make people feel happier. Grab a new green friend this weekend, put it in a pretty pot and voila!

DIY A CUSTOM HEADBOARD:

I wanted the look of a custom headboard but didn’t want to commit to the price. So we found a cheap upholstered headboard online, covered it in batting from the craft fair and then wrapped it in a beautiful rich velvet fabric I had (and secured with a staple gun on the back). The entire project cost $100 but looks so much more expensive then that.

The Steele Maiden Book Club: Chapter Three

SHOP THE STORY:

BEFORE AND AFTER: APARTMENT ENTRYWAY MAKEOVER

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

Welcome to the apartment entryway! There’s been quite a bit of radio silence on the blog between this spring and early summer but this entryway project felt like it really got the creative juices flowing again and I’m so excited to get back to sharing regular content with you all. Starting with this little space. It’s the first in the apartment to be “done” and even though it’s not a large area, I do think the changes made a big impact. Keep scrolling to see the ‘before’ and full ‘after’!

SHOP THE STORY:

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway MakeoverThe Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

The entryway leads into the living area and so I wanted it to feel a part of that space (and the things I have planned for it), while still feeling like it served distinctly as an entry space. This meant I wanted a last minute place to check my lipstick and somewhere we could hang our keys and jackets on the way in and out.

The first thing to go was the ‘rental white’ paint color. I can’t stand it and so my Mom (an absolute master painter) generously lent her skills to repainting the living room and entryway in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Shoreline’. The facing wall I painted this deep navy teal (I had literally been dreaming of painting a wall this color for years) and love how it turned out as a nice rich accent.

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

The mirror in the entry is actually a window from the barn at my grandparent’s old house (where my Dad grew up). My parent’s salvaged a few of them before my grandparents moved and my Mom had mercury glass mirror put behind it. I love that it feels like a little piece of my Pennsylvania home here in New York. Above it hangs a sign saying ‘Entreé‘ which means entrance in French and was a sweet housewarming gift from a dear friend.

Another thing we replaced were the light fixture (reference the ‘before again… eek) and the door pull on the coat closet. Small changes that make a really big difference. I added matching knobs to the wall as makeshift hooks beneath the mirror.

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway MakeoverThe Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

The bar cart is filled with lots of personal touches that I love – the photo hanging above it is from a perfect night spent wandering the canals in Amsterdam while the Buffalo Bill image framed below is actually a playing card from a deck picked up on our trip to Wyoming. It’s the Ace of Hearts which we decided was a good omen – to leave the house with luck and enter with love. The illustration framed in the lower part of the bar cart is a map of the Cotswolds from the cutest country Inn we stayed at there last Fall. And the bar cart itself is a $15 flea market find from when we lived in Los Angeles (it’s a vintage typewriter cart).

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover     The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

I wanted the downstairs living area space of the apartment to feel like New York in the Fall (crisp, rich colors and textures yet an overall warm and inviting feeling) and I think that the entryway is a good start to that. More to come!

The Steele Maiden: Before and After - Apartment Entryway Makeover

INSTAGRAM ROUND-UP: LATE SUMMER

The Steele Maiden Instagram Round-Up: Outfits, Accessories and Interiors

Reunited and it feels sooooo good! After 6 long days, countless stops in to Dr. Brendan’s (the East Village magicians/Mac doctors that diagnosed, tried, tried, tried again, and finally repaired), my laptop is safely back in my arms. With every single piece of my original data and running faster than it has since 2009. I swear if you are in New York you are wasting your time/money at the Apple Genius Bar. See my friends at Dr B’s instead (not sponsored, I’m just truly an enthusiastic customer).

Regardless, it cost me a week’s worth of posts here on the blog and I have lots to share – so I’m starting tonight with a quick little Instagram round-up from some of my favorite outfits, accessories and interiors from the past week or so. Details below and be sure to tune in this week as I bring you 5 consecutive days (I promise!) of fun new content.

LOOK 1: The coziest nook of our bedroom

LOOK 2: An easy weekend look

LOOK 3: From where I stand

LOOK 4: Dockside essentials