Coming of Age

I’ve finally gotten to that point in my life where the beanbag and milk crate bookshelf decor of my college days is a thing of the past (though a milk crate filing cabinet is, of course, still appropriate). 

The apartment my roommates and I shared in college was filled with Wal-Mart’s best, along with items of dubious cleanliness provided by the university. My first post-college apartment was decorated on the budget of a graduate student, so a snazzy new couch and coffee table from Pier 1 were snuggled in next to a card table and cheap bookshelves. But this next apartment...that one will be my first real “big kid” place, furnished on a true adult’s wage. I can’t wait.

In fact, I’m so excited that I’m already picking out the furnishings I want. “But Eliza,” you might be thinking, “what’s the point when you have no idea what the layout of your new apartment will be like?” AH HA!! I’m way ahead of you. I’m planning for all contingencies. I’ve researched common apartment floorplans and have picked out furnishing that will fit in with all of them. Studio apartment? No problem! 2 bedroom with a detached bath? Let me sort through my nesting file and find the appropriate decor sub-file!That’s right...I said sub-file. (And for those who are wondering, yes I do have a full time job, boyfriend and wide variety of social activities. I do not spend all my time making files.)

Despite my obscene preparedness, there is a catch. Like most people, I go through phases. Being young, my style is still developing and I find myself with a very eclectic collection of things. The challenge now is finding pieces to meld where I’ve been with where I want to go. How do I pull my collection of white, blue and yellow Modern French Country pieces together into a coherent look with my red and black Asian inspired pieces? How do I find the perfect balance between my modern items and my antiques?

Last weekend I purchased a photograph at an art fair that may be the answer to my problem. The photo was taken in China, but it looks like it could be anywhere. A brilliant blue and yellow bird is caught mid-flight, wings extended up over its head, surrounded by the tendrils of a weeping willow tree. The branches hanging down in vertical lines that look almost like columns of of text, the small green leaves mimicking the individual pen strokes of cuneiform writing. It is an extraordinary piece, and I have decided to make it the inspiration for my future apartment’s decor. With its blue-green-yellow color palate and subtle Asian influence, it’s the perfect example of how to balance my current and future decor. It could pull together something like this:

Obviously these are just ideas, but it’s a start. My future apartment is still just a glimmer in my eye, but I have my inspiration and I have my nesting file of floorplans and ideas. If I get restless enough, I could even resort to making to-scale shoebox panoramas...which would also give me an excuse to buy more shoes. Now wouldn’t that be fun?