New Blue Velvet Sofa

Remember that time when I was obsessed with blue velvet? Oh wait. That time never ended.

But now that itch has been scratched so good. Because I bought a blue velvet sofa from West Elm and I couldn’t be happier.

This is the first piece of furniture that I have EVER bought retail, so that was a big investment for me. It was a little treat from me to me for finishing graduate school and getting a real job with benefits and a 401K and all that good stuff for the first time ever.

I lucked out because West Elm was having a sale on sofas that included CUSTOM ORDER SOFAS! Usually, their sales are just for the colors that they have in ready stock, but this sale was 25% off of even custom orders. So I got a great deal on the special blue ink velvet sofa that I wanted. I ordered the sofa over the summer when I studying for the bar, and then it was ready to deliver by the time we moved in. Yay!!

Anyway, just wanted to share. More stuff is to come, but between getting everything settled and adjusting to my new work schedule, I’ve found that doesn’t leave much time for blogging. And leaves very little time for staging and taking beautiful pictures. Let’s face it: patience is not my strong suit.

Love,

Rachel

PS. My boyfriend thinks the sofa looks great, but he thinks the seat part is too narrow and says he feels like the back cushions are pushing him off the sofa. I think it’s pretty comfy. Just an FYI for those who are interested so that they really give this sofa a test drive in the West Elm show room.

PPS. This post is not sponsored by West Elm. But, West Elm, if you are reading this and want me to review any of your other goodies, I am a willing guinea pig! 😉

Decorating A Rental Apartment

When you don’t own a space, might move in a year, can’t paint, and have limited tools, etc, apartment living can seem pretty bland. But, it doesn’t have to be. Here are some suggestions that you can use to make your rental feel less like a borrowed space and more like your home.

1. Ask the landlord what you can do.

The landlord may not care if you paint or hang major paintings. And if that’s the case, that’s awesome. I say go for it. And don’t forget that a jar of spackle to fill nail holes is less than $5 and SUPER easy to use before you move out.

2. If you can’t paint your walls, bring in color through your furniture and linens. The walls of most rental spaces are generally white or off-white or cream. Often you aren’t allowed to paint, or you don’t want to paint since you may be moving, but that shouldn’t limit you from bringing in color in other ways.

Blue curtains, blue chairs, blue center pieces combat the boring white wall and cream trim.