Design ADD - Part I

I've been so flustered lately.
Not only do I want to buy so many things and have NO money to pay for them, but I love TOO MANY styles.  I really should just shut-up, suck it up, and start DIYing.  But I have a fear of effing up a perfectly good piece of furniture, or spending money on fabric only to make a busted ass pillow.

I recently read about the "homework series" at The Marion House Book, which tackled the task of commitment issues in design and curating a cohesive home.  She actually got the idea from Holley & Gill, which I looked into as well.  Anywhoo...this got me thinking about these issues in my home.  I tend to be drawn to so many varying styles, color schemes, textures, and ideas that if i went with my gut (and had the income to actually do so) my apartment would look like a funhouse.  And not in a cute kitschy way.

I also had my usual recurring daydream of moving back to New York and thought to myself: "Self?  If you moved into a tiny little studio apartment in Morningside, your living room stuff would totally clash with your bedroom stuff.  Maybe you should try to make your whole home a bit more cohesive."  I agreed with myself.

So here's where I stand now:

BEDROOM

LIVING ROOM

All my walls are bare (eek!!!!) and i can't decide what fabulous Etsy prints I want to hang on them.  I have elements of every genre of design represented in my house (mid-century, contemporary, bohemian, scandanavian, etc.) and I need to bring it all together.

Stay tuned as I embark on this journey to cure my design ADD!

My First (big) DIY Project?

So you may notice that the title of this post is a question.  That is because I'm kind of a little "scurred" for the project that I may be setting up for myself.  Maybe my fellow design fanatics out there can help me out.  I found a GREAT deal on Craigslist on this simple, yet versatile Shaker style set.  This dresser is being sold along with two matching nightstands for a truly unbeatable price. 

I immediately responded to the post with the hopes of gearing up enough guts and energy to tackle this as my first Before & After project.  But, I gotta admit...I'm a little afraid that the task will seem too overwhelming once I have the furniture in my bedroom, thus leaving me with some nice-but-plain-generic furniture.  Then, I fear I will have to question why I ever let go of my white IKEA Malm Dresser.  Especially after seeing this Malm upgrade on Apartment Therapy:

So what do you guys think?  Any suggestions?
I'll do a Before & After roundup, but I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

Before & After: My 15 Minute Challenge

This morning, I was inspired by a Before & After by Laure on Apartment Therapy called A 15 minute Clean Sweep, in which she gave herself only 15 minutes to see how much tidying up could be done in her bedroom.

What an improvement, huh?
So I decided to take the challenge.  I gave myself 20 minutes to see how much I could get done in my whole apartment.

Before:

 Messy bed, clothes on the floor.

 Clothes on top of the dresser, unorganized jewelry

 Boxes and garbage on the floor, dirty table

 Dirty dishes and counters...yum.

 Bills and mail scattered on the coffee table, clothes and stuff on the couch

20 Minutes Later:

 Threw away the garbage!

 Wiped down the stove...

 ...and the counters!  Washed the dishes, too!

 Folded the throw blanket and put away clothes.  Filed away my paperwork and bills.

 I opened the windows, too.  A brighter room always feels cleaner.

 Organized jewelery and put away clothes.

 

 And most importantly, made the bed.  It's been scientifically proven that making your bed more often will make you happier, overall.

I stopped when my timer went off, just as I was about to sweep.  If I had given myself about 5 more minutes, I probably would have gotten that done too!  In just 20 minutes, I transformed my house from a dark dungeon of doom into a bright, friendly, and serene sanctuary.  Try it!