New Year's apartment makeover

Happy New Year! Today's post will be extra long as I missed yesterday ....

I've started the new year off on a high decorating note by completely redoing my apartment.

Pictured here: the work in progress.

It all began with a copy of Elle Decor that my sis gave me as I was boarding the train back to T.O. after the holidays.

Elle Decor is my absolute FAVE decorating mag - it's eclectic yet elegant and that's exactly my decorating philosophy.

The mag inspired me so much that all I could do on the train ride home was brainstorm what I would do to my apartment to make it more elegant looking.

All I had was a general idea: less cluttered and junky looking; more elegant, but functional too.

It took 10 hours for me to do the re-org. Boy did I get a workout.

The key to any re-org is clearing away all the knic-knacs and bric-a-brac from furniture and dumping it in piles in a room or area that you're not going to re-do. That way you can work with a clean slate. In my case it was the desk area, the hallway and the kitchen.

I started by moving the cheap IKEA bookshelf from one corner of the apartment to a small wall.

I had to take out all the books and drag the bookshelf across the room - don't do this on your own, please, as you could end up under a heavy bookshelf!

Problem: I didn't have enough bookshelf for all my books as I wanted to turn one small bookshelf into something else (more on that later), and I had a lot of ugly paperbacks that don't really display well.



My original solution: turn my linen closet into a bookshelf and take the door off. The idea is wonderful, but it is problematic as I don't have a place to put all my linens.

So for now, the linen closet is a combo linen closet/bookshelf.

Once I can figure out where to put my linens I'd like to make the entire thing a bookshelf and just take the door off. I think it would look really funky.





Here's a makeover preview, of the bookshelf relocated to a smaller wall. I moved the blue velvet chair from the bedroom - it's such a showpiece and wasn't getting much attention there - and put it in front of the books to create a cozy reading nook.

The tiny retro glam lamp on the side table was $4.99 and found during a recent Goodwill dig; it is part of a set so I can pair the two together when I'm feeling symmetrical.

By the way, this is in my dining room area. I have so much more to show you, and I'm thrilled with my new glam look! Stay tuned this week!!

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New room

Here are some pretty decorative details from my bedroom makeover - which morphed out of a fall closet cleanup over the weekend.

My uber pricey lampshade from Anthropologie looks even more boho girly with some of my thrift store pearls and retro crystal-like baubles laced across the top.

The lamp base, by the way, was picked up at Value Village my first year in Toronto. Call me lazy but the pricetag - $5.99 - is still on it! It's one of my fave lamps.


Showing my bedroom may be a wee bit personal - the Victorian in me is cringing - but he the decor mags do it don't they?

I ended up moving a different pic over the bed as my makeshift headboard didn't provide a lot of contrast.

You may be able to tell that I'm in pared down mode. It feels good to declutter and get rid of stuff that's piled up and clogged my life.

I think, especially with the juvenile folk-like painting, that the look is sort of peasant-y.

The blanket at the bottom of the bed I bought at an end of the line retail store - it was $20 and I've seen the exact same one for $60+ in other stores. Dag is now kneading it to death.

On the wall: a vintage wool Holt Renfrew blazer I've had since high school.

The brass bed: bought with small portion of my scholarship money while doing graduate work in Ottawa - for a mere $125.

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More mirrors, no smoke

I'm still on my mirror theme today. They add glitz and glam and light to any space and, well, they're shiny and I'm attracted to them like a kid to a lollipop.

This uber heavy gilt mirror suits my rough-and-tumble chic look. It has an old flaky gold leaf look to it that speaks of age and a certain amount of decrepitude.

It was sitting in the basement of a dingy second-hand store in the west end of Toronto (that didn't stay open for long, alas) for $3.99. Natch I snapped it up.

I love the way it pops against the deep blue.

I've already shown you my little beauty nook in a tiny hallway, where a heavy second-hand mirror (about $30, pricey for the Grunge Queen) hangs over a gilt shelf ($2 at a garage sale in Ottawa when I went on vacation last year!).

I recently jazzed up the hallway by hanging a print under the gilt shelf. It extends the space and makes the ensemble look like an entire unit.

If you look behind it to the left you'll see a smaller version of the lacquer mirror I showed you yesterday, hanging over an empty frame I found at a garage sale (3 of them for $2).

This is the smallest decor mirror I've ever bought. It was about $6.99 at my local east-end Toronto thrift store, Stretch Thrift.

I use it to check my butt out in my oblong mirror when I'm getting dressed in the morning.

I love the rustic, semi scraggy look. It provides an interesting contrast to all my pretty shiny perfume bottles.

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Decor & innocence

Kids love my apartment!

This is important to the Grunge Queen. One, I'm single and sans kids and always worry the little tykes will either destroy my apartment or swallow something tiny.


But more important, the fact that my tiny nieces and nephew visited my apartment yesterday and loved it - I believe my six-year old nephew called it "beautiful" - makes me rejoice in my design style and ethic.

See, Grunge Queen philosophy goes something like this: that you're happiest in your space when it's a reflection of you, your history and your tastes, and that injecting a bit of magic here and there is good for the soul.

Play is important here as a fun and self-affirming way of exploring your style is to tinker and toy around with items in your space until you come up with an arrangement that you love ... until you start playing again.

The elements of my apartment the kids were really jazzed about - the crystal ball, the swishy gold and satin pillows, the glittery purses hanging from my bureau ... basically anything shiny and shimmery - are exactly the decorative bits and bobs that attract me the most and that I seek out in thrift shops.

So what does that mean? My take? I'm a kid! The Romantic poets, particularly Wordsworth, wrote about capturing the innocence of youth that is invariably lost as one ages.



I suppose Wordsworth believed he could connect with his inner child through poetry. Just as I believe I can connect with my inner child through the creative endeavor of decorating and "playing" in my apartment.

Decor and innocence: what an amazing concept!

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Empty frames

Here are some effortless decor ideas, totally in keeping with la grunge queen philosophy of inspired yet easy-peasy decorating, gleaned from my garage sale booty last month ...where I picked up three wood frames for $2 total.

Actually the oval one is a frame for a table. It's been sitting on my floor propped up against the wall with the other frames until today, when I felt the urge (in the face of looking deadlines) to do a little refresh to my living space.

My first thought: hang it on the wall, as is.

And doesn't it look nifty? I think it really completes the corner in an interesting way.


My second attempt is still a work in progress.



















I like the contrast of the heavy dark mirror frame and the shell of an empty frame below it.


















And I really love the dried up roses on the silver platter that match the pillow so nicely. I put my black velvet scarf from the thrift shop on the chair of the seat to provide some contrast.

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New mirror, new room

An area rug for $5, then a gilt mirror picked up for $3.99 on the way home from work Friday - it was all just too much for the grunge queen.

Yup, I had to do another makeover this weekend. The carpet and the mirror - they were just too special. I had to go for a glam-y Baroque-y look.

What do you think? Don't you just looove the mirror? $3.99!

It's super heavy. I think it merited being a focal point above my couch, so I pared down a lot of the art on my walls and ended up with this look.

Here's a wider shot.

I thought the orange rug really needed the blue to balance it, and the lamps placed about the same height balanced the couch and the paintings on either side of it.


Here's a night shot - love the lighting.

I'm not normally this symmetrical, but I find the order and balance comforting.

I also never thought I'd end up accenting in orange, a colour I've never worn or decorated with. The pillows and rug just add that dash of brightness to the room. Even the new work or art that you see in the corner - which I will show you more of soon - has orange in it.


Guess it's never too late for a grungy decor gal to change her colours ....

By the way don't you love the way mirrors reflect other parts of the room, like the black and white photos seen here?

They literally add new dimensions to rooms.

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My little beauty nook

My bathroom is painted yellow (so not my choice), so the light is rather ghastly. Plus the kitty litter box under the sink makes for a rather gritty experience when I'm standing trying to put makeup on in the early morning hours.

So I created this little nook in my hallway using a thrift store mirror (maybe $30) and this darling gilt shelf I snagged at a garage sale for two bucks!


Here I put all my baubles from the thrift store, but the natural light is best for any face tweaking.

The only thing I'd change: natch, I need some colour.

I could paint the mirror frame and the shelf, but the work would be too intricate and as you may have guessed, I'm not exactly the handiest of junksters.

So my solution come the warmer weather? Think I will get that navy paint and paint the wall behind it. It's a small wall - part of a small hallway that'll actually look fab painted dark - think it'll be way easier a project than the alternative!

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Something Blue

I know it's St Patty's Day and all, but I'm a bit blue today .... that's a good thing in my world!

As you can see by my pad I favour the rich deep blue tones in plush velvety fabrics, but I also incorporate different blue tones throughout my space ....

I love this wee vintage gilt compact with a blue-dressed fancy lady on it as much as I did 20 years ago when I bought it for $20 at a Queen St. West store in Toronto. She sits on my bureau with my pill box collection and other tiny decorative boxes.

To fill a narrow space in a bland hallway, I stuck up these beautiful postcards, sent to my by my best friend, on my wall as art.

I like the way they pick up my teal blue pashmina, which in turn pops so well against my yellow Bill Blass swing coat, thrifted for $12!

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Clutter Bug Art in Kitchen, Smart Art Finale

Arg, those four boring white walls my super insisted on painting my kitchen have been driving me crazy. So too have all those tiny mis-matched frames and photos I don't know what to do with .... wedding pics, diplomas, awards and other plaques, postcards and pics I love - what do do with them?

The most logical thing: put 'em all in the same place. My kitchen is now a bit clutter bug-ish, but it looks pretty funky. I figure I'll just keep adding things so until pics go up to the ceiling.

When you think of it it's a great way to display pics you don't want hiding in an album (you've probably gathered I'm a tactile person and not at all inclined towards digital frames).

The only thing I'd change is add a pop of drama and colour, like navy blue walls and that hot pink acrylic chandelier I've been admiring in a local shop ....

Consider this a work in progress ....

TIPS: Create your own collections by hanging all the stuff you love - why should it hide away in your drawer? Pictured here, by the coffee maker, a beloved cotton puff snowman pic made from my fave male orderly in the hospital while growing up - it's even signed "Bert." Postcards from my twin sis's art exhibits (that I've put in a retro wood frame); a fave black and white photo of my sis and I in Marseilles, France. Up top, photos of the nieces and nephews, and original art from pals.

Oh, and the clock, by Ingraham Clock Co? Found it in a local thrift shop for $13 - it's exactly like the clock I grew up with and looked at a dozen times a day for 20 years -- can you imagine being sentimental about a clock??

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Print Mint, Smart Art Part 4

This print looks Group of Seven-ish, and you wouldn't believe what I paid for it: $4.99 at my local thrift shop! It's big too - almost 30 by 30 inches. The back says Simpsons Custom Framing - another retro Canadian relic!

I move this around a lot but always leave it on its own, over a bureau or low table, for dramatic effect.




DECOR TIP: I like hanging my paintings low - just a few inches above whatever surface they hover over. Sometimes I hang one extra low - but then the tableau has to be right. More to come ... .

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Cluster Buster, Smart Art Part 3

I don't just buy original art - but prints too. I like the idea of grouping pieces together on a wall as I've done here, but I learned the hard way that the look is more cohesive if spread over a smaller wall as opposed to a huge expanse.

Most of these prints were picked up for a few bucks each - the only exception being the print on the lower left found at an antique shop (don't mean to put antique shops down: they need to make a living too and have the expertise, but thrift stores are way better for prices).

HOW TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD: As you can see here I grouped items of similar colour (gee, green, what a surprise!) and style (old world) together.

Another display technique: I group items together (again on a small wall) that I don't happen to have a space or plan for ... call it an 'overflow' wall of sorts. There's still some commonality here, though, as you can see below: the greens, and the fact that these are all paintings (while the other are prints).





The only thing I would change: make the art pop by painting the small wall a dramatic colour, like navy blue.

Over the weekend I'll show you my solution for all the wee wall art bits I don't know what to do with.

In the meantime hang in there, ak, so bad, grungequeen needs to hang her hat and hit the hay ....

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Euro Trash, Smart Art Part 2

No wonder I was drawn to this painting: it's of the winged lion statue at St. Mark's in Venice, Italy. I've always said I'm a Euro kind gal, and I love the greens and seascape (there is an artist signature at the bottom but I can't make it out). I found this at an antique market in Newmarket, Ontario (now closed) for $25 - it was more but the dealers were liquidating due to the imminent closure (great time to get deals; still wish I had picked up that Madonna head vase ... sooo hard to find!).

I move my thrift art around regularly - in fact my pieces frequently engage in a little dance with my lamps and other accessories, each taking a spin around my apartment and settling in a new home on a new wall or surface, in a new configuration and even with a new shade! Later this week I'll show you how I combine art in my displays.

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Smart Art

Aside from some original pieces given to me by my twin sis artist, I dig up most of my art at the thrift shop. Some is juvenile - literally, as in the case of the self-portrait of a six-year old girl (see "Bittersweet Thrift" from January).

When I troll the thrift shops for art, I'm just like any high-end collector: I buy what I love, what calls to me.

This painting definitely called to me - I love the urban (Paris?) scape and slightly retro feel (yes, it's mounted on a tweedy canvas fabric, tres 1970s). It looks original as the paint is raised and the signature in the bottom right reads "Brasso."

I did a quick Internet search and couldn't find much save for an auction of a Paris scene by a painter with the same name and similar style - the date on that other painting was 1970 (my birth date!) and it was valued at only a few hundred bucks.

That's OK. I love my painting and it filled a rather blank space on my icky-coloured coffee wall. It's the most I've ever paid for thrift art: $89.99, but it's worth it.

This week I'm dedicating the blog to Thrift Art - I'll take you through what I've found and how I display it - and how little I've paid for most pieces!

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Dollar Store Wallpaper

No, it's not Mac-Tac! I found this black wallpaper with tiny floral patterns in a Toronto dollar store for a few bucks a roll and did one bedroom wall with it. The room was long and narrow and having that accent wall gave it a dollop of drama. When I moved, I found a roll of Ralph Lauren paper with trees all over it that I absolutely love - at another dollar store. I haven't done a thing with it 'cos this time I want to take it with me! Instead of putting it on the wall and leaving it there as a present for the next tenant, I'm considering somehow framing a large piece of the paper or making a screen out of it. I recently picked up the new Domino: The Book of Decorating (great book; great decor mag) and in someone had framed a lovely large piece of wallpaper like a piece of art. Well, why not? I just have to find someone to do it for me!

My Look:

I spray painted the icky brown lamps and crappy blue IKEA mirror silver and threw a sheeny retro Value Village bedspread over my beloved brass bed, found in a junk store. The 'matching' side tables were once a strange sort of vanity - an ex sawed them apart and gave them a new leg each and voila!

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