My Style in a Living Room + Modani

Recently, I was challenged by Modani, a modern furniture store {website here} to channel my fashion sense into a living room! Of course I'm up for the challenge and I'm excited to show you another side of my design taste! You can see all of the links to these pieces {by clicking here}!

When I started, I imagined this living room in a loft with white walls, high ceilings, light wood floors and a large window. Definitely channeled my dream New York City loft! If I were designing the interiors of my own apartment I'd want bright pops of color and pattern mixing, just like I style my clothes! I love statement pieces, eclectic decorations and art.

I started styling this room around this amazing modern silver sofa {others here}. There are so many ways that you could style this, either chic and simple or, like I did, with other quirky and bold items. Next, I paired it with this brilliant orange chair and once I added the pop-art canvas and then it was just adding the final touches! I love the bright pillows and the smaller accessory items for this industrial bookcase. The yellow light fixture and side table compliment the canvas and the zebra rug was a no-brainer! I really love how bright, colorful and eclectic this living room is. Can I have this for a New York Apartment?!

What do you all think of this design? Where would your dream living room be?
Emily

I'm Going Home, I'm Going Home

This weekend starts my Fall Break and it really couldn't have fallen at a better time. I've been in Memphis now for three months straight and to say that I'm really itching to go home is an understatement. The campus bubble is real. As much as I love my college, my classes and my roommates sometimes you just need a break from your everyday routine and scenery. I am so ready to get on the road and head back home. It's such a treat to get to go home and take a few days to relax. At this point a 7 hour car ride is nothing compared to vegging on the couch and some home cooked meals. My bags are packed, my playlist is ready, my snacks have been purchased and my car has a full tank of gas.  I'm so thankful to have finished my midterms early so I'm heading on the road early this morning to add a few extra days to my mini break. So so ready to see those Kentucky fences. 

Emily

#FridayFinds: Lauren's Svenstrup's Gorgeous Apartment

Last week, Lauren Svenstrup from {Studio Sven} opened up her home for Apartment Therapy and it's one of my favorites I've seen in a while. Lauren is an interior designer out of the Chicago area and some of her past projects are absolutely to die for. Of course her house was going to be the same eclectic, bright and bold design. 

I've added some pictures from her Apartment Therapy tour below but check out {this link to see all of Lauren's amazing home}!

I'm definitely lusting after this shower curtain. Simple but the vintage florals add a beautiful pop of color.

All of the big bold accents in her house mix together so beautifully as do her bright and darker colors. This great mix is definitely shown here, her bedroom is so cozy.

Talk about some inspiration. I would love to work at a desk space like this. I've had my eyes on lucite desk chairs forever. That's definitely one of the first things I'm getting when I have my own place!

What do you think of Lauren's bold apartment?

 Emily

Dying over Desks!

Here we go again! It's a new year, a new room, and a new desk! Freshman year the one thing I was so excited to decorate was my bed! Picking out the perfect bedding took all summer! Now that I'm rolling into this new school year, the one thing I'm obsessing over is… my desk! Maybe that says a little something about my focus now that it's my Junior year! Nevertheless, now I definitely know what I need in terms of work space and I'm really excited to get crackin'!

My ideal workspace is:
Organized and clear.
Simple and focused.
Inspirational but not cluttered.

I like having a large open desk to work at with all of my binders and textbooks organized neatly. A bright light is definitely a necessity as well as easy access to supplies like pens and pencils! With a different room this year I really want to stray away from the clutter that I kept on the shelves of my dorm desk the past few years. I want everything around me to be solely work. I'm on the lookout for a few prints to have against the wall that spark a little creativity but still keep the space focused and productive.

Here are some of the desks that I've been eyeing over at on Pinterest as my inspiration for this year!

What words would you use to describe your ideal desk?

Emily

My Mini Gallery Wall!

Finally, finally, finally! I finished my room! In celebration, I thought I'd show you one of my favorite parts, my mini gallery wall! As soon as I knew I was going to be decorating a new room this was on my agenda. I love a good gallery wall and I'm dying for the day I get to decorate an entire wall but for now, this mini gallery will do just perfectly! 

When I first started decorating my room, I opted for a simple bed frame without a headboard so that I could fill the space with some of my favorite photos instead. I think it gave my room a little something different and allows me to showcase some of my favorite memories in a stylized way. Here's an up-close look at some of my picks!

I scoured Michaels, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods to find a lot of different frames at very reasonable prices. The final total was below $100!! I tried to pick frames that would match some of the subtle colors in my bedding with a few staple whites and blacks. Different shapes and sizes really made a difference when it came to deciding on the overall layout. Here's my tip: make sure you have a good mixture of portrait and landscapes so that your gallery wall can really have a lot of variety and look less uniformed!

Most of the photos come from my experience studying abroad like this one of the Louvre! I also mixed in some black and white photos of my friends to put a more personal touch on the wall. 

I tried to mix in some other items to make the gallery a little more interesting. Here are two of my favorite prints from the Rifle Paper Co. and a letter from a friend with our old home address as a memento of the move! 

Here's the final product! What do you think? Are you a fan of gallery walls?

Emily

A Highway Day Ahead

So today I'm heading back to Memphis to finish off my sophomore year of college. Gulp. That sounds really scary. Gosh I can't believe it's over halfway done! This break flew by but I am so thankful that I got to spend some time at home for a few days. However, the worst part about breaks ending is the drive back to school. Yuck, not looking forward to this but I've got my goldfish and gummy bears to keep me company!

I put together a mix that's going to get me through the first couple hours of my drive. Especially when highway driving, music is critical!

First of all, music helps me get over the initial few hours of homesickness as I'm driving away. I'm really an independent person. I wanted to go to college 6 hours away from home for a reason but I still hate saying goodbye. I always have a tough time leaving my parents and the goodbye with my long distance boyfriend is unbearable but I can handle it. I just need some sunglasses and some happy tunes to get me through.

Secondly, music keeps me awake! Hours on the highway is truly mind-numbing. In the car I need something upbeat that I can dance to and belt out lyrics. It's totally embarrassing but I do enjoy these secret jam sessions. Anything that can keep me awake and alert is important!

I'm getting ready to head out so I guess I'll see you on the other side!


All packed and ready to go,
Emily

Relationships trump Spanish papers.

So I'm type A. I'm constantly moving, constantly working, constantly go-go-go and it's hectic. In the midst of school and life in general I easily get caught up in work and meetings that I fail to put my true priorities first and focus more on the busyness in my life. I've been working more on taking a breath. Because quite frankly sometimes I just need to chill out. The work will get done, it always gets done but I need to quit putting off the things that are truly important.

Yesterday I got some time to really step back and reflect on a lot, mainly focusing on everything in my life that is good. I thought about everything in my life that is rewarding and everything that I want to hold onto. And this is something that I think I need to do more often. I've never been consistent on journaling or keeping a diary but I do need to work towards a way of stepping back and checking in on my life. I think sometimes we get so caught up in jobs and school and work that we fail to recognize when things are falling behind and most of the time it is the most important things that we push aside.

I'm personally at fault about pushing relationships aside in order to focus on work. I push conversations to the next day and I opt out of social events with my girlfriends to finish up projects that I could work on later. However in doing so, I take little steps away from these relationships and I underestimate the toll that this takes. I need to stop assuming that these relationships will stay strong even if I'm not making deliberate efforts to strengthen them. This is such a faulty way of thinking and I'm working on changing this. We can't build and keep relationships if we don't work at them.

Friends, family and significant others trump work any day so why are we focusing so much time on work?

My problem is I need to breathe. I need to take a step back and call my dad on the phone. I need to walk to my friends house and vent on her couch (wine optional). I need to Skype my boyfriend and simply smile. Because ultimately, at the end of the day that spanish paper didn't really matter and that budget project was just a grade but these relationships I'll have for the rest of my life. And that, is what I need to be focusing on.


Feeling grateful,
Emily

Home Town Lovin

So I debated doing this post mainly for the reason that I don't want to be hunted down and killed but I'm going on with it anyways. So with that said, please don't hunt me down and kill me but also, if you were to do that your stalking skills are pretty commendable. But don't. Really.

Moving on.

Being back home has been good. Heading back is always a weird mix of emotions. On the one hand, driving back into Kentucky is pretty nostalgic. The white fences on the highway are when I know I'm close. The bourbon distilleries and the horses are all things that I love about my state and all of the things that welcome me home the last two hours of my drive from school. On the other hand, I do feel more distant. Obviously independence does come with college and I'm definitely starting to feel that. Kentucky will always be home but it's starting to feel more like the place that I grew up rather than the place that I live. And really I'm fine with that. I will always have so much pride for this place and I can guarantee that I will bleed blue for the rest of my life.

Kentucky was a great place to grow up. And I mean truly great. I really think I got a little of everything. For a city in Kentucky, I lived in one of the most open-minded cities in the country and I am so proud of that. In the horse capitol of the world I got to be around a million dollar industry.  I definitely did not come from a horse industry family but I had friends who owned derby horses (that won), friends' parents who trained and bred those derby horses and friends who knew how to go to the track and come home with thousands of dollars each time they went. Unfortunately I was not one of those people. I would illegally (when under 18) electronically bet on the horse with the best name and come out losing every time. Along with this, I got to skip every friday during racing season to go to the track. I mean, how could you not? A chance to wear a Lilly dress and waltz around the paddock with millionaires was never too bad.

Also, with Keeneland being so gorgeous it meant rocking senior pictures if you were able to stand the fact that everyone and their sister had taken their photos there too. At the time I was too "original" for that but now I regret it a little…

I grew up downtown and apart from there being only enough children that I could count on one hand I loved it. It was big enough that people get confused driving around but small enough that well, driving shouldn't have been a problem, but also for a kid to feel safe and explore a little. Bike rides were a common thing and after investing in a Vespa my brother and I gained even more independence. I think living downtown is what gave me my sense of direction at a very young age but also my "street smarts". After living in a medium sized downtown this definitely sparked my craving for bigger cities.

While Lexington is moderately sized it still has the gossip of a small town. Maybe that's a southern thing or maybe that says something about the group my parents were in but I'm not sure I liked it. I did however like the balance of a southern city. Let's say that Lexington is southern to the point some restaurants serve unsweetened tea. Truly blasphemy I know. But I'm one of those people who appreciate a conversation with the checkout lady at the grocery store and on the other hand I can handle not being called "honey". So I'll take the balance any day.

In an effort not to make this post exhaustingly long I'll cut it straight to the point: I loved growing up here and I would recommend it for anyone. However I do think I've slowly grown out of it. Moving to Memphis for school was a step that I really liked and I am looking forward to exploring more larger cities after graduating. All in all, Lexington will always be home for me and I'm so thankful that I can say that that.



Feeling nostalgic even though I'm here now,
Emily

Spring Break!

Today is my last day of classes before Spring Break. Well scratch that, I'm currently in my last class before Spring Break. Whoops. "Pilgrimages & Crusades were a source of funding for building Romanesque churches." … Obviously I'm having difficulties focusing. 

I just can't wait. 

I don't have any crazy Spring Break plans nor do I really want to. My cat, home cooking and a couch is really calling my name. I'm not someone who really gets home sick but I definitely need some time with my family. I need some time without a day scheduled around work and I need some time with my guy. Fact about Emily: I'm in a long distance relationship while at school. So that's really about most of the time. Needless to say, breaks are a little bit of heaven. Weekends are great but a whole week, I can't explain what that feels like. Keeping this minimally cheesy, let's just say I'm pumped.

So parents, brother, boyfriend, cats, and couch. What more could I ask for?
Well I could ask for the next 20 minutes of art history to go away but I guess I can deal.



Dying in class,
Emily