Need more help...

I need help again!  Several of you sent suggestions for our basement last month.  They were all great ideas but we decided to put off the basement right now...half of it is extra space that we have no clue what to do which makes it hard to decide how to decorate it since we don't yet know it's purpose.

Instead, we're working on the upstairs which should be relatively easy but for some reason we can't decide on a color scheme!  We already have the furniture we need, just not what colors to add.  So far, I think the only thing we're sure about is that we want to put up two walls to divide the dining room and break up the space.  They won't be anything fancy...just a basic 2x4 and plywood solution that won't break the bank.  Our ceilings are super tall but the walls will only be 8' tall so the room is still open and airy.  Let me know what you think...I've been looking at this so long I can't think anymore!!

View looking from back door out to apartment.  Don't like the open, cluttered look. 

Adding a wall next to the fridge (left side of pic) so it's not so close to dining room.  I have a few fabrics picked out for chair seats.  My favorite is orange and white and would look cute with the chairs painted black.  I don't know what color the table should be.  Also need to pick a color for the sideboard (used to be a dresser).  What colors do you think would work?

Too much going on when you look from dining room to lounge.  Want to add a wall to separate the space.  Also fixes my color problems...without the wall, I feel like I should leave the dining chairs brown to tie in the two rooms (brown chairs in dining room, brown bookcase in lounge).  With the wall dividing the rooms, I can paint the chairs whatever color I want!  Should it be a half wall (coming up just a foot above the sideboard) or a taller wall (8') so the rooms are more divided? Thoughts?

Looking into lounge.  The wall will go behind the sideboard so the spaces are separate.  A coffee table will be added as well as a TV in the empty bookcase space so we can play our old school Nintendo and watch laser discs.

Looking from foyer out.

I like the kitchen, but I need more counter space.  Wanted to add an island but it comes out too far into the walkway.  Want to take the white bookcases on the left wall, fix them up, and add a small breakfast bar.

The walls on the right are grey (except for the kitchen which is white).  The walls on the left and in the back will be painted a brighter color that will coordinate with the living room and lounge.  Don't know what color yet...

28 Giveaway!!!

Welcome to the first 28 Giveaway.  Starting today, Apartment 528 will do an awesome giveaway on the 28th of every month.  The giveaways will all be different: some for free products from the Apt528 Store, others for store credit or discounts.  We may even throw in items from some of our favorite Etsy friends!

Today, 5 lucky people will win in our 28 Giveaway.  How?  Hidden in the Apt528 Store are FIVE Apt528 buttons (pictured below). Search through the different categories, find all 5, then leave a comment on this post telling where you found them (ie: in the Entertaining section, etc.) Only I will see the comments at first.  No cheating!

     - FIRST person to find all 5 wins a $28 Apt528 store credit
     - The next 4 people to find all 5 will win a $10 Apt528 store credit

*Limit one entry per person.

But wait, there's more!  Another TEN people can win simply by following us!  Head over to our Facebook page and let us know your favorite Apt528 product.  The first 5 people will win a $5 Apt528 credit.

Or tweet your favorite product to @apt528.  The first 5 people will also win a $5 Apt528 credit.

Contests today at 11:59PM central.

Good luck!

My old couch gets new life!

Remember my gorgeous '60s couch and chair set?  I bought them off craigslist 3 years ago.  I fell in love with the gentle swoops and beautiful angles.  They're classic pieces in an awesome orange color.  How could I resist?

 

Unfortunately, our move to Chicago this summer meant that I couldn't bring the sofa with me (I kept the chair and now have it in my office).  Not only was it too big to fit in the Uhaul, but the fabric was worn from 50 years of being sat on.  I knew it would be quite awhile before I had the money to have it reupholstered, so I did the unthinkable and sold the couch on craigslist to the first person who could pick it up before we moved.

Thankfully, an awesome gentleman bought it and took it immediately from my house to his upholsterer.  I knew right off the bat that it was in good hands!  Even better, he sent me pics of the newly redone piece, now a soft pea soup.  What do you think?

Etsy Shop of the Week: SoFino

Who says showering has to be boring?  With the help of SoFino, you can have all the felted soap you want in all kinds of fun shapes and colors.  There are even 30 yummy scents to choose from including Apricot Freesia, Sage & Lemongrass, Fresh Snow, and  Chocolate Espresso.

Felted soap has been around for awhile but for some reason I just discovered it a few months ago.  For others who've been in the dark like me, felted soap is soap covered in a layer of wool.  It has a great lather and the wool works as an exfoliator so you can ditch the washcloth or loofah.  It also saves you from slimy, slippery bars and dropping the soap...much nicer than soap on a rope!

 

  

Used Friday: What's Black, White, and Red All Over?

Clockwise from top left corner: Brownie Target 6-20 Box Camera, $30 (Falcon and Finch); Red Striped Mugs, $24 (8 Point Design); Flip-Up Spector Sunglasses, $9.99 (Kevey Dean); Plastic Vintage Buttons, $3 (Orit Dotan); TGIF Vintage Typewriter Keys, $9.75 (Sadie N Stella); Royal China Tweed Serving Bowl, $10 (Blue House Vintage); Bus Exit Sign, $45 (The Sunday Times Market)

Zenith Tube Radio C519, $150 (4 Eyes and Ears)

Red Plaid Blazer, $27 (Huzzah Vintage)

Vintage Spice Pots, $16 (Rhubarb and Apples)

We interrupt your normally scheduled programming...

We can talk decor and DIY tomorrow.  Today, my amazing brother-in-law comes home from Afghanistan after serving overseas with the Air Force.  I can't tell you how proud we are of him and how glad we are to have him safe back in the States.  We can't wait till he visits us next month...Chicago better get ready for a little havoc!

Thanks to all the men and women who serve our great country and to the friends and family who support them!

On the Dial: Sufjan Stevens

Illinoise- Sufjan Stevens
By Mr. Design Girl


*email subscribers - head to the Apt528 blog to hear tracks from the album
After moving to Chicago with the wife this summer, I couldn't think of a better album to review than Sufjan Stevens' 2005 release, Illinoise.  This album is all about, and inspired by, the Land of Lincoln.

One of my favorite things about the album isn't the actual music, but the song titles. They are ridiculously long! Here's the title of the second track:

"The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!"

See, I wasn't lying! The song (which is barely over two minutes long) ends before the title can finish scrolling across the iPod screen.

Two of my favorite tracks from Illinoise have respectably shorter titles. The first song has become my soundtrack for our move to Chicago, and is appropriately titled, "Chicago". Just thinking about the song reminds me of approaching the skyline of Chicago with all our belongings in the U-Haul. Whenever I hear the refrain, "You've come to take us. All things go, all things go" I remember the excitement and nervousness of moving here, and how I am lucky to find myself in such an amazing place, with an amazing person by my side. The other track, "Prairie Fire That Wanders About",  isn't as personal, but still evokes a whimsical and surreal sensation. It's one of the shorter tracks, but there's something so magical about it that you hardly realize it's already ended.

For those who don't know, Sufjan Stevens is part composer, part musician, part storyteller, part genius. The fact that he utilizes so many instruments in his songs is probably the most impressive thing.  He is credited on this album for playing TWENTY different instruments.  The amount of layers in each song is jaw-dropping with choirs, horns, and strings all joining together to paint a picture.  It's not until I moved to Chicago and had a chance to drive through the state that I realized how accurately Stevens captures the feeling of Illinois. The beautiful prarie land, the golden fields, the quietness, the small farms. They're all there in his songs.

Originally, Sufjan went on the record saying he was going to compose an album for each of the 50 states. Six years later, he's only made it through Michicgan and Illinois. In a 2009 Paste interview, Stevens looks back at the project he started saying, "The whole premise was such a big joke, and I think maybe I took it too seriously. I started to feel like I was becoming a cliche of myself." He also mentions the creative strain that composing The BQE, his instrumental tribute to New York's Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, put on him. Thankfully he didn't let it get him too down...in the years it took him to compose The BQE, he aslo released two EP's and a Christams album.  Age of Adz, his latest work and considered by most as his big return, debuted just last week.

Though releasing fifty full-length albums is a feat no man (or woman) could accomplish in a reasonable amount of time, I still can't help wishing he'd keep on going, or at least made it to Boston and my home state of Massachusetts!

Sounds Like:
 Bright Eyes
 Iron and Wine
 Aqualung
 Arcade Fire
 Beirut
 Elliot Smith

Go Ahead, Splurge a Little...

Notice something different about the Apartment 528 Store?  How about a new price point? 

Apt528's goal has always been to offer quality, quirky decor and accessories at awesome low prices.  So far, all of our items have been under $50.  Why should you have to go broke to have an amazing apartment?

But, starting today, we've raised our price point to include super amazing products up to $100.  Why?  Because we realize that not everyone's as broke as we are and that there are some of you out there willing to pay a little more to find the PERFECT piece.  So whether you're going for chic on the cheap or looking to splurge, Apartment 528's got it.

Take a look at what we have in store...

New Items!

New items (both vintage and handmade) in the Apartment 528 Store.  Stay tuned for more updates this weekend!

Another Year Gone By...

I'm back, 1 year older!  Last week the hubby and I went on a midwest tour of sorts to celebrate my birthday.  First we stopped in Illinois to see the OSU/Illinois game with my grandpa and his wife.  I love college football and was super excited to see my two hometown teams (I grew up in both college towns) battle it out on the field.  It was also great to eat my grandpa's famous seafood gumbo afterwards.  Yum!

After the game we headed on over to Ohio to celebrate my big day with my mom and little sis.  Shopping with my mom was a blast.  We hit the Clintonville shops and stopped by Objects for the Home, owned by my best friend and his lovely lady.  If you're ever in the Columbus area and need a few pieces to spruce up your home, stop by their store.  They have a cute selection of handmade and vintage items that I couldn't resist.  We bought some of their super delicious soaps and a journal made from an old record.  Can't wait to go back next time we're in town!


My favorite piece from Objects for the Home

Down the street from my friends' store was another place called Boomerang Room Vintage.  It's a 1960's wonderland!  I was ready to move in...if only they had a bed in stock!  Next time I'll have to drive a Uhaul to grab all the awesome treasures.  I also did a lot of thrifting and came back with some great vintage pieces to add to the Apartment 528 Store.  After all the shopping, we headed to my old high school where I got to watch the marching band (I'm a band geek) and see the football team beat the pants off one of our rivals at the homecoming game.  Then I got to see my gorgeous baby sister get dolled up for the dance.  What a great birthday week!


New stuff for the Apt528 Store

But now I'm back and ready to get to work.  Keep looking for new vintage items in the store and stay tuned for another giveaway!