Now you see it, now you don't

Is this not the coolest thing?  One minute it's a window and at the flip of a switch it's turned into a balcony.  I know it would be easier to just have a standard balcony, but it's the cool factor that makes this contraption so awesome.

Head over to the Bloomframe website to see the video. Via - Freshome

Etsy Shop of the Week: Silver Agave

Other than my wedding ring, I never wear jewelry.  But for some reason, I can't stop looking at the Silver Agave shop on Etsy.  I've fallen in love with just about every charm so far.  The DIY girl in me likes the tool charms though I also love the pickle (it's my fave food) and the chopsticks.  If you prefer, Silver Agave can make any charm into a pair of earrings or make a custom piece if you want something even more special.  To finish it off, all jewelry ships within 48 hours and comes in a super cute gift box, perfect for giving to a friend or pampering yourself.

Used Friday: The Windy City

Vintage Wooden Desk (Chicago - Pilsen)
Price: FREE!!

Free 1950's desk. Get it now.

You may also like: 60's Glam Desk

Orange Lounge Chair (Glenwood, IL)
Price: $175

What a fun chair! I think it would look even more fun if you painted the wood frame but that's just me. Fabric seems to be in good shape.

You may also like: Funky Wieland Unimold Chair, Retro Reclining Chairs

Record Cabinet (Chicago)
Price: $195

This little record cabinet is simply adorable. I wish I had the space.

Ceramic Tiles (Shaumburg, IL)
Price: FREE again!!

If you're a DIY-er with a tiling project on your hands, this posting's for you. They have over 6 boxes of tiles leftover and they're giving them all away for free!

Mid-century 4-Drawer Dresser (Batavia, IL)
Price: $95

This wooden beauty is full of potential. Keep it as is or grab a brush and transform it into a masterpiece. For inspiration, click the Kroehler link below.

You may also like: Kroehler Mid-Century Highboy, 2-Toned Bedside Table

Red-Glazed Entry Table (Hyde Park, IL)
Price: $60

What a fun table. It's pretty affordable considering the poster painted and glazed it themselves. Gives me a great idea for our entryway.

Vintage Record Player (Chicago - Humboldt Park)
Price: $100

Okay, I'll admit this post is for MY record player! We love it to death but we just don't have the space. I can't wait to see it go to another retro lover.

Mod Bookcase (Chicago - Lincoln Square)
Price: $295

Display your favorite acessories, use it as a sideboard, or frost the glass and turn it into an entertainment center.

You may also like: Drexel Sideboard

Retro School Desk (Chicago - Roscoe Village)
Price: $20

This would look great in a loft, office, entryway, playroom, etc. Plus it's a steal at $20.

You may also like: Orange Metal School Desk

I need help!!!

As promised, here are a few pics of our new apartment.  So far I've only taken pics of the basement because it's the space I have the least amount of ideas for. Please, please, PLEASE help me with ideas!!!!!!

This is looking from the back of the basement (standing in the laundry room door) to the front.  My office is at the very front right corner, and the guest bedroom is the door in the middle.  As you see, we're using the front as our living room.  The upstairs is shaped the same way but it was easier to put the living room downstairs because we didn't have to worry about the floor vents or the front door being in the way.  The house is so long and narrow there's no room to put the TV on the wall and still have room to sit and watch it.  That's why we've positioned the TV coming out into the room.  We're getting the Karlstad sectional from Ikea and put it where the 2 chairs are. 

Now we need help with ideas on ways to cover up the TV from behind.  So far we're thinking of building a half wall that will block the TV and entertainment center from the back.  Any other suggestions?  I'm so lost!

This is looking from the front to the back.  The white door in the back next to my office is the laundry room.  Our plan is to paint over this horrible pinkish burgundy.  I can't seem to get used to the white walls either and will probably end up painting them a grey that will match the grey sectional and be neutral enough that the landlord won't make us paint it back!  The pink wall will be painted a bold, fun color.  Behind the TV, we're still trying to figure out to do with all that space.  We're thinking of getting a foozball table (the nice kind of course).  It's big, will take up space, and is one of our favorite games so triple score!  We'll see...

This is one more place where I'm lost! We bought 4 cheap, Walmart bookcases and added doors in an effort to make a built-in bookcase at our centipede apartment.  We were going to paint the doors, add trim, and add a dark wood-stained top but we ended up moving before all this happened.  So now we've got 4 bookcases spread throught the new place.  I think it would look better if I added 1 more bookcase to the set to fill out the wall.  Once I paint the wall grey, maybe I'll like the area a bit more.  What are your ideas for the doors?  I bought fabric and trim to cover them but hated it.  Maybe a dark stain?  Or a painted finish?  Maybe a wall decal? 

I need help!

Renegade Weekend

Scoping out the Renegade Craft Fair going on this weekend here in Chicago.  Already found some great indie designers to add to the Apartment 528 Store.  Stay tuned for updates :)

What a month...

Remember that gorgeous Chicago apartment we drove 23hours from Boston to live in?  Well, we left there and moved somewhere else.

Our old Chicago living room.  Where the Great Centipede Infestation began.

Why?  It's all because of disgusting house centipedes.  If you don't know what they are, do a google image search and you'll see how disgusting these bugs can be.  I've seen and killed centipedes before but this wasn't a normal situation.  This was a centipede infestation.  They were EVERYWHERE!! The second night we were there we saw EIGHT!!  I had one crawl on my arm one morning...it was hiding under the kitchen sponge...and one crawled on Jerome's leg while we were watching tv.  That's NOT acceptable. Our landlords tried spraying but the creatures kept coming back in droves.

The old dining room with its beautiful French doors and chandelier.

Thankfully, after 3 weeks of torment, the landlords were nice enough to let us out of the lease without a problem.  The only catch was we had to be out by September 1 which meant we had less than a week to find a new apartment and get moved.  There weren't a lot of apartments left by that time which made our search even harder.

Then, at the last minute, we found a duplex in Humboldt Park.  It's doesn't have the vintage charm of the last place, but it includes a gated parking spot, central air, and laundry (the other apartment didn't) plus it's bigger with 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and 2 separate living spaces/rooms.  As a bonus, it's just a few blocks from where we originally wanted to live in Bucktown/Wicker Park.  Now we can go to awesome shops and restaurants all the time!

The only downsides are the master bedroom and the narrow layout of the living areas.  The master bedroom is surprisingly the smallest of all the bedrooms and has doors on each wall so there's nowhere to put a bed of any size.  We had to put the bed going sideways in front of a window...we'll see how that works out!  As for the living areas, the whole house is long and narrow so it's hard to find room to put a couch AND tv.  We think we found a solution but we won't know for sure until we actually buy a couch and see how it works in that space.  I'll post pics soon.

Needless to say, this apartment is definitely challenging my design sense.  Once we get the internet turned on, I'll be posting quite often asking for ideas and suggestions.  Hopefully you're all ready to be creative :)