Want to hear a funny story? If we play the “Never Have I Ever” game and someone says “I’ve never moved across the country twice in two months,” I have to hold up my finger! Yes, that’s right! I moved from Los Angeles to New York and then quickly moved back to Los Angeles. You may be wondering why, but there are really only three reasons why someone would move 3,000+ miles away twice: 1. You can’t stand the cold, 2. A death in the family, or 3. You’re going through a breakup. Luckily, of those great options, lucky number 3 was in my case!
I could get all dramatic, but this is a design blog after all, so it’s kind of a weird place to jump into that kind of stuff. So, let’s talk design instead! I’m currently back on the West Coast and found a cute new apartment in Los Feliz (Emily’s old neighborhood!!) and will be moving there soon. I still have a lot of stuff from my previous house, but I’m going to let go of some old stuff that has weird memories attached to it and I think this is the perfect opportunity to find some unique pieces that really speak to me. I really want to focus on buying cute, good quality basics that I love and will last, instead of filling it with ugly stuff that I’ll end up replacing.
That said, I am currently on the hunt for premium basics (kitchen items, bathroom items, bedding, etc.). Not boringI also have a weird situation going on where most of my belongings are stored in a warehouse on the East Coast and it just doesn’t make sense to ship backplates and other stuff I don’t necessarily love. So, long story short, it’s time to get rid of some items that aren’t so great and upgrade to be a bit better. If you’re also looking to upgrade your kitchen, bathrooms and bedding, you’ve come to the right place!! (Side note: I’ll be including some pictures of my previous apartment throughout this post to give you a feel for my style!!)
kitchen
When I started working in the kitchen: This set of grey target plates I haven’t used them in years, but I’m thinking about donating them in NYC and buying new everyday plates that feel special. Yesterday, I went to a restaurant in my new neighborhood called Mirate, and they had the coolest plates ever for sale. When they put the plates on the table, my whole family said, “Wow, this is so cute and cool.” In fact, we liked them so much that we wanted to track them down and buy them for ourselves when we got home, which is why we took this picture (spoiler alert, I did just that).
So cute, right?! I actually went to an Italian restaurant in New York and they had plates from the same brand there (the second one in the link below), and everyone was amazed. They were so beautiful and hand-painted, so they were really special, and I’ve always had an eye for this brand (so I know I’ll always love it), so I finally took the plunge and bought one. These 12 pieces (I couldn’t find a smaller set and I plan on having a lot of dinner parties, so I justified it in my mind.) These are 7.5″ plates, so I think it made more sense to buy more than the 10″+ plates, because these can be used as appetizer/dessert/share plates, whereas the larger dinner plates can only be used for one thing (i.e. dinner). Anyway, after splurging on these, I wanted a more affordable dinner plate set that would be cute to use underneath these at dinner parties, but also easy to use on a daily basis. In the end, these I thought it was perfect! Plus, from what I researched, $49 for 6 plates seems like a pretty reasonable price (only $8 each). Again, I don’t want to be replacing my everyday plates for a long time (unless they chip or break, in which case I’m really glad I don’t have the vintage plates because this plain white set is easy to replace as needed). Here are some more fun plates if you want to upgrade your boring everyday plates 🙂
1. Cafe dinner plate (set of 6) | 2. Puebla Stoneware Dinner Plate | 3. Pearl Dinner Plates (Set of 4) | 4. Talavera Bread and Butter Plate (Set of 12) | 5. Beatrice dinner plate (set of 4)| 6. Splatter Enamel Dinner Plates (Set of 4) | 7. striped dinner plate | 8. “Lamore” Fille Rouge Plate |9. Rimmed ceramic plates (set of 6)
I upgraded my goggles a while ago. These incredibly beautiful glassesHonestly, Yield Design was my first influencer partnership. My personal channel I was given a set of two and loved them so much I bought two more sets. Whenever my friends come over they compliment how nice they are and then they go home and buy some for themselves. I love these glasses because they are double walled so you can pour piping hot tea or coffee into them without burning your hands. They are so cool. I love the look and feel of them (in case you didn’t know, I have the amber one but I love the cobalt one too).
It’s certainly luxuriousI haven’t had any breakages yet (maybe because it’s double walled?) but I am really impressed with the design. They come in espresso size, 12 oz (that’s what I have), and 16 oz if you like something bigger. See the size of the glass on the nightstand below 🙂
But I have these cool colorful glasses in a warehouse on the East Coast, so I bought a set of four anyway. These glasses I got it for $20 because A. it’s affordable and B. it’s nice to have a clear glass for pretty colored cocktails etc. Or am I the only one who thinks it’s weird to drink colorful drinks in a colorful glass…? In the comments below. I didn’t want to get too fancy since I’d already spent money on the glass above, so this new simple clear glass is clean and has nice lines. Other cute and cool glass options I considered were:
1. Tall Highball Glasses (Set of 4) | 2. Hobnail Drinking Glasses (Set of 6) | 3. Tortoiseshell Old Fashioned Glasses | 4. Organic Old Fashioned Glasses (Set of 4) | 5. Handcrafted drinking glasses | 6. Embossed vintage style glassware
Bathroom
Let’s move on to the bathroom. The first thing you need to buy for your new bathroom is towels. But what kind of towels should you get? these I’ve had them for years, but they’re starting to get a little dirty and need a thorough cleaning. I think half of them are in storage. Needless to say, it’s time to buy some new towels. My bathroom is filled with cute green vintage tiles (which I’ll show you soon!). Get along well Green and White or teeth Green and white. I want something super fluffy and not just plain white (and if it’s white, I want it to have some special, fun details). Here are some fun, cute towels I’ve had my eye on:
1 Striped bath towel | 2. Cotton Bath Set | 3. Blue and ivory terry bath towel | 4. Scalloped Cotton Bath Towel | 5. Patterned Turkish Cotton Towels | 6. Heavy Turkish Cotton Towel Set
Bedroom
Lastly, I’m on the lookout for pretty, high-quality bedding. I usually like a clean, white, classic bed with a few accents in the bed blanket and pillows, but as with the towels, I want my sheets and duvet to be a little special. Also, my EHD friends have convinced me how good sheets look in so many of my previous redecorations, so I’m thinking about pinstripes or a subtle pattern on my sheets this time, but I’m not sure yet. Here are some fun, design-rich bedding ideas I’m considering:
1. Belgian linen duvet cover | 2. Ruched Weet Comforter Set | 3. Micro Printed Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set | 4. Washed Linen Hardcore Sheet Bundle | 5. Tufted Grid Duvet Cover | 6. Scalloped Satin Duvet Cover
This is the end of my post. I can’t wait to show you more of my apartment and keep an eye out for more fun design posts about it! See you in the comments 🙂
xx,
Maru
*The design is Mallory Wackerman
**styling Emily Bowser
***Photo credit Veronica Crawford
Source: Shopping – Emily Henderson – stylebyemilyhenderson.com
