A Nice Little Before and New Color Scheme!....

I am in full on fixin' up furnished apartment mode! I'm almost done. Just some paint touch ups, ceiling fan improvements and getting the bed delivered Saturday...

BUT I must say, I am LOVING AirBnB!! I put the apartment up so I could rent it for the busy Jazz Fest/French Quarter fest and it's almost booked straight through Jazz Fest!! I can't believe it :) 

I wanted to share a "before" peak at the lovely architectural details between the living room and bedroom with y'all though:

Notice the hideous fans?! bleghhhh They have little crystal bears dangling from the pull chain!! 

Also, since I've decided to go black/grey I've got my new color scheme:

I have some great chartreuse silk curtains that will go up in the bedroom. But it will mostly be white, grey with some touches of black. I can't wait for this to be done! 

I'm Sexy and I Know It...

OK, So I'm in the middle of deciding on fabrics for the furnished rental... I need window treatments, pillows, reupholstering 1 maybe 2 chairs and fabric for a headboard! AND of course it needs to be CHEAP! CHEAP!

So, I was super excited when bossman came in yesterday with some fabric I LUVS! The fabric is for a project but so what?! Can't I totally copy? Plus it's totally in my budget. 

Here's my first lover: Sexy faux black croc!! 

This picture kinda gives you an idea of the fabric... Below is what I plan on doing with it...

Don't know image source?!

I already painted my Chippendale gold so now all I have to do is recover the seat. It's going to look FAB!

Below is a shot of what will more than likely be the fabric for the window panels. I was planning on doing my drop cloth  trick but this fabric is only about $7/yd. So, I'd rather spend a little more and get what I would really be happy with for years to come. 

Really, this black croc inspired me to go with my gut and do a glammy/rock/sexy look in the apartment. White, gold, touches of black and a small pop of some other color that has yet to be determined.... knowing me it will be hot pink! ;) 

I'm going SEXY and I know it.

Uhhh Ohhhh... It's GO Time!...

Our tenant/BFF is now moving out one month early - meaning March 1st!! - meaning I've gotta get my butt in gear and order all the goodies to get it up and running ASAP as a furnished short-term rental! Especially because French Quarter Fest & Jazz Fest are right around the corner...

Things that are a must:

Order 2 new ceiling fans:

DIY a rustic floor length mirror. Inspiration pic below. I plan on getting a rough old door (possibly old wood) and gluing on a cheapie floor length mirror.... and done! Shouldn't be too hard right?!

Hospital curtain tracks for all windows... learned this trick from my boss. It's a super inexpensive way to hang curtains and they will be mounted right up to the ceiling - so extra drama!

New bedding! I'm hoping to find something great at Marshal's or something really inexpensive.... bedding is what's gonna kill me I'm afraid price wise - I need really soft & luxurious - it needs to feel like a hotel. If you have any favorites for bedding let me know! (I do like Thomas O'Brien from Target)

Possible light fixture for bathroom... I know it's everywhere but I need cheap and good looking! OMG you should see the gross light in there now!! eeeeww

Some bedroom inspiration...

I already have this mirrored chest and I love the colors in the image below...

You may remember my previous post about my love of this image: (Marilyn has been purchase and I'm hoping to blow her up huge!)

And now I'm kinda into a rust-orange color!? Similar to the pillows below... just a little hint of the color - if I can find the right shade of orange!

SO, I will definitely keep y'all posted as the rental gets a face lift and furnished!! It's GO time!

** All images are credited via my Pinterest board "715"**

I'm Totally Copying This...

I fell in LOVE with this image:

Via Absolutely Beautiful Things Blog.

Of course I can totally copy this for my furnished rental!! Usually Marilyn is way too done for my taste but I love the colors and softness of this photograph. The photographer is Bert Stern and there is even a book, titled The Last Sitting.  

I came across some sellers on Ebay...

I thought the one below kinda fit in with New Orleans. She looks a little drunk. ; )

These prints come small though - like 8"x 8"... I'm worried about the quality if I blow it up? They are only $13 so I'd love even a smaller one if I can't go big.

But the big one over a fireplace is just lovely don't you think??

Mr. Futon Is In!...

Just wanted to share some pics of the futon that came in! I never thought I'd say this but I love my futon!

** Sorry for yet again crap photos - I can't for the life of my find my camera!!?!**

I will be making a white duck slipcover so if it gets dirty I can just wash it. The fabric is a faux leather that can easily wipe off any dirt too. For now it's in the room next to our bedroom...

So the furnished rentals mainly going to be white, camel, little black... I'm really drawn to my masculine room inspirations these days.... Here's one of my favorites from Pinterest:

I LOVE the colors here... and it's not at all girly...

But then this is how psychitzophrenic I am:

Love this look too!

I think a compromise is something like this:

That my friends is why I'm keeping the big items neutral... so my crazy ass can change out pillows, accessories as my brain shifts from girly to manly!! Do y'all suffer from the same disease!?

Futon Is Ordered!... YES I said FUTON!

Never would I think #1 I'd order a FUTON and #2 I'd be excited about it. We all know they are hideous creatures that belong in college apartments... but sometimes a broke girl needs a stylish one to complete her furnished rental!

Why a futon you may ask? Because I need this rental to potentially sleep 4. Sleeping 4 = MORE MONEY Honey BooBoo Child! Take a second and watch her and you'll know what I'm talkin' about:

I digress...

Here's what my futon looks like:

I'm making sure anything that goes in this apartment will easily go with the rest of the house - So that I can switch around things and when we're ready to live in the whole house everything will make sense together.  White, black, camel, golds with pops of color is what I'm talkin' about!

One of these bad boys will go on both sides of the sofa - but with white shades. We carry these lamps at work and I LOVE them!! They are great for houses with high ceilings - they stand 80" tall. Very dramatic.

Below is an idea of what I will be doing - this is a condo we finished a couple months ago.

The rug will be the sisal in my living room and I'm moving 2 marble tables over as the coffee tables. I guess it's a good thing I have been collecting more furniture than my house can fit!

Craigslist Score & Bedroom Ideas...

The Hubs and I have decided to short term rent our rental fully furnished once our current tenant/BFF moves out in April. I will more than likely list it through AirBnB.

I've been scoping out our competition and know once I get through decorating it we'll be able to rent it pretty regularly but also have the option of keeping it unavaliable if family or friends from out of town want to visit! PLUS let's not forget it will be a fun new design project!  :)  AND it will give me an idea of what it's like running a small B&B... (little fantasy of mine!)

Here is a picture of the latest Craigslist score for the bedroom rental - 2 matching bedside lamps... for $10 each!! I  love the shape of them and will more than likely spray them another color - you know I can't leave anything alone... spraypaint is the answer to everything!

They have a cool, retro, Jonathon Adler-esque quality I like about them.

I'll more than likely get 2 MALM 3 drawer chests as the nightstands...

My mom "thinks I could do better" which might be true but I don't want anything too expensive in there - it is a rental afterall and the 3 drawers are very practical for storing clothes, etc. unless of course I come across a great deal on Craigslist  ;)

Anyway, here's some inspiration for the room thanks to good ol' Pinterest!

Love the color of the lamps below...

So what do ya think?? Do you like the lamp/dresser combo? Have any of you out there ever done the short term rental thing? I'd love to hear advice if you have! My parents rent out their condo in Florida and haven't run into any issues.... so I'm hoping we won't either!