If you follow me on Snapchat (retroflame1) you’ll know that I’m currently in the middle of an apartment makeover (a.k.a driving myself crazy). Haha! When I moved to New York last year, I knew I had to find an apartment ASAP and as it’s honestly one of the hardest parts about moving here, I settled with a cute 2-bedroom in the Upper East Side. Cute being another word for tiny. When you move to New York and you’re not a millionaire just yet – you have to refrain from being overly fussy about finding that ‘dream’ apartment and instead, make the most out of whatever you can find. When I moved in, there was a couch, a coffee table & a few storage areas but I had to get everything else myself. Moving to New York is a very expensive process, so at the time, I didn’t put a whole lot of money into decorating. But now that I’ve decided to stay in this same apartment for another year (it’s too good of a gem to leave just yet) it’s time to make it more of a home. So operation #retroflameHOME makeover has begun.

I’ve always loved interiors -something which I definitely got from my Mom. You may have seen the photos I posted of my family home in Ireland on my Instagram while I was home last month. Just search the #retroflameHOME hashtag and you’ll see some sneak peeks. Up until last year, I was really into pops of colour but just like New York has neutralized my personal style, it has also done the same to my taste in interiors. All I now want are blacks, greys, whites, golds and of course, a touch of marble. You may have already guessed that I’m a tad bit marble obsessed? I think you know when you’ve become obsessed with something when at least one of you snapchats or emails me a picture of some kind of marble item each day. Haha! As well as adding a marble feel throughout the rooms, I’m also really into any kind of green plants & succulents. They honestly make such a difference to a room!

I’m also in the process of building some mini Gallery Walls with my favourite quotes & prints for both the living room & my bedroom/desk space. I’m excited to see how these turn out! I have purchased some new bits & pieces but I’m also testing out some DIY alternatives too. I found some marble contact paper as well as gold/rose gold spray paint so I’m looking forward to showing you how these endeavors turn out. I’ll be sure to take some before and after snaps.

You’ll have seen me on snapchat running from store to store this weekend (and more or less every other spare minute I’ve had since) so I wanted to share my favourites with you. I’m a very indecisive person so often, I like to see things in person but I’ve also really enjoyed finding things online too. My favourites are: Target, CB2, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Overstock, West Elm, One Kings Lane, Etsy (great for prints & decorative pieces), H&M Home, Crane & Canopy, Urban Outfitters Home, Amazon (I found an IKEA coffee table here minus the crazy IKEA shipping costs) and GILT Home.

Here are some of the things I’ve purchased so far:

Everything should be ready to photograph in the next week or two, so I’ll do a big post then. I’m slowly but surely getting there! I’ll also be sure to document my DIY projects.

Hope you’re all having a nice week!

Stylishly Yours,

Erika x