House Tour Part 1: Living Space

As promised, a house (very small house) tour!  This is part 1, which showcases our extremely cozy living room/front room.  I decided to break up the tour into parts because even though my house is mega tiny, each room is utilized to the tee and decorated with my favorite items.  

Seriously, did I mention how tiny my house is?  Oh, I did...well, it's small & I could have done the whole tour in one post, but that's no fun!  

Introducing Casa de Prospect!  Watch out, lots of color in such a small place!

front door & chair nook (we have so little seating in this space that I have to utilize every corner for chairs or cushions for sitting). the vintage drawstring purse is one from my collection that I couldn't give away when we moved because I love the pattern and color too much

view from the front door of the whole living space with fire place straight ahead, couch to the left. the long wooden coffee table was a purchase specifically for using in my Nana's big house but I love it so I had to keep it. it holds pretty art books, brass owls & fauns and fresh flowers

more beauties found on my long coffee table. the old, round Mexican platter belonged to my Nana as well as the little porcelain hand painted cat (I have lots of little things from Mexico here & there because they were my Nana's & she traveled there quite often)

my beloved red hot air balloon couch! I had to put my 1950s vinyl turquoise couch in storage because it was way too big for this house! I like the colorful couch by the sunny window...blissful spot

one of my favorite old lamps by the couch-Toby found this for me in a Bakersfield antique shop right before we moved to San Francisco when we were like 19 years old. it was free because the wiring was all messed up, but Toby fixed it & I found the pink paisley shade at a thrift shop in the city. the old chair is also another favorite that I can't seem to ever part with-it belonged to my sister and mom at some point (we all owned it) & I love the pattern on the upholstery. bison pillow was thrifted

the fireplace mantel is my absolute favorite part of this space. it's painted white so it's nice and bright and has the original light fixtures. most of my prized possessions sit up there on the mantel-the things I like to look at everyday. the camel bag was found at a thrift store for $4 bucks and now it hangs over the fireplace gate and is used as a colorful storage solution (lord knows I need all the storage I can get)

to the right of the fireplace is another speaker and this recently thrifted woven Danish-Modern style chair. I like it because it's small & doesn't take up too much space, offering another seating possibility. close by (against the wall facing the couch) is my Nana's antique buffet that I lovingly use for our TV and record player. beneath it is our amplifier, dvd player and vintage suitcase used as yet another cute storage solution

and we wouldn't be Benicia and Toby without our art wall. this amazing vintage porcelain elephant planter sits atop a speaker and houses a prickly house plant

bookshelf, which is the first thing you see when walking through the front door.  more favorites on the top shelf, including my Nana's fish & blue beaded necklace, my Enid doll, jar of buttons, Japanese box of doll wigs, nesting dolls and my Nana's frida-esque candle holder.

I had lots of old suitcases that I used in my shop for display. I kept my favs and now they are used for storage and as a side table next to the couch, where I put my beer while I watch Star Wars (no, really!!)

Thanks for coming along!  The rest of the house is still to come! 

  

Decorating with Whimsy: Laid Back Boho

When the Hub and I moved out of my Nana's big old house, we really had to downsize-like, mega!  Our new house is very small, so I had to pick out my most favorite furniture pieces and other decor items that would fit in the new space.  We have never spent much money on decorating, as I prefer to go thrifting for a piece that I am looking for rather than buy something brand new at a big retailer.  Therefore, the places we have lived in have always been adorned with thrift, yard sale and flea market finds.  The outcome is usually a mixture of vintage, mid-century, granny-chic, bohemian textures and colors and desert elements (like antlers and old desert landscape postcards).

Our new place has ended up looking quite boho, which I love.  I have always loved the ease and livability in interiors that have bohemian styled textiles, lamps, and cushions.  Feels like you can just lounge about, laid back and lived in.  But, the vintage hoarder in me loves retro kitch, like my collection of 1960s & 70s ceramic fawns.  I am also a sucker for granny quilts and knitted blankets.  And, I have an obsession with the desert (Toby can not understand it, but I absolutely love the desert landscape!) which explains the desert-inspired textiles I have placed throughout the house (aztec style rugs, vintage desert postcard, cow skull, rusty things here and there).  Don't even get me started on Mid-Century furniture!  I wish I could stick to one genre when decorating, but it's impossible!

There are lots of little things I would like to change in my house, especially in the kitchen.  My dishes are a mismatched assortment of hand-me-downs.  I'd like to replace them with vintage cups/glasses & plates with a 60s vibe or replace everything with interesting, earth-toned pottery style dishes & bowls.  And, I am always on the hunt for beautiful and bright textiles, especially those with a bohemian/desert/mexican feel.  I mean, if I could make my house look like the inside of a gypsy traveling caravan I so would!  Here is some inspiration for my boho interior aspirations.  All of these are great because they have a few bohemian-styled pieces (like a textured hanging lamp or a bold rug) but it's not overdone with one style!