061510diningroom00.jpgTime flies when you're having fun…or right after you've moved to a new home. We've pretty much settled into our new apartment (finally), emptying what seemed like a never ending stack of moving boxes and now have gotten to the fun part of moving: decorating a new space.

061510DiningRoom.jpgSome freshly cut lavender from our local farmer's market was a low-cost way to brighten up our undecorated dining room.

Besides hearing "when can we see your new place?" (we're most apt to reply, "very soon", but really mean, "not until we're ready"), the second question we've most often been asked, "which room are you decorating first?", our friends knowing after 5+ years at our previous apartment we were more than ready for a change and itching to decorate an apartment which afforded us a bit more breathing room.

And perhaps because this was Emily and my first apartment together with a formal dining space (we previously dined on our coffee table, since our bed was located in what was once a breakfast nook), we decided it would be the dining room we'd tackle first, furnishing it with a new dining set funded with our tax return, alongside a vintage bookcase perfect for all of Emily's cookbooks as the foundation of the small, but already beloved space. We just finished laying out a rug using one of the most affordable of the FLOR carpet tile line (the price, cat-claw resistant nature and the 80% post-consumer recycled material sold us), and some bargain hunting online resulted in some half price place mats that add a splash of colour and some toast-shaped coasters add a bit of visual-decorative humor. And even though we've yet to start painting the walls, a heavenly amount of morning sunlight pours in through the original 1930's windows and "paints" the interior with a warmth which makes each and every morning the best ever.

061510EmilyPaintingKitchen.jpgIs there anything more taxing than taping before painting? We've just begun in the prep work required for repainting the worn 1930's kitchen drawers.

We're about 75% done with this first room, with plenty more to tackle, but I'm often reminded by my more prudent better half to slow down. I can be a bit like a dog let outside after being cooped in all day, tail wagging enthusiastically, running in a circle, going everywhere and nowhere all at once with a cranium full of design dreams and schemes. I have a tendency to want to decorate the whole apartment at one fell swoop, forgetting it took years of planning and patience to decorate our previous space together. So recently I vowed to ease up on the purchases and window-shopping (at least a little bit) and focus on getting some interior painting done, since it is arguably the biggest bang for the buck and instantly adds personality in any room.

We're both looking forward and dreading the process of painting, since the 30's era detailing can be a hassle and a test of patience to prep before getting down to the actual act of painting. But oh what a difference paint shall make once we get started, let alone introducing decorative elements and wall art. There I go again, getting ahead of myself…