Category Archives: Around The Apartment

by Orblogdo | 16 July 2012 · 7:06 pm

Before & After: Paintingtimez in the Bedroom

Dear Normal Person,

What do you like to do for your birthday? Do you like to eat spaghetti with your fiancé, simultaneously slurping on the same noodle until you eventually kiss? Do you like to go to Chuck E Cheese’s with a group of grown ups just to terrify the children and their parents? Do you like eat birthday cake, alone, in the closet?

What do I like to do for my birthday, you ask? Well, I like to force my friends to paint my bedroom with me while we drink wine and talk about how a life without art is not life at all. This year my delightful friend Erika Lawrence Gragg helped me paint. Below are the riveting images of how it turned out.

While buying paint for a client, I came across a great color called “Attic” from Porter’s Paints. To save money, I took the paint chip to Home Depot to have it matched. This taught me a very important lesson: trying to save money usually just makes you waste more money. The color produced by Home Depot’s color matching service looked like purple toothpaste and made me want to violently barf all over the place.

To solve the paint problem, I went to everybody’s favorite hardware store (Koontz Hardware in West Hollywood) and grabbed a few more pain samples:

I chose Benjamin Moore In Your Eyes (#715)

And Benjamin Moore White Rain (#708)

I really wanted In Your Eyes to work out just because the name is so ridiculous and amazing, but sadly it was a little too baby blue for me. As for White Rain, it skewed slightly too aqua and would have made my room look a swimming pool. And while I’ve always wanted to live in a swimming pool, I also wanted my room to retain some of its dignity. I ended up going with a grayer, more sophisticated Benjamin Moore color called Pale Smoke (#1584):

I liked Pale Smoke because it borders three of my favorite colors: blue, grey, and aqua. Like my mood, the color completely changes depending on how much sun is in the room.

Here are some pictures of what my boring, white walls looked like before I painted them.

After hours of toiling and getting paint all our faces, painting was complete.

I used a small trunk as a side table on my side of the bed.

I found this architectural drawing at the flea market a while back. The wire horse sculpture is from Emily.

This chair was purchased from a Goodwill in the desert for $10 and reupholstered in glamorous aqua linen for $80. I’m totally into the detail on the legs.

I found this little painting at an antique shop in Burbank. The Japanese print was a holiday gift from my mother.

I changed out the dark grey drapes for white ones. My room is so bright and sunny I thought dark, moody drapes seemed out of place.

This mirror from Ikea is kind of a ridiculous bargain. $129 and it’s enormous. Adds so much light and the illusion of more space.

I went to Long Beach Flea Market on Sunday and found this incredible sailboat. I’ve been wanting one for ages so it was a dream come true for me.

I put this painting over the bed but my boyfriend thought the color palette was too monochromatic with the rest of the room so I ended up changing it out.

A globe fills an awkward space where a plant used to live (until it died because there’s no direct sunlight over there).

If I paint any more rooms grey in my apartment I might have to rename the whole place 50 Shades of Grey.

The End,
Orlando

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Filed under Around The Apartment, Design, Do It Yourself!, Interiors

by Orblogdo | 27 June 2012 · 4:59 pm

Cover Thine Naked Walls In Stickers.

Dear Empty Walls,

Are you ever sitting there all like “Oh my god I’m naked I wish someone would put a sticker on me”? And then you look around and all the wall decals out there are, like, totally gross? Well, I have found a solution to your nakedness. There a few wall stickers out there that will cover you in beauty and glamour. For the most part wall stickers are cheesy and gross and look like they belong in college dorms. But don’t lose hope! A few sophisticated options do exist…

Keith Haring Wall Sticker from Blik. $50.

I love me some Keith Haring, so naturally I want to put these large-scale wall decals all over my body. And my apartment.

Fishwall Stickers from Blik. $45.

For a kookie splash of color, these fish-scale inspired tiles do the trick. I don’t think I’d do a whole gigantic room in them, but a small room, a door, or another architectural detail could be cool.

Keith Haring Wall Stickers from Blik. $35.

Who doesn’t want little Keith Haring dudes dancing all over his house? Fun!

Chalkboard Calendar from Ferm Living. $100.

This is really practical and pretty for an office, but would probably be totally weird anywhere else.

Branch Wallsticker from Ferm Living. $110.

We used this one on the show (shown below) and it looked totally amazing. They no longer make it in that metallic gold color which is a shame but the black is beautiful too.

One note about wall stickers is that they are often dependent on a cool space. Just sticking one in the middle of the wall might be weird, but if you have a cool alcove or moulding that separates a space, it can be a great opportunity for a beautiful moment on the wall.

Custom Wall Sticker from Murals Your Way. Starting at $240.

Martha Stewart featured this idea a while back. I’m actually kind of surprised at how cool it looks because a lot of full-color decals look cheesy. But if you have a great source image you can make a beautiful wall decal.

Damien Hirst-Inspired Wall Dots from Blik. $40.

One way to make sure your wall stickers don’t look low-brow is to have them reference a famous work of art like these Hirst-inspired wall dots. They are playful, yet somehow still sophisticated.

Also playful and sophisticated are the original Hirst paintings.

Ten Pattern Wall Tiles by Threadless for Blick. $45.

For renters who can’t do wallpaper, these luxurious wall tiles provide pattern and excitement.

Psychedelic Garden Wall Tiles from Blik. $45.

I’m loving these floral wall tiles for a ladybedroom.

In The Belly Of The Beast Wall Sticker from Blik. $40.

This dying whale is kind of depressing, but I’m still attracted to it. Seems like it would be perfect for a kids room. Perfect for the goth kid who hates everyone.

Pine Tree Wall Sticker from Ferm Living. $55.

The simplicity and elegance of the pine branch is what makes this one nice. Sometimes wall decals get a little bit too complicated/literal which makes them lame.

So there you go, walls. You no longer have sit naked, waiting for uber-expensive art to cover you up. Go out there and get some wall decals to cover your indecent self!

Love,
Orlando

7 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, D.I. Why?, Design, Fun Finds, Interiors

by Orblogdo | 19 March 2012 · 5:07 pm

Sun Day

Dear Diary,
I went grocery shopping yesterday and when I got home I was, like, “HARK! Look at how crazy pretty the light is in my apartment!” And then I was like “I should take some pictures of stuff so I can remember how nice and warm everything looks.” It’s been chilly in Los Angeles (I think the temperature dipped below 68 degrees, BRRRR!). Thus, I was happy to get back to my warm, cozy apartment. Here is what my apartment looked like on Sunny Sunday Sun Day:

That vintage Interview Magazine is one of my favorite things in the world. I just love how giant and 80z glam it is. One day, I’ll be as pretty as Sylvester Stallone on that cover. Dreams…

Love,
Orlando

7 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, California, Interiors, The Golden State

by Orblogdo | 1 March 2012 · 8:05 am

What I Do When I’m Left Alone (I’m Scared)

Dear Diary,

Do you know what normal people do when they are left alone? They watch movies, make soup, and pet their dogs. I, on the other hand, rearrange my entire apartment on a daily basis. In fact, just yesterday I woke up and realized the that my bedroom needed a little bit of attention. So naturally I spent the next three hours rearranging the top of my dresser (which is ugly, by the way, needs to be lacquered in a hip color but I can’t decided what). Below are the results of my playtime.

Here is what the top of my dresser looked like before:

Here’s what that same surface looked like after I went crazy rearranging it and spray painting that little filing thing gold. To be honest, I have no idea if it’s any better than it was before. But rearranging it made my life feel more meaningful. Which is something I’d talk to my therapist about if I had one.

I love this Yoshitomo Nara toy (on the left). For the most part I tried to stick with aqua, green, white, and gold. You know, because normal all guys have color-coordinated accessories on top of their dressers.

This is a little table I have in my bedroom. It belonged to my great-great-great-great grandmother, who got the wood to make it from George Washington when he cut down that cherry tree. Or something. Anyhonk, this is what it looked like before I changed it:

And here is what it looks like now:

Impressive, right? [Insert cricket noise]

You know, I have to admit that restyling these surfaces made me realize that I like nicknacks a little bit too much. All I want to do all day is stare at beautiful, interesting objects. And books. I’m also obsessed with things like my Whole Earth Catalogue, which I stare at every day while I fantasize about living in the 60s (which by the way I could never do because I hate body hair and flared pants).

Yes, I moved that ceramic spherical sculpture by my friend Suzanne so I could stare at it in the morning. Sometimes I give it a little kiss to let it know how much I care.

So yeah, that’s my thing. Rearranging stuff for hours for no apparent reason. (I’m scared).

Love,
Orlando

11 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, Collecting, D.I. Why?, Design, Interiors, Welcome to my home

by Orblogdo | 7 February 2012 · 4:25 pm

Sofa’s Choice

Dear Sophia Loren,

You know, if you were my daughter I would have named you Sofa Loren. I really love a good sofa. I’ve been searching for a new one for quite some time. My old sofa was great. Totally big mid-century piece. But it took up way too much space in my living room because it was 110″ wide. Which I loved but it left no room for side tables, which I believe to be a necessary part of having a sofa if you want to host parties because where else will people put their drinks?

I loved the shape of this sofa. Very clean lines yet still interesting.

Emily and I found this piece for $99 at Goodwill. It was completely disgusting when we found it but we could tell it had potential. It was filthy and it needed new foam and everything, but according to our upholsterer the wooden frame was still very strong. And it’s 80″ so it leaves plenty of room for side tables. The best part about this sofa is that it’s a sofabed, which is a huge thing for me because I live in a one bedroom apartment and I have nowhere for any visitors to sleep. Tears.

Unfortunately the inner bed mechanism had to be replaced, which added $200 to the budget. This is the sofa mid-way through the process, before the new bed mechanism was installed.

This is how dirty it was. <Insert barfing noises>.

And here is the finished product. Yay!

I chose to cover it in a beautiful peacock blue velvet I bought for about $25 a yard (I needed 16 yards). This soft velvet feels like the tender touch of an angel.

The lines of this sofa are very similar to the old one. Sloped arms, tufted back. I love it all.

I accessorized the sofa the same way I did the old one and put it on the same gallery wall. I’m kind of loving it and I can’t wait to have a guest so I can show them the super crazy half-spring/half aerobed mattress I got for it. It’s SOOOOOO comfy I considered sleeping on it instead of my real bed.

In the end, here’s how the cost of the sofabed broke down:

Sofabed: $100
Fabric: $400
New Bed Frame: $200
Upholstery: $600
New Mattress: $300

Total: $1600

So all in all it’s a $1600 sofa. Which isn’t super cheap but is pretty good for a custom sofabed that no one else in the world has. I know I love this new addition to my family. This Valentines Day I’ll be sending it Valentines and asking it to be my mine. I can’t wait!

Love,
Orlando

PS: Stay tuned for pictures of the sofabed styled as a bed. It’s pretty luxe…

20 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, Design, Flea Market Finds, Homme Sweet Homme, Interiors

by Orblogdo | 31 January 2012 · 7:36 am

My So-Called Ugly Shower

Dear Bathroom,

When I moved into my apartment, the showerbath looked like this:

That was ugly, so I put up a white shower curtain. This made the room look much more clean and fresh (I promise. It looked good in real life. This is a terrible photo):

But the white curtain was boring, so I replaced it with a shower curtain I stole from my mother’s linen closet. The good thing about my mother is that she hoards sheets, towels, and all sorts of linens. Continuously buying linens gives her a sense that everything is under control and the world is abundant with possibilities. What isn’t abundant is storage space at my parents’ house. So I never buy linens anymore, I just steal them from orMOMdo. I have no idea where she got this one but I’m into it. I’m digging the green in my stark white bathroom.

I paired it with a simple stripe rug.

And some art my friend Blake made in college.

And then I was happy and I no longer hated my gross shower. Now onto the next thing to hyperscrutinize.

Love,
Orlando

9 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, orMOMdo

by Orblogdo | 25 January 2012 · 7:03 pm

Out With The Old…

Dear Apartment,

You know, every once in a while it’s a good idea to freshen things up. Lately I’ve been noticing that every single thing that surrounds me is vintage. Which is great. I love vintage pieces because they are so much more interesting than new, mass manufactured furniture. But I think it’s good to have a balance of old and new so my place doesn’t look like it belongs to a grandpa (not that I have anything against grandpas, I love mine). Thus, I decided to add something new to my living room. Here’s what it looked like before I changed the wall color and added a new sideboard table.

This is the piece I chose to freshen things up. It’s Torsby from Ikea and it costs #299.

This is what Torsby looks like in his new home. Yay!

I accessorized the tabletop with a bunch of plants and a vintage mercury glass lamp. I think it’s important to use vintage accessories if have a piece as new and modern as this one. They balance each other out nicely. Kind of like Melanie Griffith’s plastic surgery face is balanced out nicely by the natural, rugged handsomeness of her husband Antonio Banderas. Yeah, just like that.

I found this bird candle holder at Goodwill for $4.99. I love him so much. His beak was broken off when I adopted him but I made him a new beak by sharpening a small dowel with a pencil sharpener and supergluing it to his face. All better!

You know I’m a sucker for succulents, especially since these have a lavender hue to them that is reflected in the periwinkle blue in the painting.

This sculpture was made by a family friend named Suzanne French, who is a sculptor/potter I’ve known my whole life. She makes really cool ceramic sculptures, many of them taller than you are and totally glamorous. My mother bought me this one for Christmas.

My plan is to use this new sideboard as media storage when I buy the enormous television I want to buy soon. Then I will never leave my living room again. Then I will become obese like that obese lady in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” Then I will die alone. Oh my god what have I done?

Love,
Orlando

13 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, Design, Interiors

by Orblogdo | 19 January 2012 · 6:30 pm

Awkward Space? Put A Bench On It!

Dear Benches,

You have no idea how handy you are in home decorating? Awkward empty wall? Add a bench! Weird space at the end of the bed? Put a bench on it! Empty space in the bathroom that keeps reminding you how empty your life is? Bench! I think you get the picture. Thus, Emily and I are always looking for benches. Often, we enter stores and flea markets screaming at each other in terror about how there just aren’t enough benches. For some reason flea markets have been dry as a bone when it comes to benches, so I’ve taken to trolling around online for them. I found some good ready-made benches, most of them at pretty great prices. I’m actually looking for a bench for my own living room so I’ll probably be getting one of these. Let me know if any of them strike your fancy (so I’ll know which one to buy).

Who doesn’t love a pop of color? CB2, $299.

This one is clean and quiet. Unlike everything else in my apartment. Thus, it could add some much-needed simplicity. West Elm, $399

Just a basic bench at a good price. $183, Overstock.com

This looks very cozy and welcoming. It kind of reminds me of a whale grandma but in a good way. $307, Overstock.com

Knock-off Nelson Bench. Totally classic design. Don’t mind if I do… Overstock, $205

I like how modern and architectural this one is. If it were a person it would probably be snotty and pretentious and cruel, but I bet the bench would be nice to you. Etsy.com, $850

This one is farm house-y and cute. Could add some rustic charm to my mid-century living room. CB2, $399.

I’m sorry, I still really like pin legs. So shoot me. Etsy.com, $295

Something I’ve realized lately is that if you have a lot of vintage you need to balance it out with some fresh new pieces every once in a while. I like how bright and fresh this white bench is. $220, apt2b.com

This Martha Stewart bench is cute, no? Very clean lines but still has some visual interest. $229, homedecorators.com

In conclusion, if there is anything missing in your life I’m pretty sure you can fill the void with a bench. Valentines day is coming up in about a month and I know that I’ll be on a date, sharing spaghetti with my true love. We’ll both suck on the same noodle and accidentally kiss, at which moment I’ll realize my date is actually a bench and we aren’t at the Italian restaurant from Lady and the Tramp but actually just sitting in my apartment alone, listening to Enya. Just kidding that probably wont happen. (Yes it will).

Love,
Orlando

11 Comments

Filed under Around The Apartment, Design, Fun Finds, Interiors

by Orblogdo | 4 January 2012 · 9:17 pm

Around The Apartment

Dear Apartment,

I’m enjoying you these days after I spent a full 24 hours cleaning you like a crazy person (think Annette Benning in that crazy cleaning scene in “American Beauty” or the crazy mom vacuuming in “Requiem For A Dream). You got really dirty over the last month of New York travel, holiday hoopla, and work craziness. Below are a few of my favorite spots in my apartment.

My very favorite place is my bed. Because it’s so comfortable and cozy. This is the view I see every morning. The palm tree outside my window is named “Henry” and he greets me every morning. Just kidding I’m not weird enough to have named my palm tree. Or am I? Either way I love him very much.

This is my dining room. My favorite thing in there is the chairs. Luckily I can stare right at them through the glass dining table.

This is a weird painting in my bathroom. It’s from a series of paintings I made where the subject is falling (or floating, you decide!). Coincidentally, this is what I want my body to look like after my January diet (it’s called “OrlanDiet,” expect and annoying post about it soon).

One time, I went crazy and bought tons of airplants. Now they are all over my apartment and boy are the thirsty. They, like, always want something to drink and are exhausting to take care of. Especially in California where humidity doesn’t exist.

This is my bathroom. I have this fantasy where there is so much art in my apartment that one night it smothers me in my sleep.

This is a little table in my bedroom. It belonged to my great grandmother and has been all over the place with me. The architectural drawing above it is one of my favorite things in the whole world.