I Look at Beautiful Homes for a Living—11 Pieces of Inspo I’m Incorporating Into My Own Apartment

One downside (if you can believe it) of looking at beautiful, awe-inducing homes all day is that you constantly want to refresh your own space. Especially with the changing of the seasons, it feels like the right time to give my apartment a little cheery upgrade. Spring cleaning, but also spring decorating, am I right? Realistically, I can’t/won’t be swapping everything I own out, but there are definitely some spots that could use a little zhuzhing. Old chipped cereal bowls that give me no joy? Toss ‘em and replace them with some pretty, colorful, floral ones! A dark corner of my living room in need of some non-overhead lighting? Find a sculptural sconce to brighten things up! The name of the game is smart swaps, and my list is overflowing. Ready to get inspired? Read on for some of my favorite pieces right now! 

11 Products on My Home Decor Wish List

• House of Noa Soft Furniture, from $39; thehouseofnoa.com
• Society6 Marigold Block Print Sheer Curtain by Lathe and Quill, from $119; society6.com
• Article 8’ by 10’ Jaris Blue Quilt Checks Rug, $699; article.com
• Quiet Town Tam Bath Sheet, $62; quiettownhome.com
• Etsy SeeandQuin Embroidered Condiments Art, $41; etsy.com
• Sabai The Eclipse Chair, $1,795; sabai.design
• H&M Ruffle Pillow, $9 (was $10); hm.com
• Zara Home Ceramic Side Plate With a Fish, $10; zarahome.com
• Max Humphrey x Crow Canyon Home Cereal Bowls, $56
• Hand-Marbled Frame, $54
• Onda Plug-in Sconce, $494

House of Noa Soft Furniture 

I’m super super excited about this launch.  I’m a huge fan of House of Noa (I have one of their bathmats, and it’s one of the most luxe things in my bathroom), and love to see them expand their offerings. This (brand new) collection includes ottomans, seating, pillows, coffee tables, and more, and all of it is upholstered and soft, so it’s safe and easy for their whole fam! The price point is also super affordable—the most expensive piece is under $300. True to my maximalist heart, I love that there are so many patterned options to play around with. Since the collection sticks to a relatively tight color palette, it’s super easy to mix pieces, even if you’re new to pattern clashing. Best of all, it’s modular! Seating can be with or without armrests, and you can buy one or multiple to “build” a larger sofa.  

Society6 Marigold Block Print Sheer Curtain by Lathe and Quill

NYC living is not for the faint of heart, as my fellow city-dwellers can attest, and one of the annoyances is that most apartments have something quirky that you want to cover up or hide.  I’m lucky enough to live in a duplex—we use the downstairs as my boyfriend’s office/gaming area, and I use it for exercise and storage for my aforementioned excessive tableware collection—and the basement has windows that look out into a small, dirty, grated shaft. It ain’t cute. To make the space feel less industrial and, well, basement-y, I’ve added rugs and a comfy sofa and lots of textiles, but the windows looking out into the shaft are an eyesore. To remedy this, I’ve been on the market for some pretty curtains and have been eyeing these block-printed ones from Society6. I’m a sucker for a block print! Society6 works with so many talented artists, and I love that you can get a huge range of products in the same print if you want (helloooo pattern drenching!). They’re also super affordable, which is a plus!

Article 8’ by 10’ Jaris Blue Quilt Checks Rug

Speaking of things to invest in, a good quality rug will last years and years if properly cared for, and can quite literally ground your space. I love this one for a few reasons: it’s timeless but packs a punch, it’s 100 percent wool (meaning it’s naturally stain resistant and made from sustainable materials), and it’s sturdy enough for high-traffic areas of my apartment (which frankly feels like my entire apartment). I’ve personally always thought of this shade of blue as a neutral, probably because it’s the color of perfectly worn-in jeans, and denim is undoubtedly a neutral in the fashion world. It’s a good way to pull in a little color without going too bold! 

Quiet Town Tam Bath Sheet

Sometimes you just need a fun towel to brighten up a small apartment bathroom. I’ve always been a big fan of Quiet Town (their shower curtains are cheery and delightful), and I recently got these bath sheets to test out. They are a treat, let me tell you. I am very picky about my towels, having tested tons over the years, and I can honestly say these are some of the best—and not just because they’re so pretty! One of my biggest qualifications for a good towel is that it should have a loop for a hook; I have dealt with too many towels slipping off the back of my bathroom door, and it’s very irksome to me. When you hang a towel up, it should stay there! All that to say these have a loop for hanging and are also wonderfully plush and large.  When I’m emerging from a shower, I want to feel like I’m in a spa, and a towel that’s too small just ain’t it.  These come in a few colors/patterns, but I’m partial to the brown/yellow/white colorway as it feels very ‘70s, which is trending. I’m suddenly drawn to brown not only in decor but also when getting dressed! Who knew?!   

Etsy SeeandQuin Embroidered Condiments Art

This embroidered condiment art is. Just. So. Cute! If I had a large kitchen (lol mine is teeny), I would hang a grid of these on one of the walls with matching frames but in different colors. Since I don’t have a giant Nancy Meyers-esque kitchen, I would love to just get one, thrift and paint a cheapy frame, and put it next to my pegboard. I’m leaning toward the hot sauce, but they’re all adorable…

Sabai The Eclipse Chair 

A comfy spot to unwind after a long day is arguably the most important place in my home. This wonderfully oversized chair is just begging for me to curl up and read a book with a cup of coffee or watch my beloved Real Housewives with a glass of vino.  I mean, just begging! Not only that, it also folds out into a bed for when you have guests over for the night. I’m also super drawn to pastels with tomato red right now, and this sky hemp linen with the perfect red piping is just perfection. I can attest to Sabai’s seating being extremely comfy—we have one of their sofas downstairs, and my boyfriend constantly falls asleep on it. It seems this chair/bed would be no exception! 

H&M Ruffle-Trimmed Cotton Cushion Cover

I want this. I need this. I must have this! But do I need another pillow? The answer is no, I definitely don’t need it, but the more I look at it, the more I talk myself into it. Green and sky blue? Great combo. Solid. Ruffles? Sold. Sunbursts? We love! Honestly, I do already have this exact pillow in the pink striped colorway, and it’s definitely my favorite throw pillow on the sofa.  It’s held up remarkably well considering the price tag…I mean, this one is under nine dollars! 

Zara Home Ceramic Side Plate With a Fish

I’ve recently gotten very inspired by walls of vintage French Trompe L’Oeil plates (basically decorative plates with 3D ceramic food on them), but at approximately $900 a pop, that’s just not happening for me. Instead, I’m eyeing these adorable fish side plates—how cute would it look mixed into a gallery wall or hanging right above a doorway? My philosophy is hang anything, anywhere. The more unexpected (though this isn’t totally unexpected), the better! 

Max Humphrey x Crow Canyon Home Cereal Bowls

I’ve been a huge fan of both Crow Canyon Home and designer Max Humphrey for years now, and was so excited to see that they were collaborating on a collection together! I have several pieces from CCH and always find that they partner with great brands/people. One of my all-time favorite serving bowls is this one from their collab with Poketo—the size is perfect (as much as I love a HUGE bowl, sometimes it’s impractical), and I find that I use it constantly for chips and such when hosting. This collection with Max is downright adorable and sturdy as always, and I recently added these cutie bowls to my frankly way too large tableware collection.  I love that it’s a mixed set of colors (because, again, my maximalist heart wants all the color), and the sweet little flowers make eating cereal or soup a pure delight.

Hand-Marbled Frame

On the ever-growing list of things I’m a sucker for (tableware, block-prints), marbled paper is high up there. I also love a statement frame, and this one is just as much a piece of art as whatever you put in the frame. I want to add a small, simple sketch or print, and put it somewhere I’ll see it all the time (not hard to do in a small apartment). The colors are very appealing to me—the pastels mixed with that olive tone are just delicious, visually. Imagine a whole gallery wall of different marbled frames?! A feast for the eyes! 

Onda Plug-in Sconce

I’m a big fan of sconces, and especially a quirky sconce like this wiggly guy. I’ve been looking to replace a simple sconce I have in our living room, adjacent to our gallery wall, with something a little more adventurous. The one we have now would be better suited for our downstairs (I need to totally revamp the art down there and would like to mix the old sconce in with the new art), and this one from Mitzi would really (literally) light up the little corner next to my sofa. While lighting can be an investment, it’s one that’s worth the money—well-made fixtures elevate a whole room! One of my first grown-up purchases in my early 20s was a mid-century brass floor lamp that I bought off Craigslist, and I’ve cherished it in every apartment I’ve lived in since!