When Jamie Stone, of Honestly Jamie, came to me with the proposition to work with Joss & Main and to help her design her first “real” apartment in Los Angeles (No roommates! Actual dining room!), with a budget of $5000 to $7000 (give or take), I jumped at the chance to see what we could accomplish!

I love helping to design “first homes”. It’s such a satisfying experience to watch someone realize their dreams, discover their style, and to hopefully nudge them in directions they aren’t expecting!

Here is Jamie’s apartment before… JUST after she had moved in and had called me for help!

And here we are after!

My first big design decision came after Jamie told me she wanted to keep her blue sofas (which are from Ikea), and then everything else could pretty much go!

I loved that the sofas were such a fun unexpected color, but I had to make sure they would work well (and work the blue) throughout the adjoining spaces…

With this in mind, I bought four of the blue agate art pieces you see above the credenza, and created one large statement piece! It’s one of the first things you see when you walk through the door, and it connects visually with the sofas in an immediate way…

I also layered a blue “zebra” rug on top of a jute rug for added depth and texture.

Layering your rugs is one of the easiest ways to designate “zones” throughout your home and to add an unexpected “pop” of style.

Imagine the living room without the zebra rug… it loses something, right?

Now to the directional “nudge” I spoke of earlier…

Because this apartment is a rental, we knew we didn’t want to spend too much time or money on wallpaper, or even a drastic paint job, so I decided I wanted to paint a stripe half way up the walls in the living area a dusty shade of pink!

The funny part?

Jamie DOES NOT like pink!

I still don’t know how I convinced her to do this, but we now call it “blush”, and she is VERY happy.

When designing a small space in an open floor plan, it is important to create clearly expressed areas throughout, but in a way that keeps the spaces open and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. For example, avoid cutting rooms in “half” with screens or any objects that will block a visual path! The paint gives the living area a personality all its own, but the transition to the dining area is seamless because of the soft neutrality of the color we chose.

Another juicy before shot…

And the same corner after!

I kept the pillows and accessories neutral (but still patterned!), so they wouldn’t compete with the sofa, and popped that adorable eye pillow in as a nod to Jamie’s beauty roots…

I asked Jamie to look for art with warm tones (yellow, orange, red) to balance out the cool blues, and she found this piece on Minted, which was perfect because we needed something LARGE to fill up that wall!

The yellow also pulls out the gold stripes in the blue agate art… so again… another subtle connection (which is a reminder that you can tie things together WITHOUT being matchy matchy!).

This shelving unit is one of my favorite pieces from Joss & Main. I styled it simply… with some decor and books that Jamie already had, as well as with some vintage brass kitty cats we found at a flea market, and bookends from Target.

The vintage piece of jewelry came from Jamie’s bedroom, and I draped it over the edge of the shelf (remember to utilize your personal items for styling!), to give it an intimate touch.

At this end of the apartment I added a settee for additional seating, and some art as a tribute to Jamie’s adopted city of Los Angeles.

Hiding T.V. paraphernalia is always a challenge, but we accomplished the task with some strategically placed frames and accessories.

To get the look of the living room… I have created a roundup below! Continue on for the dining and bedroom!

1. Serving Tray | 2. Abstract Art Print | 3. Shelving Unit (similar) | 4. Brass Bicycle | 5. Zebra Rug | 6. Pedestal Hurricane | 7. Agate Coasters | 8. Coffee Table | 9. Debbie Harry Hollywood Print | 10. Curtains | 11.  Gold And Wood Vase | 12. I Scream Vase | 13. Eye Pillow | 14. Block Stripe Pillow | 15. Brass Urchin | 16. Marble Candle Holder (similar) | 17. Agate Shadow Box | 18. Floor Lamp (similar) | 19. Agate Bookends | 20. Jute Rug |21. Plant Stand (similar) | 22. Geo Marble Box | 23. Crosshatch Pillow | 24. White Totem Vase | 25. Two Head Task Lamp | 26. Settee | 27. Terrariums

Dining before…

Dining after… (It’s amazing what some window treatments can do!)…

The goal here was to get pieces that worked with the living room, could mix with any design style (traditional, mid-century, even eclectic), and could offer Jamie some storage as well as a work space.

My original idea was to have the settee at one end of the table to mix up the seating, but it ended up blocking the air conditioning unit both aesthetically AND functionally, so it was moved to a different (and honestly more useful spot!).

Jamie’s bedroom needed just a few easy tweaks to make it calm and productive…

She kept the bed and bedside tables, and added a classic greek key style duvet and shams. I had sourced cage lamps similar to these, but Jamie found the ones pictured for a much lower price point!

The dresser used to be black… but we decided on green paint and a knob update to give it a glam and colorful makeover. Jamie will do a separate post on this DIY (as well as a few others), so check back with her if you’d like to see how she personalized some of the items she already owned!

When Jamie pulled out that vintage lipstick holder, I did a happy dance. You know how I love a great vintage piece that has meaning!

Note the PINK bubblegum photo… I think we have a convert! 😉

Thank you Jamie for allowing me into your home and for letting me push your boundaries! And to Joss & Main for the beautiful products!

Photography is by the always amazing Bethany Nauert… and the dining and bedroom source list is below!

This home tour is also up on Glitter Guide and Jamie’s personal blog… make sure to check them out for more tips and Jamie’s own thoughts on the process!

1. Dining Chairs | 2. Geoid Art | 3. Chandelier (Similar) | 4. Dining Table | 5. Dining Rug |6. Credenza (Similar)| 7. Wooden Bowl | 8. Succulent | 9. Petrified Wood Cheese Board | 10. Decorative Horn | 11. Totem Vase | 12.  Cage Lamp | 13. Infinity Brass Wall Mirror | 14. Desk | 15. Bedroom Rug | 16. Vanity Stool | 17. Candle | 18. Cat Ring Dish | 19. Blackout Curtains | 20. Marble Serving Tray | 21. Jewelry Armoire | 22. Retro Marble Phone | 23. Ceramic Jewelry Dish | 24. Mid-Century Bird Object