Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office

My obsession with the TV show Castle continues.

It's just so good. Seriously.

Of course Richard Castle has an awesome New York apartment.

He is a rich, successful mystery writer, after all.

My favourite room is his office; not least because of these super epic bookcase walls...

...complete with typewriter, & lots & lots of books.

Books, books, books.

The view from the desk.

Castle's office leads into his bedroom with more bookshelves, which is awesome. 

More books, & a little Hamlet moment.

And of course; SWORDS.

Castle's office is amazing.

Can I move in here & write?

Castle's Office pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Inspiration at Anthropologie

If you're looking for a little fresh creative inspiration, you could do worse then to spend some time wandering in Anthropologie.

It's not just the actual stuff that's cool; they are really creative in how they decorate their stores.

It's fun to wander a bit & see what's new.

Jenny & Mom & I were downtown last night & popped in to have a look.

As Jenny says, Anthropologie makes you want to go home & light a scented candle.

I just snapped these pictures with my iPhone; & came home feeling a bit more inspired.

Inspiration from Castle: Kate Beckett's Apartment

Nathan Fillion used to be in this great old 90's show Two Guys, a Girl & a Pizza Place with Ryan Reynolds.  (Jenny & I still refer to Ryan Reynolds as "Berg," his character in the show.)

Also, my friend Sharelle, who has impeccable taste, has been raving about Castle (Nathan Fillion as a writer!) for years.

So when I finally got around to watching Castle, I was not surprised to find that I loved it.

Let's take a moment & admire Detective Kate Beckett's sweet loft apartment, shall we?

A union jack pillow, always a good thing.

Check out those bookshelves on the left. They are individual shelves, staggered randomly on the wall.

Industrial lights attached over the bookcases. In fact, the lighting in general is really good.

Supposedly that door leads to a rooftop garden.

And Stana Katic (who plays Kate Beckett) is adorable as always.

Those bookshelves again.

A little fireplace.

And that room you can see is a little home office.

The look of Beckett's apartment is more stark & industrial than the way I tend to decorate.

But there are a lot of great little details & the whole thing just works.

The view from the front door. The fireplace & office are on the left, the kitchen on the right. And see those stairs on the right, with books stacked on them? That's the spot that leads to the roof.

The kitchen.

The stairs with stacks of books.

That table/stove top is awesome.

And I think this use of small space would make IKEA proud.

In the second season of Castle, Beckett's old apartment was blown up by someone trying to kill her. (It's rough being a NYPD Detective.) So when the designers planned this new apartment for her, they intentionally made it eclectic & industrial, with bits & pieces from her old apartment mixed haphazardly with new stuff.

I just love that Kate Beckett so much. She has definitely joined the list of my favourite strong female fictional characters.

And I wouldn't mind living in that great loft apartment of hers.

{More Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office}

Kate Beckett's Apartment pictures via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Inspiration from You've Got Mail: Kathleen Kelly's Apartment

Don't you just love You've Got Mail?

One thing I love about it is that it has great scenes from each season.

Fall: "Don't you just love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies."
Winter: Of course I want to see Greg Kinnear sing "the horn...the horn...it sounds so forlorn."
and it would be a shame to miss New York in the Spring...

And of course I could watch it countless times just to see Kathleen Kelly's apartment.

Here are a few things I love about it:

Books everywhere (on bookshelves, in baskets, stacked on the table)

Quilts & floral patterns

Pictures hung in obscure places 

Anything is better with Tom Hanks! & daisies.

a comfortable couch: hard to beat.

Kathleen Kelly's apartment is not spotless. It looks like someone actually lives there, which is refreshing for a romantic comedy.

There are lots of old-fashioned things (floral prints & framed family photos), 

but it doesn't look dated. 

Her apartment is rearranged throughout the movie. Even the bed linens change. 

Gotta love that Nora Ephron.

Lots of plants & fresh flowers

Sunny windows & sheer curtains

Interesting furniture placement. The bed comes out diagonally from the wall, the desk is in the middle of the room, & she has two couches - on opposite ends of the apartment. Good ideas for decorating a small or oddly shaped apartment. 

Note the framed doily. Awesome. 

My sister & I lived together for a few years after I graduated from college. One day we were watching You've Got Mail, and I said "bah! I just want our apartment to look exactly like that!" She paused the movie and said: "Look around."

Comfortable couch, floral fabric, sheer curtains, books everywhere...the same wall colour. Years of studying Kathleen Kelly's great apartment - & absorbing her style by osmosis while watching You've Got Mail so many times - had apparently paid off.

Come to think of it, it's almost fall & it might be time for a walk to Starbucks for a tall decaf cappuccino. And it's always a good time for a re-watching of You've Got Mail.

Post & pictures adapted from Life on Canvas.

Dorm Room Decorating: Comfort & Ambience

Your college years can be hard. While I was in school, I went through a bad breakup, lost a beloved grandparent, & my parents moved across the country. Even when I was just dealing with stressful midterms, it was always helpful to know I could go back to my room, where I knew a cozy blanket & a nice cup of tea were waiting for me. 

Even if you get through your college years without too much interpersonal drama, sometimes you just miss your mom & your home! A cozy, comforting room is just what you need. 

Comfort

Dorm rooms are often filled with wooden furniture. Soften it up! Make sure to have lots of cozy blankets & pillows for studying, chatting with friends, & the all-important nap. 

Put down some throw rugs, have framed photos of far away friends & family, & a few favourite things from home. 

A Beverage Corner

I don't know about you, but I drank a lot of coffee in college. Make sure when you do, it's out of a cute mug! In my dorm room, my roommate & I set up a beverage corner on top of our small fridge. It included: 

a coffee pot

an electric tea kettle

spoons in a small cup

 sugar

cream in the fridge 

We hung pretty coloured mugs on the wall using 3M hooks. 

It was always fun to have girls in for a cup of tea or coffee & a study break. 

Light

  

Just say no to fluorescent lights! As if all that homework isn't already giving you a headache! In college, we were all in a Facebook group called "People Against The Use Of Fluorescent Lighting." 

Open your blinds, turn off the overhead lights, & bring in some ambience! 

Target has great battery operated candles (some are even scented & flicker like real candles!) if you can't light candles in your dorm room. 

Paper lanterns from IKEA are fun. 

Get some cheap standing lamps for lots of light. 

Clip on desk lamps & fun patterned lamp shades make it cozy & pretty! 

Put twinkle lights everywhere. These are great for getting ready on those early mornings after a late night of studying. No one needs to see you looking that tired! 

Fresh Air

It's hard to think clearly in a dirty room with musty air (plus it's kind of gross)!

Open your windows. At least once a day. 

Clean your room. Keep Clorox or Method wipes close by & shake out your throw rugs often! 

Make your bed every morning. In such a small room, it will make a huge difference! 

Spray a little perfume on your curtains to make your whole room smell good (make sure your roommate likes the scent first!). Or use a few drops of essential oil (lavendar is great!) in a spray bottle filled with water. 

Most of these ideas can be done be using things you already have plus a shopping trip to IKEA, Walmart, or Target. 

Well, we've covered creativity, style, storage & comfort. Have fun decorating your dorm room!

Dorm Room Decorating: Storage

Dorm rooms can be really tiny, which creates a challenge when you need to store school supplies, clothes, books, toiletries, food...and all your roommates stuff! You probably have a lot to pack into a small amount of space. This requires some ingenuity.

Here are a few storage ideas that worked for me:

*Rearrange your furniture. One of my roommates & I put one of the two regulation dressers into the closet. We had less closet space, but it made for a lot more space in the room.

*Stack your bunk bed...or don't. For awhile, my roommate & I stacked our bunk beds, & eventually decided having a 'normal' bed was worth missing out on some floor space.

*Under the bed rubbermaid bins. These are lifesavers. Label them so you can easily see what's inside.

*Fabric or paper covered boxes. Use for computer cords, extra school supplies, snacks, you name it. Hide the stuff that's not cute!

*Use baskets to hold bigger items: blow dryers, dishes, etc.

*Stacking rubbermaid drawers. These can go in your closet or you can use the top of one for your coffee pot & mugs.

*Whittle down what you bring. Seriously. Don't bring everything you own. Your roommate (& you) will be glad you left some things at home.

My favourite sources for finding cheap storage solutions are Target, Ikea, & graduating seniors!

Next week, we'll wrap up the Dorm Room Decorating series with some ideas on bringing comfort & ambience to your dorm room!

Dorm Room Decorating: Style

Last week we talked about using creativity to decorate. This week I'll show you some ways to give your dorm room more style on a tiny budget. 

3M Hooks

I realize now that I should have purchased stock in 3M hooks as a freshman. 3M hooks are not cheap but they are reusable, are made not to leave marks on your walls, & will get you through 4 years of college & maybe your first apartment. Buy them in all sizes & get creative!

Use tiny clear hooks lining the wall next to the ceiling to hold twinkle lights

For holding back curtains

Painted with cheap acrylic paint & hung vertically to hold mugs

Hanging pictures (the big hooks are surprisingly sturdy)

To hold bathrobes or a pretty dress on a hanger.

Small hooks hung horizontally over a dresser to display necklaces.

Use the tape for hanging maps, posters & pictures.

By the door to hold your keys & purse.

Paper

I was lucky enough to have an art supply store & Paper Source two blocks from my dorm room. My roommates & I bought sheets of decorative paper & maps each semester for our walls. I now have some of these cheap maps framed in my apartment! Girls on my floor got pretty creative with this stuff. 

Use large pieces to cover an entire wall. 

Hang them diagonally & write a favourite quote across them. 

Cut them into large shapes (stars are good) & hang them on the wall. 

Cover a large canvas with sheets of paper from a design you love. I did this in one of my apartments with an oval canvas & blue floral paper. 

As a background for favourite pictures. 

Use to cover anything ugly. We covered light fixtures (don't start a fire though!) & a myriad of other ugly things in our dorm room. 

Leftovers can go in the front of your class notebook or to a poorer dorm room neighbor. 

Come back next Monday for ideas on storage in a small dorm room!

Inspiration from: Harry Potter & the Black Family Tree

Ah, Harry Potter. So many reasons to love it (the books, the movies, the butterbeer.)

I love this scene in Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix.

The entire room is painted with the Black Family Tree.

I'm seriously considering making a very large collage with my family tree on it.

Genealogy & Harry Potter.

Nerdy? Extremely. But also awesome.