We have a guest blogger today, Madison Heilbrun! Madison Heilbrun is a high school student and photographer from Portland, Oregon. She spends much of her time thinking about design and the world around her.
Madison at a recent photo shoot
Habitate your space
The space you live in is a reflection of yourself your tastes, you ideas, and your dreams. Every aspect of your life is a reflection on your walls. Making and decorating a space to your liking can be difficult when renting though, as we contemplate the question of how temporary it might be and the individuality of every space. Here are some tips to easily create a space you love to live in without compromising your space's integrity, or get you in trouble with the landlord!
Decorate with books
While you might be storing most of your library on your tablet or favorite reading device, actually having a few of your favorite books in a room creates a unique window into your values and inner life. They also make great decorating tools, creating vignettes where design and function can mash up together. Create blocks of color, theme, and interest by stack your books, artfully arranging them. They create a warm and welcoming feeling in any space. And then accessorize. Sherlock Holmes above your desk? Why not add a dear stalker cap and a magnifying glass? Framed insect prints pull the whole space together. Impressing even the most studious of book worms by your scholarly habits.
Color: by arranging your books in a color scale you take your books from simply being works of fiction to functional works of art that draw your eye across the book case or arrangement.
Minimalist: less is more. Present a beautiful clutter free version of yourself.
Bring Nature in!
A great way of bringing a little nature to your indoor habitat is by incorporating indoor plants in your home and life. For those of us who struggle with remembering to water those pesky plants, or who over-water and get it all over your hard wood floors or electronics (yes I've done it too, you're not alone), a great alternative to consider is the super functional and über interesting "Air Plants". These hardy suckers, err...botanic wonders...look beautiful and can be place anywhere without soil. (Did you hear that: without soil!) They are watered every couple of weeks by a simple spray bottle. These cuties can be placed in various glass orbs and add to the new age style of your grass roots home. But, if even the spray water bottle seems too strenuous for your lifestyle, you want to consider what I like to call "never-fear-the- cactus-is-here" plant option! Cacti are beautiful, edgy, and require you to remember to water them only once a month (depending on the type) making it a busy worker bees best friend.
Through all these tips I hope they helped you to create your space and make a manageable and a move-able reflection of yourself inside your habitat. I hope they inspired you, good luck!