Home is Where the Heart Is

Your home represents your personality so why not make a great impression on everyone who walks through your door?  The key lies in the details!  Here are a couple of ways to charm your guests and not only make them love your apartment, but maybe leave feeling a little more tickled by you.

A door mat is the first thing a guest sees when they enter your flat.  I have seen so many clever and snazzy doormats lately that it inspired me to find one that would fit my space perfectly…and I did!  I purchased “Mon Petit Palais”  doormat from Pom Pom Interiors.  You can even get them custom made and they won’t break the budget.

With all the traveling I do, I like to pocket pieces of each city to remind me of the amazing memories I developed while there.  Before I use to keep coins, tickets, match boxes, etc in shoe boxes in a corner of my closet until recently when I came up with a cool way to display them as art.  I found these great frames (or use shadow boxes) from Ikea at $19.99 a pop.  I decided to put pictures that represented each item in the box and slowly fill them with my memorabilia.  Et voila!  Wall Art!  It also personalizes the space so it is tailor made for you and nobody else.  Plus guests usually stop to see where you have been and compare it with their experiences.  You have more in common than you realized!

It wasn’t until I received a Nespresso machine as a present that I understood how much more convenient it is compared to a coffee machine.  In addition to the sleek designs, the replacements espresso caps are inexpensive and come in bountiful, delicious flavors and strengths.  I love offering my guests a shot of espresso when they come over.  I find that they usually accept the offer and start to fall into my french chateau feeling.

Another way to add personality and cozy up for apartment is with accent pillows.  Make sure to mix all different colors, sizes and textures.  Add some for comfort, some for look and some for personality.  I purchased mine from West Elm. You can also do the same with frames when doing a picture collage.  I chose to do a mixture of photographs above my couch with extra punches of Fuchsia to add color.  Many of the pictures are actually photographs I took and the frames are from all random second hand shops.  With all the new photography applications on cell phones, pretty anyone can create an amazing photo, including me! My app of choice is hipstamic.

Do fill your apartment with candles, but not all different colors and different sizes- find a commonality.  Also make sure sure you only have one scent burning at a time.  I am very fond of Diptyque Candles.  They have plenty of scents to chose from, burn for long periods of time and come in a clean, sleek jar.  Although their most common scent is Baies, I prefer Ambre, Cannelle or Feu de Bois…more musky scents.  Best part…they come from PARIS!

And last, but not least – I am crazy for bar carts.  Yes, traditionally they are used to serve alcohol but I find they are even better when you use them as multi-purpose pieces of furniture.  In my case, I chose a smaller bar cart that I purchased online from Amazon.  I would have preferred to buy a smoked mirror vintage bar cart, but I had to compromise with my space.  Here I use my bar cart as a mini bar but also as a classy nightstand.  So when guests are over, I can make a martini, shaken not stirred, but when I go to bed – it’s a place to rest my glasses and cell phone.  The barware is from CB2 and the antler candlesticks are from Z Gallerie.  Have a wonderful night!  Bisous NYS