{dtla loft rooftop deck before & after}

Do you guys remember the inspiration board I put together for the outdoor deck space in our new loft?  Well I'm not going to lie to you, but I think I pretty much nailed it.  I am so obsessed with how this deck turned out and am super excited to finally be sharing before and after results with you today.  Our moving truck was over a week and half late coming out from Chicago which was incredibly annoying, but also somewhat of a blessing since it allowed us lots of time to focus on sourcing, buying, assembling and planting all the stuff for our deck!!

The roof deck area is about 750 square feet which is a lot of space to cover considering the only piece of outdoor furniture we were coming into this space with was a coffee table.  The biggest concern of mine going into this was how to fill the space so it feels complete, but enough free space for us to throw big parties while still having an intimate feeling for smaller gatherings.  Some of the mandatory items were a large cabana for shade and privatization, a dining table big enough for 8 people, chaise lounges of some sort and a social game situation (all while trying not to spend a million dollars on this project!).  I have been mildly obsessed with Z Gallerie's Portofino Pavilion for years now and my parents bought it for us as a housewarming gift.  Since the pavilion is such a statement piece, I based the design of the rest of the deck around it.  The other "splurge" item on the deck was the outdoor sectional that sits under the pavilion which was a lucky Craigslist find.  Besides those two items we found most of the deck furnishings at Target, Ikea and Craigslist which helped keep the entire project budget friendly.  You can see all the sources for the items on the deck at the bottom of the post.

Similar to our last loft's deck, we planted mostly succulents here since they are so low maintenance and thrive in the California heat.  I did want to bring in some greenery besides succulents to give the space a more lush feel so we also picked up a small ficus and a palm tree at Home Depot as well as a few Italian Cypresses, a dwarf Eureka lemon tree and a 10 foot ficus from different sellers on Craigslist.  Just as a random tip- if you have the time the drive around, Craigslist is a great source for plants/trees since you get a great deal and the plants are already acclimated with mature root structures so you have less chance of killing them!

I apologize in advance for how picture heavy this post is, but I just couldn't narrow it down any more than this!!

 {I'll let you in on a little secret- for this hanging planter I opted to use faux succulents so that I wouldn't have to deal with the maintenance of watering it and having it drain onto our side table}

{I am so happy with how these DIY lights turned out for inside the cabana- especially since the decorative orbs were on sale for $15 each at Target!} 

{this amazing ceramic swan planter is actually from Chris' late grandmother's house and it definitely is our most treasured possession on the entire deck} 

 {the succulent on the left was actually on our old dtla deck two years and we planted it at Chris' parents house so they could babysit it for us for the past two years.  It really grew like crazy- have you ever seen one flower so much!?!}

 {dogs gotta get fancy too.}

 {As I mentioned, one of the mandatory items for the space was some sort of social game situation.  After spending some time on craigslist, I fell in the love with the idea of buying an outdoor pool table that someone was selling, but it unfortunately wasn't going to fit in the tiny elevators of our historic building.  The next best thing was inspired by a dive bar we sometimes find ourselves at that has a shuffleboard table so I started searching around for one.  Craigslist once again came to the rescue with a 9 foot long shuffleboard table (the limit of what could fit in the elevators) and
we scooped it up right away!}

SOURCES:

Striped Cabana: Zgallerie
Outdoor Sectional: Craigslist (brand is Terra Collection)
Throw Pillows: Custom upholstery at D&R Upholstery in Los Angeles, Palm Fabric from here, black sunbrella and black/white printed fabric from Michael Levine
Coffee Table: Wedding Gift from this post
White side Table: Nate Berkus from Target
Rug in Cabana: Mali Geometric in Black/Cream from Target
Lighting in Cabana:  Decorative Orbs from Target fitted with lantern chords from Home Depot
Macrame Holder: Macrame holder & gold bowl insert from CB2
Lanterns: Lanterns in various sizes + LED Candles with Remote from Pier 1
Various White Planters: Target, Home Depot, Michael's Crafts (many have been spray painted white)
Dog Bed: Home Goods fitted with custom upholstered cover from D&R Upholstery in Tommy Bahama Palm Fabric
Black Trash Cans: Two sizes from Ikea
Wood Bar Cart: Applaro Collection from Ikea
Dining Table: Applaro Collection from Ikea
Dining Chairs: Tabouret Chairs sold in sets of 4 from Overstock
Rug under Chaises: Durham Rectangular rug from Target
Chaise Lounges: Applaro Collection from  Ikea
Chaise Cushions: Pottery Barn
Chaise Throw Pillows: Ikea
Serape Blankets: Amazon
Garden Stool: Target
Umbrella: Stand + Sand colored umbrella from Pier1
Bistro Lights:  5 packs of clear globe lights from Target
Entrance Decking tiles: 3 packs of Runnen decking tiles from Ikea
Shuffleboard table: Craigslist, similar here
Fencing Panels:  Redwood panels from Home Depot

{vintage dining hutch turned bar}

In our past places we have used our painted credenza as our bar area - see it in our Chicago place here and our old DTLA loft here.  In our new place, I had my heart set on getting a bart cart to switch things up a little bit.  After checking out a few options online and in person it became clear to me that we have way too much liquor and bar accessories for a tiny bar cart.  I started searching around on Craigslist for other options and happened upon a total gem of everything mid-century called Sunbeam Vintage.  Located on a little downtown street in Highland park, Sunbeam vintage has an adorable storefront as well as a big warehouse around the corner filled with tons of goodies at great prices (if you follow them on Instagram you can check out new pieces as they come in!).  

In their warehouse, I discovered this vintage dining hutch that was severely on sale and decided it would be the perfect size for a bar.  I thought we might want to paint it or add some interesting molding or maybe even a wallpaper backing, but after getting it home and placing all our bar items in it I decided I like it plain and simple.  We may add some brass door pulls to the two doors at the bottom, but for now I'm going to keep it as is.  It feels so good to start completely areas of our new place and I can't wait to share more of it in the following weeks!

 {Z Gallerie Oxford Bowl & vintage flamingo print}

 {a selection of our bar books:  PDT, Old Mr Boston's, The Bar Book.  See more of my favorite cocktail books right here}

{Tiffany cut crystal decanter & vintage cylinder decanter both with vintage liquor labels} 

{custom monogrammed old fashioned glasses we received for Christmas}

{new sofa console table}

A couple months ago, we purchased the Malm Occasional table from Ikea intending to use it under our wall-mounted TV in our new living room set up, but once we placed it there we decided it looked absolutely horrible and not how we envisioned.  Since the table wasn't that pricey and was already put together, we opted to try it out in other spaces in our place rather than hike it all the way back to Ikea (which is quite the trek from our place!).  It lived in our guest room/office for a while, but a few weeks back I tried it out behind our large sofa and absolutely loved the result! The reason that behind the sofa wasn't the next place it went to once it didn't work in our initial vision was that I was concerned it would cramp the feeling of the room, but after living with it for a little while I felt that the ability to have a place to display some items and give guests and additional spot for their drinks to rest was worth the loss in space (about 14 inches).

The best part about this table is that it is so versatile in different spaces so I know that it will have a home even in future apartment set-ups. I particularly love when its more visible as a sofa table like in this space plus it doubles beautifully as a party table!

 {read all about our gold coffee table here & our bar makeover right here}

 {trophy bowl from ZGallerie}

{muji clearly loves it}

{2014 ikea catalog faves}

As much as I would love to furnish my entire home in high end pieces from places like Room & Board or Modernica, that's just not going to be a reality anytime soon.  From a cost standpoint, I love to mix in great Ikea pieces with our bigger ticket purchases.  While perusing the 2014 Ikea catalog, I came across quite a few pieces I was surprised to see in there since they look like they could cost double or triple the price! Here are a few of my favorites:

 {this amazing green sofa from their Stockholm collection would add a great punch of color to any simple room. I would love to see it against a deep navy painted wall}

{for a while I feel like I was seeing this striped Ikea rug everywhere and I feel like the trellis rug on the right hand page above is going to become similar in popularity- how could it it not with that great simple pattern?!?! And it also comes in a yellow/white colorway}

{I prefer an upholstered bedframe (see my choices here), but the clean lines of this new wood bedframe has a fabulous mid century modern feel.}

{I'm really drawn to the overall feel of this moody neutral toned masculine office/guest room, but I especially like the potential for the daybed on the right. Spiced up with some bright pillows and a colorful throw, it could be a great addition to an extra room or office.}

{the Malm console table pictured in the back is by no means a new Ikea product, but I do love the way they styled it in this catalog as a simple guest room desk.}

{that black & white striped tableware is just asking to be owned by me- I will definitely be scooping up a set once it is in store!}

Have you checked out the new Ikea catalog? What are your favorites?

{gold + glass coffee table}

We had our previous Ikea coffee table for almost 5 years, it followed us from our first place in Silverlake all the way to our loft in downtown Los Angeles.  When we moved it to the loft, we actually bought a second one of the exact same table and pushed them together to make one massive table.  It wasn't even a coffee table, it was technically a tv stand and it worked really well for a long time....right up until it didn't.  After making a few small purchases for our living room like this art, these ottomans and these pillows, I suddenly realized just how long we had owned this crappy $40 table.  It was definitely time for an upgrade and given our smaller space I definitely wanted something that would make the space feel more open while still providing ample space for our guest's cocktails. 

We decided on looking for a two tiered gold and glass coffee table inspired by images like this and this.  I figured we could easily find a table like this at a vintage store or estate sale- even if it wasn't the right color I was more than willing to spray paint it.  My mom actually spotted this guy at an estate sale in California- took apart the frame, shipped it to us and I had two new pieces of glass cut for it. 

I really love how open this table makes the center of the room look plus the ability to actually see the items on the lower level is really welcome change from the previous table.