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After searching through Chicago apartments and finding your perfect home, you probably can’t wait to put your own decorating touches on it to make it your own. Decorating your new apartment shouldn’t have to cost a fortune! Luckily, your local dollar store probably has many inexpensive items you can turn into unique and useful décor with some basic craft supplies. Nobody will be able to guess that these easy DIY projects were inspired by dollar store finds. Try some of the following projects for a one-of-a-kind look that won’t break the bank.
Mirrored Boxes
It’s hard to get more glam than mirrored décor nowadays. Most dollar stores sell mirrored squares or framed mirrors. Pick up five mirrors for each box along with some E-6000 glue. If framed, remove the mirrors from the frames. Glue the mirrors together in the shape of a cube and use as a beautiful vase, accent piece or bathroom organizers.
Shower Caddy Plant Holder
Whether you’re a plant-lover or just like the look of greenery, a dollar store shower caddy can be transformed quickly into a wall statement piece with a fresh coat of paint and some real or faux plants in brightly colored planters. Choose a bright color for your paint, such as teal or red, to really make it pop. A plus is that if you use it to display live plants, you can easily remove the entire caddy from the wall and water your foliage in the shower!
Hula-Hoop Chandelier
Want an inexpensive chandelier without having to replace your light fixture? Brighten up your room with a fun chandelier made from a silver-painted hula-hoop wrapped with dangling LED fairy string lights.
Indoor Care-Free Faux Terrarium
Don’t have a green thumb, or have poor lighting in your apartment? You can bring in some green by filling a large globe-shaped glass bowl with white pebbles and inserting some faux succulent picks for an instant no-care cactus garden.
Spa Aesthetic
For a true spa look, buy some matching dollar store pump bottles. Fill them with your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and other beauty items. Dress them up by adding a large initial sticker to the front of each to identify what they contain.
The Montrose Apartments in Chicago offer all the amenities you are looking for. Call or come by today to see your new apartment and get started on the new DIY décor projects that will make you feel at home.
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Many trends come and go over time. However, chintz and floral designs can always be found to some degree at high-end hotels and shops. That's because the small, pretty prints of flowers and natural scenes on striking background colors are lovely in any decade. It may be a bit much to incorporate large-scale chintz wallpaper in Chicago apartments, but you can hang artwork and decorative banners and change up accessories and decor to exploit this returning trend.
Floral Patterns in 2019
If you want to see what's likely to be hot in interior design, pay attention to the fashion runways each spring and fall. Paris and New York dusted off your grandma's florals and added new twists, which are now filtering through in new decor looks. Watch for floral patterns as they take root on chic pillows, bedding, chairs, and wallpaper.
We aren't talking about the oversized floral prints of the past. Today, the blooms are still growing big and bold, but there's an abstract element that makes them more vibrant and as fresh as spring. Choose from enlarged paintings and photos of flowers with painted highlights or banners of Asian-influenced cherry blossom and other pretty vignettes on small or large wall banners. These new patterns are a refreshing break from the trellis, chevron and geometric shapes that have made the rounds the last few years.
Get Chintzy
Chintz first appeared in glazed calico textiles imported from India, and the printed motifs included floral, animal and other motifs in bright or muted colors against a lighter background. Starting in the 19th century, the term stood for a particular style of floral decoration deriving from the calico textiles. It now notes the use of that style or similar patterns in pottery, wallpaper and home accents.
Chintz was big in the ’80s and is experiencing a resurgence. The feminine floral patterns of 2019 give a nod to Colonial fabrics. If you fall in love with the style and have a little spare cash, de Gournay wallpaper exudes chintz style in a very big way. You can also make or buy slipcovers for your throw pillows to add a touch of elegance to your living area.
Use orate chintz patterns to renew apartments in Chicago and lend your living space the newness of the season — and feel free to ask us about our available floor plans if you need more room to grow your passion for floral patterns.
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Spring is finally here! This is the perfect time of year to decorate your home with beautiful flowers and pastel colors. Below we've listed three of our favorite DIY decorations to add a touch of spring to your home.
1. Spring Wine Bottles and Flowers
Collect six wine bottles and remove the paper labels. Paint each bottle with acrylic paint in colors that will match your home. Paint the first bottle with an "S," the second bottle with a "P," the third bottle with an "R" and so on until each bottle has one letter of the word "spring."
Place one artificial (or real) tulip in each wine bottle, then place the bottles in order so they spell the word "spring" when viewed together. This is a creative and cute decoration to place on your dining room table or coffee table.
2. Rain Boot Door Decoration
Everybody needs rain boots in the spring! To create your own rain boot door decoration, find an attractive, gently-used rain boot with loops on each side (normally used to pull the boot up). Fill the boot until it's overflowing with artificial flowers like tulips and daffodils. Finally, tie a ribbon to one of the loops on the side. Use the ribbon to attach the boot to a hanger on your door.
3. Jelly Bean Candle Holder
Jelly beans are the quintessential spring candy. To make your own jelly bean candle holder, pour an assortment of jelly beans into a large glass vase or candle holder. If possible, select pastel-colored jelly beans, or beans that match the room where the vase will be placed. Next, place an electric candle into the center of the vase, nestled into the pile of jelly beans. Turn the candle on at night to create a beautiful, glowing decoration.
Ready for a Change This Spring? Contact Us!
At the Montrose, we're enjoying the season by hanging fun decorations and spending time with friends. At this time of year, the Montrose is a wonderful place to spend time! Check out our Chicago, IL apartments today. We'd love to have you join our community!
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The year 2018 went out with a bang where home interiors are concerned, and the new year has brought with it some super-cool ideas for what looks good. From minimalist furnishings to cushy luxury touches that are about as extra as it gets, here are some interior design trends for 2019 to consider integrating into your Chicago apartment.
Design Trends for Your Chicago Apartment
Eye-catching trends, fascinating furniture situations, and new twists on old faves — 2019 has a lot in store for those who love to align their interiors with what is trending. Here are three easy-to-implement trends for the new year.
Beautifully Bold Plant Life and Greenery
Remember those miniature palms, elephant ears and giant ferns that used to hang around your home when you were a kid? Those gorgeous green implements are making a huge comeback in 2019. Adding greenery and live plants to your apartment helps bring out this certain air of nature inside your home, which falls in line with some minimalist designs of 2018. Pick up a potted fern, add a herb garden to your window sill, or consider picking up a faux version of plant life if keeping things alive is not your thing.
Jewel-Toned Walls and Furnishings
Perhaps one of the most unexpected twists in interior design for 2019 is the return of those bold jewel tones that exude a regal appeal. Deep ruby reds, navy blues, and even burnt orange are showing up in new furnishings, floor coverings and decorative objects. Even with white walls and muted flooring, these jewel tones pop with uber personality.
Ceilings Boasting Highlights of Color
If you want to give a room an entirely new personality, paint is the go-to thing to use, but you don't necessarily have to paint the walls to make a difference. Add a fresh coat of color overhead and your room becomes something else entirely. For example, you could slather a coat of charcoal grey on the ceiling over the living room and it instantly becomes more demure and elegant.
Just a few alterations are all it takes to make your Chicago apartment appear more trendy. Reach out to us at The Montrose to find out about available apartments you can call home.
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Feng shui ideas in interior design have been praised highly in ancient Chinese history, and a lot of those ideas are just starting to slip into modern-day life in America. If you want the bedroom in your apartment in Chicago to be a harmonious, peaceful living space, implementing a little feng shui is not all that hard.
Feng Shui Your Bedroom
There are three primary elements to creating a feng shui bedroom, and they're easy to pull off. Just a few minor adjustments are all it really takes.
1. Make the Bed Approachable From Both Sides
A bed that is crowded into a corner can make the room feel oppressed and out of balance. Situate the bed in the center of the room or in a place in the room that allows easy access to the bed from either side. It is also helpful to place bedside tables on either side of the bed and to make sure the headboard is against a solid wall without a window.
2. Choose Bedroom Artwork Carefully
Most people implement some kind of artwork on the walls in their bedroom. If you're trying to achieve harmonic feng shui, make sure you pick your art pieces really carefully. A good rule of thumb is to select art pieces that boast powerful imagery relative to what you want in your life, whether it is peace, love or positivity. Making the wrong artwork choices can completely change the energy in the room. For instance, artwork that feels forlorn or sorrowful can bring down the positivity in the room.
3. Stick With Soothing Bedroom Color Choices
In feng shui, every color has its own level of energy, which can either be positive or negative. The colors that offer the highest levels of positive energy are those that are most closely associated with the color of skin, which can range from muted whites and beiges to deep tans and brown hues. When you are painting your bedroom, picking floor coverings or selecting bedding, make sure you opt for color choices that exude those higher levels of energy. You will end up with a more soothing space.
Even though you can go out and hire feng shui experts to help you get your bedroom in balance, you can just as easily implement a few ideas on your own. To find out more about the floor plans in our Chicago apartments, reach out to us at The Montrose.
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Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art form of optimizing interior spaces for the best possible living environment. Done well, Feng Shui allows you to feel inspired, energized and also relaxed at home. You may even enjoy better physical health, more career success and increased financial abundance.
The following are some easy things you can do to enhance the vibe in your Chicago apartment:
Declutter Your Chicago Apartment
Minimizing clutter is perhaps the most foundational Feng Shui principle. With Feng Shui, less is often more. Strive for a minimalist feel, get rid of extraneous items, clean and dust regularly and keep your apartment as organized as possible.
Natural Elements
Adding items from nature to your home enlivens the space and increases the life force energy (qi) flowing through it. Plants, shells, crystals, driftwood and pine cones are just a few examples of natural elements that can help to enhance your decor. Elements from nature can do wonders for the atmosphere of your home.
Improving Health
The eastern end of your Chicago apartment is associated with physical health and well being. Place a natural item such as a plant or shell in this area to increase the flow of vital rejuvenating energy in your home.
Relationships
The relationship area of your living space is the southwest corner. Energize this area by placing an item of value here, such as a sculpture or other piece of artwork. Placing a beautiful scarf or other brightly colored items can also inspire and optimize the relationships in your life.
Wealth and Career
The southeast corner of your living space is associated with financial wealth and abundance. The northern part of your home is a secondary wealth area and is associated with career success, including auspicious business partnerships and client connections. Enhance these areas by placing something of value here. The colors red, purple and metallic gold can all have an energizing effect on your career and finances.
Feng Shui is a time-honored tradition practiced in Asian countries for thousands of years. While special charts and numerous considerations are required to conduct a full Feng Shui interior design treatment, these ideas can help get you started.
If you don’t already call our Chicago apartments at The Montrose your home, contact us to find out more about availability.
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Scouring your local garage sales can be a great way to spend an afternoon. You’re essentially getting a glimpse of other people’s lives, whether you find something you like there or not. But the really fun thing about garage sales is that they offer all kinds of opportunities to the creative crafter or the opportunistic entrepreneur. Here are just a few key points to keep in mind if you’re looking to turn your duds into treasures.
Paint It
This is usually the first rule of garage sale crafting. There are so many pieces of furniture out there that would look fantastic if they just had a little update. Spray paint can cover up anything from chips to small amounts of rust, and most are incredibly easy to use. You can buy spray paint with rust protection that dries in just a few minutes!
Look Beyond the Object
A bunch of books you’ll never read? A typewriter you’ll never use? You don’t have to skip over these objects if you can look past the initial use of the item. For example, you could use the typewriter as a decoration at the very top of your bookshelf, or you can stack the books in an artful way, fuse them together, and then use that as your nightstand table. Your creativity can really shine through if you just use a little more imagination.
Doing the Research
Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to find treasures that don’t need any repair or renovation if you know what to look for. Many homeowners don’t realize that they’re selling valuable objects for a fraction of what they’d fetch on the open market, and it only takes a little research on auction websites to learn more about which antiques and used items are in demand.
Chicago apartments don’t have to be furnished with expensive items to be fabulous and comfortable. In fact, you’ll probably get more out of your furniture and decorations if they’re custom-made the way you want them. If you’re looking for facilities that can live up to your high standards, tour The Montrose to learn how we offer our residents exactly what they’re looking for.
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Summer is the perfect season to break out the new decor and add a new beautiful summer palette to your Chicago apartment. When planning your new summer makeover, be sure to incorporate some of the new fun summer colors that are trending this season.
Cobalt Blue
This bright and bold color is great for adding a pop of color to brighten up neutral palettes and create a dynamic look for your space. Consider using it for a throw pillow or incorporate it in window coverings. Cobalt blue also makes a great accent with both neutrals and other bold color options.
Exotic Orange
Adding exotic orange to your space is a great way to visually enlarge an area and provide an impact while still maintaining a warm color palette. Consider adding this color to pieces of your decor or go bold by choosing a piece of furniture with this color fabric.
Sunny Yellow
You can't have a summer palette without bringing in some yellow to represent the amazing sunshine that comes along with the season. The color is often used in combination with other bold colors as an accent or to make an area with whites or grays pop.
Soft Gray
For those looking for a more muted or neutral color pattern, soft gray is a popular summer trend this season. The color is being used for comforters and throws to bring some relaxation and peace into busy and high-traffic rooms.
Refreshing Lime
Those looking to make a bold statement and bring in a Caribbean feel to any room can add some refreshing lime to their room's color scheme. The color is great for art and really pops when surrounded by white decor.
Whether you are looking to add a few pops of color to your apartment or are looking to do a complete color makeover, try some of the unique summer color trends listed above. Find the perfect apartment to try out your new summer colors by contacting The Montrose today to inquire about available floor plans and choose a Chicago, Illinois, apartment perfect for your needs and lifestyle.
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