Casey's Thrifty, DIY-Inspired Apartment

Vibrant chairs surround a country-chic dining table in Casey's apartment.

I love hearing from readers like you who want to share their lovely living space on the blog -- readers like Casey, who has tuned into The Lovely Side since her freshman year of college. After gathering inspiration from spaces featured here, she incorporated them into her own space. And today, I get to take you on a little tour of the cheerful one-bedroom she shares with her boyfriend and two cats, Meredith Grey and Paul Revere. (I just love those names!)

Alyssa's Girly, Globetrotting Apartment Bedroom

One of my favorite things to do is look back on my past dorms and apartments and looking at how my personal tastes and decorating style have evolved over the years. What's even cooler? Getting to see how a blog reader's style has evolved. Back in 2010, I featured Alyssa's lovely dorm full of do-it-yourself decor. Recently, she emailed me with photos of her big girl apartment. I'm thrilled to share it here on the blog today! 

Danielle's Colorful, Creative 1960's House in Ontario

Today I'm delighted to share Danielle's rental home. Danielle is creative living with her husband and three adorable sons in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her house was built in the 1960's and Danielle has really played up its clean lines with vibrant colors, fresh decor, and personality - all on a budget! 

"I have always rented and decorated in whatever way possible. I like when a space is a reflection of the person (or people) living there." - Danielle

Lauren's Nautical Apartment at Christopher Newport University

Today, I'm excited to share a tour of Lauren's college apartment. Lauren attends Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. She was inspired by navy and white with pops of pink - and lots of nautical touches.

Chloe's Relaxing Apartment / Artsy Painting Studio

Chloe York works full-time at Memphis College of Art as the Community Education Associate and On-Site Manager. All of her free time is spent working on her paintings and promoting herself as an artist. And I'm so delighted that she's opened up her lovely space to share with us. It's packed full of the personality, artistic accents, and eclectic tidbits that I love to see in apartments. 

Kate's Girly Dorm

Kate sent over this photo of her pretty, feminine dorm room. I'm totally smitten with the floral fabric/wallpaper on the back wall -- and that fluffy white bedding!

Anouk's Dorm in the Netherlands | Small Space Tour

Way back in March, the lovely Anouk sent me photos of her bright, pretty dorm in the Netherlands. Shame on me that I'm just now getting around to posting it! So without further ado, let's take a small space tour of Anouk's dorm...

Lottie's Lovely KC Apartment | Small Space Tour

It's not every day that I get to share small space that belongs to someone I know. Today's lovely small space dweller and I share a hometown. When I saw photos of her adorable apartment pop up on Facebook, I couldn't resist asking if I could share her space here on The Lovely Side. And she so graciously agreed! 

My 10 Favorite Spaces from Small Cool 2015

I love Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest. Every year, I look forward to the flood of creativity, DIY ideas, and decorating inspiration. This year, the competition is fierce. There are so many beautiful, functional small spaces to love. Here are ten of my favorites, plus a bonus!

Check out (and vote for) my 'Turn of the Century Charm' in this year's Apartment Therapy Small Cool Contest

It's that time again, lovelies! I look forward to Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest every year. There are so many lovely little spaces to look at and borrow inspiration from! 

For the second year in a row, I've entered my space. This year, you'll find my "Turn of the Century Charm" in the Little division. Check out my entry here and give it a "favorite" if you like what you see. ;)

After that, check out my entry from last year. My "More is More" space was in my previous, much small apartment. I feel all nostalgic looking back at my stuff in a different apartment - white walls, so much sunlight, so much less square footage!

If you entered the Small Cool contest, let me know! I'd love to take a peek at your space. :)

Happy decorating!

The Lovely Side is on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Small Space Tour: Theresa's 3rd Floor Brownstone Apartment

Theresa, the blogger behind Sunsets & Cheese and another one of my favorite Instagrammers, lives in this lovely little space - a converted 3-bedroom on the 3rd floor of a tiny brownstone in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

I love her dining room! (It makes me consider turning my front room into a formal dining room.) Those beautiful wood floors, the high ceilings, the sunshine coming in through the tall windows! Gorgeous.

...But it wasn't always so.

Small Space Tour: Sara's "Studio Style" in D.C.

Today I'm very excited to feature the apartment of one of my favorite bloggers and Instagramers: Sara of Studio Style Blog. A young professional in Washington, D.C., Sara lives in a quaint studio apartment where she decorates and DIYs to her heart's content. Her lovely little space is truly one of the best examples of how to make the most of square footage, combine personality and style, and stay budget friendly. I love her projects, mix-and-match approach, and taste for vintage.

Without further ado, let's start at the front door:

Get the Look: Crisp Swedish Style with White, Hot Pink, & Mustard Yellow

I believe that once upon a time, I shared this lovely white apartment here on the blog... somewhere. Today, it popped up again in my Pinterest feed. Once again, I found myself smitten with the crisp white on white on white, the splash of hot pink, and the blots of golden yellow. It's undeniably comfortable, effortlessly chic, and so very Scandinavian. 

Click through to see the full apartment and learn how to borrow some of the style for your own place:

Precious Style's Apartment | Glamorous & Girly, Crisp & Clean

 

I recently stumbled across Precious Style's blog and fell in love with her glamorous and girly yet crisp and clean style. With bright white walls, a mix of modern and vintage furniture, and some seriously feminine accents, it was a no-brainer to feature her fresh space here on the blog. 

Genevieve's Apartment: Bold Pastels, Birdcages, and Boston Terriers

New, modern apartments - with their white walls, stark lines, and beige carpet - can be challenging to decorate. Often, you can't paint the walls, put up new trim, or rip up the carpeting. But you can add color and infuse your personality in another ways. Genevieve's place is a perfect example. 

Her apartment is quite gorgeous on its own. There's some hardwood flooring and the carpet is new and soft looking. The shade of paint on the walls is an anything-but-drab ivory. She's got high ceilings, beautiful kitchen cabinets, and gleaming counter tops.

Click through to tour Genevieve's apartment and learn how to get a similar look for yours.

Could you live in this 8-square-meter Paris apartment?

This tiny but ingenious Paris apartment boasts a living space of a whopping 8 square meters - roughly 86 square feet. While I can appreciate the clutter-free look, clean lines, and smart storage solutions, I love furniture too much to tuck it away in cabinetry. But how about you? Would you slim down to a skinny little space like this to live in a lovely but expensive city like Paris?

Jess' Bright, Airy, and Lovely Apartment in Stockholm

Ready for a heavy dose of apartment inspiration? Welcome to Jess' apartment in Stockholm, where you'll find fresh white walls, worn-just-right wooden floors, historical charm, Swedish style, and lots of sunlight pouring in through big windows. 

Ali Bee's Happy, Homey, Vintage, Cozy Apartment

Today I'm very excited to share the apartment tour of Ali Bee, a fabulous 25-year-old photographer, interior design junkie, and blogger. She lives in this small apartment in her Ohio hometown with her fiance and their two dogs Bella and Daisy. 

I've been following Ali Bee's blog and Instagram for a while now. She's always got something lovely, happy, and inspiring to share - especially when it comes to her photography. This is definitely one of those gals that I would love to grab coffee with and talk decor, blogging, fashion, and life... if she weren't hundreds of miles away!

Colorful Sophistication for Nailah | Dorm Decor Help (Reader Request)

Nailah is a twenty-year-old sophomore at United Arab Emirates University. While looking up ideas for decorating her new dorm room, she stumbled across The Lovely Side and sent in for help:

"The past year and a half I was in another dorm and had to share it with my roommate, so we had some awesome decorations that matched both of our interests. This semester, however, they have moved us to individual rooms that I am finding much smaller for rearranging the furniture and stuff. Also, since it is only me in the room now, I can't decide which kind of decor to go for.

Ashleah's Rented Redo | Apartment Tour

Today, I'm so excited to share Ashleah's apartment bedroom from her first year of medical school in Arkansas. It's beautiful, it was done on a student budget, and the best part: she pulled this together in one week. The look she was going for was happy but relaxing with a little quirkiness and some coastal touches. She also researched coral reefs in undergrad - so you'll see lovely little coral details throughout. Without further ado...