Our Mid-Century Inspired Palm Springs Living Room Tour

How is it possible that I haven’t done a full post about our living room yet?? I’m the worst! Now that we’re coming up on our one year anniversary in this apartment (whoa already?), I figured now would probably be as good a time as ever!

Welcome to our mid-century inspired living room!

When you walk through our orange front door you’re greeted by all of my favorite retro inspired colors.

Welcome to Melodramaville - Blogger Krys Melo's mid-century apartment.jpg

This is what we jokingly refer to as the cocktail corner. The bar is an IKEA bookshelf that I painted and use to store our liquor and vintage cocktail glass collection.

The yellow chairs are from World Market. The color and scale fit the space perfectly which was something I wasn’t having luck with when searching for a true vintage set. I got these on sale for an amazing price so I couldn’t pass them up. In between them is a standing record player.

The mirror above the bar is a score from Home Goods that we had in our last apartment and was originally just going to be used as a place holder, but it worked so great here we decided to keep it.

The 3 orb floor lamp is from Target’s Project 62 line.

Mid-Century Inspired decor in blogger Krys Melo's apartment.jpg

To the left of the cocktail corner is our main conversation area where we hang out and watch tv. Because we have an open concept living space I wanted to create different areas within the room that felt separate but still connected. While a few friends are listening to a record and having a drink by the cocktail corner, more could be hanging out here, and something else could be going on over at the dining table. It makes the room feel bigger and more functional this way.

A sectional is perfect for this type of layout. Last year I was lucky to collaborate with one of my favorite mid-century inspired furniture manufacturers, Joybird, so a lot of our furniture is from there. I love Joybird because you can customize each style with different configurations, wood finishes, and fabrics. For our sectional we chose the Hughes Bumper Sectional in Notion Thunderbird with medium toned wood legs.

Blogger Krys Melo's 1960 Mid-Century Apartment.jpgThe kidney shaped coffee table, knitted pouf, and accent chair are also from Joybird.

I wanted to pull together all of the colors from the room so I chose multi-colored carpet tiles from Flor. These are great if you have pets or children and need to be able to wash your rug easily.

The curvy metal Bertoia barstools are a score from Craigslist.

Krys Melo's Mid-Century Palm Springs Apartment.jpgThe vintage Curtis Jere brass sculpture above the sofa was in bad shape when I found it at the Long Beach Flea Market but with a lot of patience I was able to fix it up and make it look great again. The Stangl Pottery vase on the coffee table is another vintage score from Long Beach.

mid-century inspired furniture.jpgWe added the conical fireplace to give the space a little more architectural detail. I found it on Craigslist and picked it up from the house it had been in since 1960. It doesn’t function in here but it has a little electric log and is stuffed with twinkle lights for ambience.

The adorable pink bow lamp is from a shop called RetrOKC in Oklahoma City. I found it while on a cross-country road trip last year.

The 3-tier marble side table and lamp shade are both from Target’s Project 62.

Krys Melo, the blogger behind Melodrama's mid-century Palm Springs living room.jpg

Here’s a wide view of the entire space. The palm print curtains are from H&M Home.

mid-century inspired furniture.jpg

The credenza is from Joybird as well, with our TV mounted above it. We opted for an ultra-slim television mounted on a low-profile base so it can double as artwork when the TV is in stand-by mode. Most modern televisions and streaming devices have a screen saver mode that allows you to choose custom artwork or photographs to display. The lamp is from Joybird and the glassware is vintage.

Vintage details in Krys Melo's apartment.jpgI try to add little moments around each room to give every corner a touch of character. I used a vintage rotary phone and vase from Baigelman Glass to add some color to this area by our breakfast bar.

Pink Mid-Century Door.jpgTo this corner I added wall hanging planters and a vintage magazine stand filled with home decor magazines from the 50s and 60s. And lastly I painted the front door a peachy pink (Peach Punch from Valspar to be exact) and added a little bit of retro detail with wood molding!

 

That’s the whole shebang! Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

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New Year Living Room Refresh with Article Matrix Chairs

Happy New Year, loves! I don’t know about you but I’ve been in a haze of exhaustion since the holidays ended. I always love Christmas decorations until it’s time to put them away. I’ve been vacuuming up stray pieces of tinsel and glitter for a week and somehow they still keep popping up!hoovering Putting away the decorations always feels like a clean slate and I get super motivated to do a little redecorating afterward. I decided I wanted to add a little more color in here for the New Year and thought a new accent chair and pillows would be the best way to do it. Switching out chairs and pillows is my favorite way to change things up. They’re easy to store away and swap from room to room, so you can easily switch things up whenever you feel like! I teamed up with Article to show you a few new color combos!

If you haven’t heard of Article yet, let me introduce you! Article is an online-only brand that offers quality modern furniture with a direct-to-consumer model that avoids price markups you’ll find in stores. This makes shopping with them easy, efficient, and more cost friendly! And the fact that delivery starts at only $49, regardless of order size or delivery location across the U.S. and Canada makes shopping for furniture online a delight.

I not only wanted to add more color but also luxe texture. The velvet Matrix chairs from Article turned out to be the perfect size and shape for my apartment’s living room. The rounded curves and slim legs are versatile enough to fit in with many styles, including my mid-century vibe. AND paired with the Lucca pillows makes for great color combos.  Plus, ordering and delivery, and assembly was an absolute breeze.

I was set on the Matrix chair, but I had to pick a color! The Matrix comes in 12 colors, so I pulled colors from my rug and favorite table lamp as inspiration. I went with Blush Pink, Grass Green, and Persimmon Orange as my top contenders. Each one brings a different vibe to the room. Check it out!

The first option was Blush Pink paired with a Claret Red Lucca Pillow. I figured this would pull in the color from my lamp and red from my rug. I like the combination of pink and red, it feels cute and warm at the same time, and is perfect for February!Blush Pink Matrix Chair from Article

Blush Pink and Claret Red Matrix Chair and Lucca Pillow from ArticleI also REALLY like it paired with a Persimmon Orange Lucca pillow. It ties together the orange from the rug and my dining room chairs nicely, without it being too orange.Blush Pink Velvet Chair from ArticleI love it from this angle! Blush Pink and Orange combo. Matrix Chair from ArticleI’ve been wanting to try to incorporate more green into this room so next up is the Grass Green Matrix with Blush Pink pillows. Article Matrix Chair and Lucca Pillow in Grass Green and Blush PinkPink and green is one of my favorite color combos ever, buuutttt my room, bathroom, and office already have pink and green as their main colors so that might be overkill…Article Matrix Chair in Grass Green with Pink Blush Lucca PillowThis green is very luxe and gives me major Art Deco vibes.Velvet Matrix Chair from Artcle in Grass Green and Blush Pink It gets an even warmer feel when paired with the Persimmon Orange pillow.Article Matrix Chair in Grass Green with Persimmon Orange Pillow

The Persimmon Orange Matrix against my blue sofa feels very retro! This is a popular contrasting color combo that brings a vibrant and fun feeling to the space.Article Matrix Chair in Persimmon Orange with Pink Lucca Pillow The Blush Pink Lucca pillow softens up the boldness a little, too.  I think this might be my favorite…Orange and Pink combo. Matrix Chair and pillow from ArticleI’m super into this combo. Persimmon Orange Velvet Matrix Chair from Article with Blush Pink Lucca PillowThe Lucca pillows come in sets of two, so can go on the chair while its twin decorates the sofa. Ooooo. Orange Velvet Chair from Article

It’s SO hard to choose. I’m very torn between the two pink and orange combos. As much as I am IN LOVE with the persimmon orange, I don’t want that side of the room to feel overwhelmingly orange with the orange dining chairs and dining rug, so I’m going with the pink Matrix with Orange Lucca pillow for now, because it leads perfectly into the dining area and feels balanced while also tying together my lamp and rug.

Blush Pink Velvet Chair from Article

I’ve been toying with the idea of changing the color of my dining chair cushions though, so I’ll hang on to the orange for a bit in case I go that route sooner than later and change my mind (which I so often do). We’ll see!

I’m curious – which of the 12 colors would you choose to mix and match?!  Let me know in the comments!

This post was made possible by Article, but all opinions are true and my own.

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow French Provincial Mirror Makeover

Something I do when I’m decorating a room is try to use what I already have. I’ve had this mirror in my dining room for a couple of years and when I decided to redecorate I thought about where I could use it rather than get rid of it. I got it for $20 on Craigslist and although it isn’t actually a pricey antique, it’s still a good deal for such a solid and large piece.

Originally it was painted an antique gold finish but that didn’t fit into my decor scheme at the time. To remedy that I did a silver metallic faux finish on it.

Mirror

I decided its new home needed to be in my living room above my fireplace and also wanted it to be a pop of color. I looked through all my spare paints and decided on a cheerful yellow. All I had to do was brush on some white primer, then a few coats of yellow paint, then a coat of clear polyurethane to give it a glossy, candy-coated finish.IMG_2572

 

I think it gives the wall a nice, bright feeling and ties in with the rest of the colors in the room. The best part is I spend no money because I already had all the materials! Yay! One project down…lots more to go.

 

Sofa Shopping: Mid-Century Styles Under $2000

Now that I’m redecorating my apartment I have to find new furniture that not only fits my space but also fits my budget. Since I tend to redecorate a lot I don’t usually like to spend too much money on pieces that I know I may change out in a year or two, but sofas tend to be expensive. Up until now I’d been using a KARLSTAD loveseat from IKEA (now discontinued) as my main seating area. 

 At first it was meant to be a place holder until I found something else, but after I changed the legs and accessorized it a bit, it fit in perfectly and served its purpose without any problems. 

 I’m rearranging my furniture placement and plan to put a sofa against a larger wall in the room. The KARLSTAD loveseat looked tiny and awkward against the new wall so I figured it’s time to upgrade and get a new sofa. 

I’m all about mid-century styles, and luckily I’ve found some good sources that have several great options. Here are some of my current favorites. All under $2,000. 

Joybird– Joybird obviously has a love for design from the 50s and 60s. They have a large selection of sofas from straight and modern, to tufted traditional, to the wacky lines of the atomic era. Not only do they have a large selection of styles, but the selection of fabrics they’re available in is incomparable. They send you FREE swatches at the click of a button, and in my opinion their upholstery options are the most authentically vintage available. 

Some of my favorites:

  Eliot Sofa – $1699

 Howard Sofa – $1499 

  Roddy Sofa – $1749

  
Braxton Sofa – $1799

Bryght– Bryght is a new on my radar but I like what I see. They provide high-end style at a decent price. Although they don’t have a large selection of bright, colorful fabric options, they do have velvet options which is nice. 

  
Sven Sofa – $1299

  
Celosia – $1199

Wayfair– Wayfair doesn’t exclusively offer mid-century inspired styles like the sources mentioned above, but they do have a great selection of passable high-end designer styles and colors at deeply discounted prices. 

  
Corrigan Studio Kilroot Sofa – $1123

  
Segis US Cosy Sofa – $1870

  Gus Modern Switch Sofa – $1999
  
Moe’s Home Selection Rosilini Sofa – $1288

West Elm– West Elm has a couple of styles with a vintage vibe I like. The first has the modern, shelter frame, and the second has boomerang shaped legs that can give off an atomic vibe in the right color. 

  

Monroe Mid-Century Sofa – $1299-$1699

  
Brooklyn Upholstered Sofa – $1299

IKEA– Good old IKEA! Like I mentioned above, I’m upgrading from a KARLSTAD loveseat. I’m no stranger to an IKEA Hack and I’m confident that with a little effort and changes I could save a lot of money and turn this option into something more stylish. At only $400 it’s very tempting. Even as something temporary until I find a true vintage option. 

  
IKEA KARLSTAD Sofa – $399

Thrift Stores/Flea Markets/Craigslist- Another option is finding a second-hand, true vintage piece. I live in an area where vintage is a hot commodity and the good deals get swooped up pretty quickly. Often times between the cost of the couch and the cost to reupholster, it ends up way out of my budget anyway. I’m always lookout for an insane deal though! 

Here’s a couple that I missed out on this week

  $200

 $100
Which is your fave? Updates soon with the one I pick! 

DIY Decor: Simple Halloween Living Room Decorating Ideas

My husband and I are pretty big fans of all things creepy so it totally makes sense that Halloweentime tops our list as the best time of the year. I wish I had a house that I could deck out for trick or treaters, but I have to make do with decorating my apartment for my own personal enjoyment.

Here’s what I’ve got going on so far.

Halloween Gallery Wall via MelodramaI have a colorful gallery wall above my sofa that features vintage illustrations. In honor of Halloween I kept it colorful and replaced the pictures with vintage Halloween themed advertisements and magazine covers.

Vintage Halloween Adverts via Melodrama Halloween Gallery Wall via Melodrama

Over on the other side of the room I used my DIY Halloween candles and hand painted IKEA FADO Jack o’Lantern lamp. I like to cast photography and art on our TV when it’s not in use. It makes it feel less like a big, black, empty square on the wall. For this I’ve been casting creepy photos and vintage Halloween greeting cards. Cuuuute, right?

Halloween Decor via Melodrama

And then there’s the bar (AKA my favorite corner). I kept it simple with black decorations. Because the room is already so colorful I didn’t want anything to clash too much. Black decorations bring the creep vibe, but don’t take away from the existing decor. I made black pennant garlands with Martha Stewart Crafts Pennant Garland Punch and used “Poison” and “Potion” bottles to Halloweenify the shelves. Oh and my DIY Ouija board tray!


Halloween Bar Decor via MelodramaHalloween Bar Decor via Melodrama

I tried not to go overboard this year, but still have a lot of fun with it. What do you think?! For more decor ideas be sure to follow along with me on Instagram @melodramablog.

Home Decor: New Lamps, New Mirrors, New Living Room Look

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ll know I’m always changing things around in my apartment. I get bored, what can I say?

My husband was traveling for work this week, so I was left alone to my own devices. That really means I had to distract myself from the fact that when he’s away I become a lonely hermit womanchild. I usually take up various projects around the house and Netflix binge until my eyes blur.

I started a few little projects this time. Mostly rearranging and switching out pictures and the sort. I also started stenciling the dining area/entry way (more on that later).

Wall Stenciling in Progress via Melodrama

Then finally on the last day I saw a light at the end of my lonely woman tunnel. I emerged from my hermit crab shell and put on actual human clothes and took myself out for a little retail therapy where I found lamps and mirrors on clearance. The lamps and shades are from Target and the mirrors are from Ross. After I bought them I promptly returned home and turned back into a crab person.

Anywayyyyy here’s what it looked like before:

Vintage dresser as living room decor via MelodramaI traded out the DIY gold brushed art for round mirrors, traded the IKEA lamps for mint ones with caned shades from Target, and used my vintage milk glass vases to hold palm clippings for a whole new look. TADA!

Vintage dresser as living room decor via Melodrama

I had to have these lamps. They remind me of vintage jadeite. I thought the caned yellow lampshades added something special too. I decided on black mirrors because I feel like it grounds the TV. Otherwise it just looks like a big black rectangle on the wall. Overall I think this all goes with the rest of the room a lot better.

Lamps: Target

Lamp Shades: Target

Vases: Vintage, Etsy

Mirrors: Ross

Dresser: Vintage, Craigslist

Bar Cart: Target

Make sure you’re following along on Instagram to see more.

Home Decor: Indoor and Outdoor Plant Ideas for Non-Green Thumbs Like Myself

Up until a few months ago I was terrified of owning plants. Everything I’ve tried in the past died within weeks of me even laying a finger on it.

Then I embraced the succulent life. You can read all about that here.

Balcony Succulent Garden Planters

In fact, I’ve done so well with succulents, the damn things are even thriving and BLOOMING.

View this post on Instagram

I think my cactus is having babies

A post shared by Krys Melo (@melodrama) on

That was once unheard of at Casa Melo.

I was feeling so confident in my new green-ish thumb that I decided it was time to bring some plant life inside. There was an awkward corner in my living room that I felt was missing something.

Apartment Living Room Craft CornerThat something was a plant. I thought some sort of palm would be best since they need very little watering and care. See guys, the secret to my new success is that I’m buying plants that actually fit my lifestyle (AKA not watering or knowing what I’m doing). A-ha! For that reason, I bought a Birds of Paradise and brought it home to live with me.

Apartment Decorating with Indoor Birds of Paradise

Ain’t she a beaut? Here’s the deal, according to the instructions at the plant store, you only have to water this baby occasionally when the soil gets dry. It requires daylight but can be kept in most rooms and moved to full sun when it needs a little extra tan time. Otherwise it’s easy! I mist mine on the leaves with a spray bottle twice per week just to keep it looking glossy and hydrated. Other than that, I barely mess with the thing.

Apartment Decorating with Indoor Birds of Paradise. Perfect indoor plant for non-green thumbs

I can’t believe what a great addition it has made in my living room. . It adds so much life to that awkward corner. If you’re wary about caring for plants, I highly recommend looking for one of these at your local garden center and bringing it home.

Now let’s see if I can learn to keep cut flowers alive for a little bit longer…

Doubt it.

Home Decor: Colorful Vintage Illustration Gallery Wall // DIY Gallery Wall Tips

I’m always changing things up in this small, little apartment of mine. I was craving a little more color on my living room walls, so I planned on ditching the large abstract canvas and doing a gallery wall instead.

The LA Apartment of Melodrama blogger Krys MeloI’d been thinking about doing a gallery wall for awhile but art, even prints in the quantity I needed, were turning out to be too expensive for my project’s budget. I’m a big fan of vintage illustrations like the kind you’d find in The Saturday Evening Post, so when I came across a bunch from the 1950s, I ran to get frames immediately. Ok, more like power walked.

Framed vintage illustrations for gallery wallGallery walls can be scary! Whether you’re doing a random pattern or lining them up strategically, putting that first hole in the wall is scary business when you’re not sure if you’re going to like how it’s all laid out once it’s up there. I hate patching nail holes more than anything, and I don’t even know where the touchup paint is, so I had to get this right the first time.

Gallery wall tip - Use paper cutouts with nailholes marked first to get the right arrangement without putting unnecessary holes in your walls

One of my favorite tips for creating gallery walls is to cut pieces of paper to the size and shape of your wall decor. Mark where all of the nails should go, and tape the paper pieces up on the wall to get a better idea of where everything will go. I rearranged my pieces at least 4 times until I got a spacing I was happy with. Measuring is fine, but I like to actually see everything up on the wall before I start making holes. Once I was happy with it, all I needed to do was hammer the nails into the pre-marked paper.

Vintage Illustration Gallery Wall from Melodrama

I hung every picture up and used a level to make sure they were all straight and in line, because when one is out of place everything looks wacky. That’s something I’ll probably have to go back and do every once in awhile but it’s SO WORTH IT. If you have a problem with your pictures staying straight, try using a little piece of gum tack on the back corners of the frame.

Vintage Illustration Gallery WallThe illustrations add a lot of fun color and fun vintage character into the room. I’m definitely happy with it.

Vintage Gallery Wall from Melodrama blogger LA Apartment