Outfit Details:vintage gauzy dress – found in my old closet at mom’stri-blend long sleeve top and knit scarf – GAPtights – gift from my momdany platforms – courtesy of Jessica Simpson collection

From time to time, I get requests from readers to share my apartment decor, closet organization, etc. The truth is, I’m not crazy about my current apartment – and my closet has no rhyme or reason to it (seriously, I’m the last person you should ask about organization). I love my neighborhood, dislike my place. I have a tiny, dimly lit, railroad apartment and it drives me a little crazy to be in such a small space since I work from home. I had to set up shop in the living room because my office is more like a closet and there was no room to cut fabric, only to sew. It’s not a huge deal to me; we are beyond fortunate to have a roof over our heads, let alone solid furniture and food in our refrigerator. But it’s far from ideal and I’ve decided not to put a whole lot of time and money into decorating, since I would love to move to a larger place in the near(ish) future.

That being said, these pictures are obviously not of my apartment. They were taken at my grandma’s home, in one of the guest rooms that I’m rather fond of. Though our birthdays are only a day apart in September, she is much more of a Virgo: extraordinarily organized and has everything just so. I like this room’s decor in particular because it’s very feminine without relying on typical girlie hues and is assembled from thrifty resources (second hand and discount stores) and a lot of elbow grease. The headboard was a find at my mom’s store (she repainted it) and the dresser was a fixer upper that my mom happened upon, which was stripped, sanded, refinished and had its hardware replaced by my grandma. My very favorite part of the room is the framed photograph of my handsome great-grandpa, Papa, who is no longer with us but was my hero and one of the most influential people in my life.

Apparently my grandpa refers to this room as “Keiko’s room” but strangely enough, it’s actually the other guest room that served as my sleepover spot when I was younger. I’ve always known this room as my grandpa’s closet, since my grandma takes up the closets in her room. Maybe I should take pictures of her closets and claim them as my own, because they’re impeccable;)

Special thanks to my little sister Tessa Marie for taking my pictures!