AK Studio » my apartment

Fall Dinner

Alex Kaehler — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Last week I had a couple girls over for a fall dinner. You might remember (from here and here) that I love to cook, entertain and decorate. We ate roasted butternut squash salad with arugula and goat cheese, herb and lemon chicken, wild rice salad and apple crumble. I didn’t get any pictures of the food (too busy stuffing my face), but the table was too festive not to share.

I also decided to use our wedding china. If I don’t use it when we entertain I never will, right?

all pictures by me
China is Kelly Wearstler for Pickard

And PS today I am over at The Now Stylebook sharing my obsessions of the week!

The Everygirl

Alex Kaehler — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I am back from Europe, very jetlagged but happy to be back in my own house! It was an incredible trip but there really is no place like home. I’ll share lots of pictures this week, but today something different.

I, along with my friend Morgan (of The Edit) are being featured on The Everygirl today! It was so much fun helping to design Morgan’s retail space and I am so excited to share all of the details with you today.

Check it out here.

Thanks so much to Danielle and Alaina for featuring us!

While we’re on the subject on The Everygirl, did you see their feature on Thursday about “how to style a coffee table”? Its absolutely gorgeous. I can’t believe how much I love all three options. But the first (pinky, girly, and glittery) one holds a special place in my heart…

…because it was photographed in my living room. It was amazing seeing these girls work their magic and totally transform my space.

Pink and Peek

Alex Kaehler — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I have never been shy about my love for pink. In clothes, flowers, accessories, all of it. Lately, my favorite place for pink is in the home. There are so many different ways to incorporate it.

Medium doses with bold tribal prints in the bedroom (via)

A minimal dose by adding a vase of peonies in a more masculine space (via)

More obvious amounts with a pinky Persian, flowers and solid, blushy pillows (via)

Or like in MY dining room, small amounts of pink in the candles and artwork so the boy doesn’t get too upset (via)

Do you incorporate pink into your decor? And yes, I snuck in a little look at another part of my house!

Wish Listing

Alex Kaehler — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Some exciting things are in store for my little apartment and they have given me the opportunity to restyle a couple things. My favorite. Here’s the problem. It also happens to entail quite a bit of monies. Silly monies.

Here is my current wishlist, anyone wanting to fund?

tray (contact me if you are interested in purchasing) for my coffee table,

bowl (on sale) for my dining table,

pillow to add a little bit more pink,

rug for my entry,

brass mouse because I call my little pup “mouse face”,

and juju (contact me if you are interested in purchasing) because who doesn’t need an oversized Chanel-esque flower in their house!

Whats on your home wish list?

Sources

Alex Kaehler — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Thank you all for the amazing feedback on my apartment!!! I had a lot of questions about sources so today’s post is devoted to revealing everything I can remember! Please let me know if there is anything that I missed!

Paint Color: Behr Antique Tin

Coverlet: Target (no longer available)

Duvet: Restoration Hardware

Pillows: Furbish

Shams: Matteo

Headboard: West Elm (similar)

Nightstand: Ikea Expedit shelves

Lamp: Target (no longer available)

Chandelier: I am so sorry, this was the most asked about item and it seems to be gone everywhere! I got mine from Neiman Marcus so if you are dead set on getting it make sure to periodically check their website.

Countertops: Quartzite

Backsplash: Glass tile

Runner: West Elm

Hand towel: West Elm
Cabinets and Hardware were installed by the developer so I can’t speak to that, sorry!

Please let me know if there is anything I missed that you are curious about! Thank you again for all of your amazing comments and support. Have a great weekend! xo

Oh and PS today I am over at The Girls of Lincoln Park guest posting about what items you can buy for your home to add a little glamor. Go check it out!! Love discovering new Chicago blogs!

Partial Reveal!

Alex Kaehler — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A little while back, Mackenzie from Design Darling fame, invited me to participate in her “design dialogues” series. As a part of the interview, I mentioned three items on my bucket list. One of which was to have my work published in a magazine. And well, today, I am here to say that by some crazy crazy twist of fate, my work is being published!!!

You might have suspected this based on my secrecy about my condo, but now I can confirm it. Last month, the day before I left for Mexico, my condo was photographed for a feature in Chicago Magazine. Ummm… is this real life??? I have to say, I am still in shock.

Here is a shot of my place on the day of the shoot. Utter chaos. Yes there is a sofa in the kitchen.

So you’ll have to wait until April to see most of my place, but I just couldn’t wait to share the news!

In order to repay you for the 4 month wait, I am sharing pictures of the two unpublished rooms of my condo.


This space was pretty much finished when we moved in. It isn’t necessarily what I would’ve personally chosen. But I am obsessed with our countertops, which are Quartzite. They are so insanely durable. All in all, I think it all came together nicely.

Green detail shot.


The guest bedroom has definitely been a challenge. We don’t have a lot of storage space in here, so this room became the spot where we threw everything. Luckily, it has come together and I love the results. Especially that light fixture!

Let me know if you have any source questions, I’d be happy to share!

Styling by Alaina Kaczmarski and photography by Danielle Moss
(the masterminds behind the soon to be launching website, The Everygirl)

Nightstand DIY

Alex Kaehler — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

If you weren’t around yesterday, I recapped my last couple weeks.

And now today… back to normal posting!

I’ve been talking about my nightstand DIY for way too long to not have shared it already. So here they are. Sadly, they don’t look at all that professional in person. The paint was much harder to work with than I expected, but overall, I love the look of them.

The Before:

Purchased from a thrift store. Not super cheap, but really good quality and nice storage. Definitely not my taste but we lived with them for two years.

So then I took them out to my deck. Painted them using Rustoleum White Protective Enamel Paint (gives a really nice lacquer). I had read all these reviews on blogs about how easy this stuff was to use. Wow. Not for me. It is so thick. Hard to paint evenly. It also drips. Oy. And silly me… it does not come off your hands. Ohhh and you have to let it dry for 24 hours in between coats. I needed 3. And to get 3 days of good weather in a row in Chicago. Needless to say. It was an adventure.

The After:

I purchased these new pulls for $4.78 a piece. Can of paint was $30. After that I thought they were done. But after a couple weeks I decided they needed something more. Then I saw these on a blog, $4.99 for 8. Done and done.

The makeover was $44.55. Well worth it.

I know my pictures aren’t the best. But I have to keep the rest of the room under wraps Hope you understand!

Bench for Sale! And a recipe

Alex Kaehler — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Since my new bench from the Jayson warehouse sale is arriving early next week, that sadly means I have to sell the bench that is currently at the foot of my bed.

It was recently reupholstered in Kelly Wearstler’s Confetti Cream and the base was painted gold.

SOLD! as of 8:20am 11.18.11

I am selling this piece (to Chicago buyers only) for $75 (a steal since the fabric costs that per yard)!

Email me at alexandrasberlin@gmail.com if you are interested.

And here is the quinoa recipe from Monday. I was hesitant to post too many recipes but since so many people requested it, here you go! And just a warning, since I didn’t think I was sharing this one I didn’t write down a lot of detail.

You will need:
* 1 cups of dry quinoa (this serves 4-6)
* Butternut squash
* Dried cranberries
* Toasted almonds
* Red wine vinegar
* Olive oil
* Sugar
* Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Dice up butternut squash into bite size pieces, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cook quinoa according to instructions on bag/box. When quinoa and squash have completed cooking, combine with cranberries and almonds. To make dressing mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar. This dress isnt strong, just enough to moisten (ew I hate that word) up the salad. Serve at room temperature.

Hope you have a great weekend!! xo

Projects

Alex Kaehler — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +0000

This week has been a crazy one!

Remember the store I have been talking about designing? Well it opens Monday! Cannot wait to share pictures.

I’ve also completed a lot of projects around my own house. One with this:

And another one with this:

Can’t wait to share everything! Hope you have a great weekend!!! xoxoxo

And PS I am over at Walking Around Where the Sidewalk Begins sharing my fall favorites!

Chair Reveal

Alex Kaehler — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

First of all, thank you all so much for encouraging and amazing comments yesterday! I am so excited about what lies ahead and can’t wait to share it all. And for those of you who asked, YES I will most definitely be offering e-design!

And now… my new dining table head chairs are finally complete and I am absolutely in love with the way they turned out!!! I am not showing a full dining shot though, saving that for later.

So here is the before… (there are two of them)

The during… (I tried to paint them myself, but Spencer INSISTED I was terrible at it and took over)

And…. THE AFTER!!!

Creamy, greyish velvet with a black grossgrain trim. I am in heaven.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I am going to spend it celebrating one of my best friend’s birthdays, partying at our engagement party and staring at my new chairs!!