Blogger: Lauren of Pure Style Home
Now:
photo by Helen Norman
And Then. . .
What makes me cringe when I look back:
Oh boy… this photo makes me both smile & cringe. Ok, more like laugh. It’s a picture of my first apartment in college when I was 19. (JMU!) The apartment came furnished with a sofa, a LR chair, a dining room set, a coffee table and vertical blinds. (eeek!) It’s been almost 10 years and the cringing really comes into play when I look at the dinky size of the artwork and my attempt at hiding the sofa with a tapestry and the plastic pots. But I have to say, I’m still proud of that curtain rod. I cut down a piece of bamboo from the woods near my house and drove with my windows down for two hours to college with that thing hanging out of my car diagonally. I could only afford 1 set of curtain rings so the whole thing only had 6 rings on it and one of the first things I did on move-in day in was get out my drill & install the curtains.
What I love most about my home now:
The thing I love most about my home now is its connection to the outdoors. We have lots of windows and it’s really light & airy-feeling. I love to just sit in my living room at the end of a day with all of the windows open. Have to be honest, though, that this rarely happens in real life ;)
When looking at the two different photos, I can see that I still had a thing for nature –even back then I was a plant lover & killer- and I can see that I was attempting for an easy-breezy casual vibe. The accessories & fabrics I used were mostly borrowed so they reflected other people’s travels & history (mainly my grandparents’) & not mine, so I think that the details in my home now more accurately portray me & my family.
The biggest influence on my evolving style has been:
The biggest influence on my evolving style has been the blog world and the shelter magazines. There is so much inspiration online & I’m constantly amazed by all of the creative ideas & beautiful things design bloggers & designers who blog come up with. There seems to be so much charm & personality in what many bloggers show & create and they’re so open to sharing their ideas & helping others. I also look to shelter magazines for really polished & completed designs. I often flip through them when working on projects to study small details like the distance of a rug from the walls or maybe the styling of a mantle or whatever little thing it is I’m looking for. I’ve realized that I have an innate tug of war going on between more layered, almost cluttered English-feeling rooms and open & light & more minimal spaces. One pretty spread in a magazine can pull me to the other side in a heartbeat, so I’m not sure if – in the future- my style will go one way or the other or stay in between.
…..
Awww, yes! Aren’t college apartments the best? I only wish I had pictures of mine to show you . . . Thanks, Lauren—this was most enjoyable :) To see more of her amazing work, visit Pure Style Home here.
A warm room with lovely touches. I like the colors in it, the placement of chandelier, the vignette on mantel, the rug – beautiful!
I’ve been a big fan of Lauren’s work & blog for a long time.
She’s come a long way, baby!
But…who of hasn’t since we were 19?
What I like most about her home now is how it looked so effortless chic and has that ‘collected-over-the-years’ look. Love that velvet sofa, too! I enjoy this series thoroughly, Emily, thanks for sharing!
By the way, I just host a new giveaway so stop by and enter for a chance to win a piece of fabulous jewelry of your choice!
Jessie
http://www.mixandchic.com
I love Lauren’s style…fun to see the college apt! haha, I recall in my dorm room I got a 1/2 wooden basked thingy and hung it on the wall with billowing fake sunflowers hanging out of it. Ugh, not a good look in retrospect!
Oh I love Lauren’s house! I’m a huge fan of her blog too. I want her green sofa! Great post!!
I love Lauren’s style now. She does amazing work. It’s great to see all of these befores to know that even great designers have evolved to where they are now. Gives me hope. This is a great series!
PS> I shared some hideous college befores a few weeks ago. They make me laugh everytime I look at them: http://theweekendhomemaker.com/weekend-homie-cribs
Is there anyone who had a beautifully furnished apartment during college? It was fun to see where Lauren started, her blog is one of my favorites.
I love Lauren’s home and have been following her blog for a long time. Here velvet green couch is one of my favorite pieces evah.
Love both of your blogs! I think this is my favorite post series!
Ahhhh! Those poor college student days with insitutional furniture! Love this post and love Lauren! These are so much fun!!
I love this series! It is so neat to see where designers started out & what they evolved into! I have been reading Lauren’s blog for at least 2 years too and I love her living room! Thanks Emily! Angie xo
Oh, gosh… a college one! Thank goodness I didn’t keep any of that time!!! LOL
I love her home now… it’s just so approachable!
Have a great day!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Isn’t it funny to look back at the past. Lauren has such a wonderful style and eye for design. We adore her blog!
Angela and Renee
This one might be the best yet Emily! Lucianne- your curtain rod is aswesome!!!
Stacy
Wow, I love her living room! I gotta say I’m impressed that even as a nineteen year old college student she had the creativity (and determination to get what she wanted) to go chop down a big piece of bamboo to make a curtain rod!
http://www.inside-outdesign.blogspot.com
I am loving this series. Lauren’s spaces are so beautiful. Light and airy as she said. Fun to see the growth.
hahaha…Lauren believe it or not..my apartment in NYC during my modeling days make yours look like heaven. I had a mirror from Wallmart leaning on the wall, a chest of drawers from the same place not fully screwed together and a mattress on the floor. Sometimes t-shirts as pillowcases because I never made it to the laundry. Interiors never entered my mind until a few years later!!!! Some of my old friend still chuckle about it…so do I…
Wow! What a beautiful transformation!
Love this series! It’s so fun to see how people’s styles transform!
i like the bamboo rod! so nice to see your style’s evolution. even then you loved natural and green!
I just love this series. I love how it makes us all realize we can always grow and learn and change…and we all started somewhere! Oh The Places You’ll Go!
This was so fun! I’m a Lauren fan, and totally appreciate that she took down the vertical blinds and installed her own panels. Design in the details!
abby
Oh, college apartments…
One thing that Lauren said really resonated with me. The pull between layered with lots of things and minimalism. I swear, I go back and forth daily depending on the images I see. Good to know I am not alone.
Camille
I tried covering our apartment furniture with red sheets…why I chose red I have no clue! Looking back it just made the living room even more dreary and dark.
Kristen
Turning a House into a Home
Terrific, that’s definitely what I was looking for! You just saved me alot of work
Condos Puerto Vallarta
Oh, to pull out first apartment photos from 10+ years ago! Ha! Brave… Loving the now room.