Modern Day Chic | With a Silicon Valley Twist

If your schedule is anything like mine, you're probably rushing out the door with soaking wet hair at 5am, grabbing your favorite latte from your local artesian coffee joint, and sitting in 2 hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic on your way to work in the city. Your day is then filled with firedrills, meetings, and requests from every team you work with. When you finally get a chance to peek at your watch, you realize that it's time to commute back to school since you have class at 5pm. You sit in your seat, you raise your hand, debrief your Harvard Business Review case studies with your teammates and once again, you peek at the clock and realize... it's already 9pm.

So, you're probably wondering how an evening MBA student makes room for something as irrelevant as interior decor. 

Truth be told, I don't have any time for interior design - heck, I sometimes don't even have time to brush my hair, but I realized that a clean and happy space can make any study session enjoyable - it's all in the details! I decided to give it a shot and I've had a lot of fun playing with colors and textures. In fact, after all of this experimenation I may have learned a thing...or two.

So here's some preliminary interior style inspo and advice, from one evening-MBA to another - and to anyone else who is reading! My future posts will include posts about the various styles in my apartment,  details and links to all the pieces I own, in addition to those that I find trendy!

Oh, and I'll teach you how to save a few bucks as well - grad school isn't cheap you know! 

Last but not least, I mentioned above that this style is modern day chic with a Silicon Valley twist. I live, work, and go to school in the Silicon Valley and love a good deal. Thanks to the internet and a little research, I styled my entire kitchen and living room for under $1,200.

1. Imagine a Blank Space

Depending on the amount of natural light and space that you have in your space... it's easiest to work with areas that are cleared out or have neutral color schemes to begin with. I personally suggest picking a base color or pattern and working upwards from it. For example, my current apartment has white walls and gray floors. I had a neutral set of sofasGiven this, I knew that I could be risky and add a playful rug to add a pop of color. Once I had these two pieces, I picked the accent pillows and woven poofs. Note, I styled my accents with colors from my rug or whites and grays. 

2. Shop Online + Create Pinterest Boards for Inspiration

[Pinterest + Overstock.com + Target.com] 

Since I only have a few hours in the evenings to cook, eat, shower, do homework, and finish up residual work from my day - making it out to the stores is practically impossible (LOL, let's be honest, they're not even open by the time I get home). So what on earth is a gal to do? I frequently look for inspo on Pinterest and search stores like Target, Overstock, Marshalls, Home Goods, Living Spaces, and Ikea for deals on furniture and trinkets. I'll write more about this in future posts, but these are all great places to start! 

3. Less is more!

Be mindful of clutter! I can't tell you how many times I obsessed over luscious toss pillows, side tables, and cute table pieces. It's easy to get carried away but try to pick one or two pieces per furniture item and leave it at that. 

4. Budget, Budget, Budget! 

It's easy to get carried away! Make a budget in excel and stick to it! I'll share templates that I've created to help keep my dollars in check!

Happy Styling!