San Francisco Apartment Update: One Month's Progress

We've been in our San Francisco apartment for a little over a month now, and I think it's safe to say that I have gotten a lot done in this short amount of time.  It's amazing what some existing furniture and will to decorate will do!  While I'm feeling comfortable and at home in our new space, there is still a lot to be done, and I think the rest will come slowly but surely.  For now, I wanted to share what we have managed to put together in the space to date.  

Our couple decor vibe is urban modern with hints of humor.  I typically run everything by Andrew but I try to manage to add the tiniest little bit of glam eclectic since I buy everything anyway.  This new San Francisco apartment is approximately double the size of our Rockridge apartment, so we needed to buy new furniture to fill the space. It helps that I have been dreaming about accent chairs and dining tables since we were in our little 400 sq. ft. apartment so I was able to pull the trigger relatively quickly, especially when I found things on sale during Black Friday. 

LIVING ROOM.

Chairs: CB2 | Couch: Wayfair | Rug: Overstock | Coffee Table: West Elm | Marble Placemats: CB2
Arched Mirror: Homegoods (similar) | Nesting tables: Pier 1 | Three-bulb lamp: Ikea
Needlepoint Pillows: Jonathan Adler, Catstudio | Blue abstract pillows: Dusen Dusen | Love YSL print: Etsy
Candleholders: Amazon | Hobnail Planter: Amazon

This is one of my favorite vignettes (if it can even be called that, being so large) in the apartment, because it is the most done ... other than the candlesticks without any tapered candles in them. I've been meaning to buy pink or red tapered candles to put up in celebration of Valentine's day, but alas, here we are with a singular forest green candle in one of three holders. 

These Goop x CB2 chairs have been on my lust list for a while now. They are so large and comfy and I would sit in them every time I went into a CB2.  We had already signed our lease by Black Friday but we wouldn't be moving in until mid-December.  I went ahead and ordered the chairs and our new dining table because CB2's buy more save more sale was too good of a deal to pass up.  I ended up saving around $550 on the two chairs and the dining table! That's almost the price of one of the items!  While I will admit this is more than I've ever spent on furniture before, it is furniture that I have been thinking about for months if not years and they bring me joy to look at, sit on, and use. If anyone else is considering buying furniture from CB2, I would also advise waiting until one of these sales. I shall report back if they happen on any other occasion other than Black Friday. 

I'm also still looking for the perfect pedestal table to replace that Pier 1 table between the CB2 chairs, which is just sort of a placeholder for now.  I currently have my eye on this one from DWR. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 1.15.21

Since I'm really not wearing outfits these days, but I am pretty regularly appearing on Zoom, I thought it might be helpful to show what I have been wearing for my lawyerly zoom meetings on a daily basis.  There's a reason I've kept all these work clothes right? While I don't usually meet with clients every day, I want to start trying a little bit harder every day to look nice on zoom and this series will hopefully motivate me to do so instead of looking like a slob every day.  The next step is going to be to stop wearing soft elastic pants with these tops. 

A screenshot from last week, since I just started taking these Zoom photos on Wednesday of this week: 

Top: Sandy Liang via Poshmark (similar)

I took this screenshot last week when I was testing out how my new Zoom background looked with this new print up. I did not have any client meetings, but I was taking other photos of myself and I also wanted to start dressing up.  However, this is the only day I dressed up last week.  I love this Sandy Liang top because it looks professional, but has an elastic bottom which makes it feel appropriate to wear with non-black leggings and also has  a kangaroo pocket which I keep my phone in all day. 

Hindsight is 2020: Best and Worst Purchases

Shopping is my easy button in life (per Glennon Doyle, who I imagine I will quote in every other post going forward).  An "easy button" is what you choose to do that you think will take you out of pain and stress, but really just help you abandon yourself (thanks Glennon).  Reading this last night was a huge realization for me and my shopping addiction.  Anyone who knows me knows I have a problem with shopping, and until last night I've basically accepted it as *cute* and *quirky* personality trait.  I'm also usually pretty proud of the *good* buys that I've made and how all of my possessions display my elevated taste and prowess for finding bargains.  The problem is all the actually bad buys that I've made that I don't share with anyone. 

This purpose of this post is to highlight good buys that I've made, or the purchases that I used the most last year.  It should also remind me of everything I have that's good and that I don't need even more things. 

Similarly, I want to highlight things that I bought and did not work for me but may have bought in an "easy button" fashion and I now regret. 

But for now, let's start with best purchases: 

1. Dyson V8 Animal Cordless Vacuum

Full disclosure, this was actually gifted ... by my PARENTS! Ha. I wish I got gifted items.  If you actually follow bloggers, this should be no surprise, and you can just read their very well-thought-out reviews and sponsored links. I'm just linking to an eBay find because that's what came up on google when I searched it.  Anyway, I'm not exaggerating when I say this vacuum changed my life. It is cordless, so you don't have to worry about the added extra "stress" of plugging in a vacuum and only vacuuming to places that it extends to.  The attachment shown in the photo is also my favorite for what is essentially spot treatment for vacuuming. It makes me want to vacuum anything and everything! And I do.  We still kept our regular plug-in shark vacuum for when we need to do heavy-duty vacuuming of our rugs (which I admit, is not happening as frequently as it should due to our spot-treatment habits) but this makes cleaning up crumbs and other messes so easy. I LOVE IT!

Andrew's Office Makeover: Concept

While we initially moved into the City because Andrew thought he would be reporting to work in-person, COVID and the City had other ideas this January 2021.  Now that he will be working remotely TOO, we needed to give him a nice office space to work out of so that he could feel comfortable and efficient for his new job. 

Office inspo from Emily Henderson

The main decor items that we already have to work around include: 

This pillow: 

Ralph Lauren

and this chair mat:

Amazon

Here is the room we initially envisioned would house our peloton but will now be housing a working Andrew: 

Unfortunately for me, the room does not give enough clearance at the top for any sort of arm movement while on a peloton, so now it lives in what would have been my cloffice (closet/office) and made it a goffice (gym/office).  Fortunately for Andrew, now he gets to share the triangle room with our vacuums as his very own office. 

As you can see, it needs some help.  I, of course, spent lots of time thinking about how the space could work better and what could be added, sourcing some items/options for him (below) and even including my own rendering of my vision for the space.

Our New San Francisco Apartment!

Renting an apartment during COVID has been an experience for sure, but we're City folk now and I'm ready to let my inner interior decorator shine.  Over the next few posts of this blog, you will get to see a before and after of my new San Francisco apartment!  I've been so excited to decorate that it has consumed all of my waking moments for the past 3 weeks.  It's starting to get to the point where I feel like taking photos of it and sharing with the world, which I think is a pretty good sign.

Full disclosure: This is NOT what our apartment currently looks like, although it is a nice colorfully decorated apartment belonging to the previous tenants. I didn't get very many photos of our current apartment while empty, and this photo was taken when we were still touring the apartment and deciding whether we wanted to rent it or not.  As you'll see from the pictures below, this is a much more palatable photo. While this decor is definitely a lewk for some, it's not necessarily our vibe. I'm excited to show everyone what we have turned it into! 

This new apartment checked many of the boxes as to what I was looking for: 

• Great natural light
• Extra bedroom for office space
• Room for a dining table and additional living room seating
• Dishwasher 
• Walking distance to Pac Heights shops and restaurants

One thing it didn't have: an in-unit washer and dryer. But hey, a girl can dream.

2021, will you think about me?

With the start of the new year, I am constantly prompting myself, what am I even doing in this life? What are my goals?  Untamed by Glennon Doyle is my first book of the month, and it is constantly inspiring me to change the way I live my life: outside of the cages of the expectations that others are placing on me!   

2021 marks the birth of what I have always wanted this blog to be.  A place to share how I style my outfits and rooms, and describe how much effort I actually put in to what (I hope) appears to be effortless.  My main goal for 2021 is: DON'T BE LAZY! 

Blazer and Pants: Chelsea28 for Nordstrom

Goals for 2021: DON'T BE LAZY, broken down into 5 tangible resolutions.

1. Keep my apartment and myself photo ready at all times.  

This may sound extremely superficial, and I guess it is.  It is really shorthand for "keep your apartment (and yourself) clean and tidy and composed so you can take photos of it at any time and you also won't be embarrassed about it on the off-chance you see people you know." It is also a reminder for me to take care of my things, live in a house and wear outfits that I can be proud of on a daily basis.  Because if not now, when? Why should I wait for another life to wear and display nice things?

HALIKA DITO!

Welcome to Halika Dito! In Tagalog, "halika dito" means "come here."  I'm branding my new internet presence in this way because I don't want it to be all about me, I want it to serve as a place for people to come when they are looking for inspiration or tips on home decor and general lifestyle that is actually attainable.  Especially when they need a break from their day jobs.  From time to time, I'll also be featuring items that I found or are for sale in my Poshmark closet.  So please, come here, if you are looking for tips on home, personal, and life style.

Bedding: Dusen Dusen | Nightstands: West Elm | Lamps: Ralph Lauren via HomeGoods 
Pajamas: Victoria's Secret | Scarf: Acne Studios

My mission: Creating a space to inspire you to dress yourselves (personally and professionally) and your home with humor, personality, and without effort.  

My personal style: classic feminine and bold with a hint of eclecticism. 

My home style: urban modern with a sense of humor

What you'll find on this blog: home decor and shopping tips, rankings of shops in the Bay Area, reviews,  outfit planning, and more!

As you will see on my About Me page, this is about the third iteration of a blog that I've tried to consistently maintain.  Something about this time feels different (probably because I'm currently reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle and my Knowing is telling me this is true), and I'm excited for what's to come. 

So please, continue to come here, and follow along on this journey. 

Best,

Isabella