If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m Jana Bek, a New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan based interior designer with a lifestyle line of home décor, textiles, & lighting. I have a love for bright colors, bold prints, and designing spaces & home décor that help transport you to your dream destination.

View fullsize

I’m so excited to be included in my ninth season of One Room Challenge! If you’re just tuning in, I’m designing our new one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment for this season’s One Room Challenge, you can catch up on links below:

This week we are talking about my furniture plans. I’m incorporating favorite pieces from our Ann Arbor home with new, classic foundation pieces, and fun ones I’ve long had my eye on! Just after our lease was signed, I stayed at a hotel for a few days to triple check room dimensions to know what pieces would work from our Ann Arbor home. Then I selected, and ordered, a few necessities for our apartment (sofa, coffee table, and bed).

Sofa

My hubs wanted a sofa that he could nap on. This kind man let’s me go wild with design, so on the rare occasion he has an opinion, I’m making it happen! I was actually on Frontgate’s site perusing this splurge piece (more on that later) when I stumbled upon their new Sorrento sofa. I’ve always wanted a chesterfield sofa, and I love their modern take on one.

I’m serious that I’m all about dimensions (you have to be with small space living) and since it doesn’t have back cushions, both the depth and length provide a perfect fit for our apartment. It’s a chic sofa for me, that fits a 6’ man comfortably, done and done!

photo and design by @angelineguidodesign

Coffee Table

Burl wood has been trending for a bit, but trends are trends for a reason, it’s gorgeous and adds so much character to a space! Our existing burl nightstands came up a bit big for our apartment, so I choose this beauty for our living room to get my fix. I’ve had my eye on it for a bit and Wisteria’s quality is always top notch!

Bed 

I’ve been wanting to use our brushstroke fabric in a very light neutral color for a bit, and I thought our new bed would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Enter Ballard Designs amazing Customer’s Own Materials (C.O.M.) program. It’s an awesome option that few companies offer, you can choose from 100s of their own fabrics (or source your own, like I am), and you’ll get a custom piece of furniture without the custom cost. I went with their tailored Squire bed in a very light gray/purple for the brushstroke fabric (we offer our textiles and wallpapers in custom colors). The bed will arrive just in time for the photoshoot, I cannot wait to see it! 

Splurge pieces

I’ve wanted a room divider ever since I can remember, and I’m going for it! Mixing styles and time periods always adds character to the space, so the ornate, Victorian style of this divider , will offset the other more modern pieces I’ve chosen in an exciting way! Also, I believe the more mirrors in a small space, the better.

In the same way, I’ve had my eye on this French modernist chair for years, and there is just enough room in our master to make it happen! It’s a best seller that’s usually on back order, so I was in luck this time!

Next week I’ll be sharing my textile and art choices, some very exciting design decisions will have been made!For my interim planning, check in on Instagram (@janabekdesign) & Pinterest!

---

Be sure to peruse the other amazing participants planning too, links below!

At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona | House of Funk | House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham | Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon | Vintage Revivals | Media BH&G | TM by ORC

---

If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m Jana Bek, a New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan based interior designer with a lifestyle line of home décor, textiles, & lighting. I have a love for bright colors, bold prints, and designing spaces & home décor that help transport you to your dream destination.

View fullsize

I’m so excited to be included in my ninth season of One Room Challenge! If you’re just tuning in, I’m designing our new one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment for this season’s One Room Challenge, you can catch up on links below:

Challenge 1: Offset windows and embedded H/C Units

This week we’re talking about the awkward challenges our apartment’s layout pose & and ways in which I’ve decided to tackle them. This combined culprit is a doozy, it’s so off-balanced! The windows are not symmetrically placed with respect to the walls, and the shortness of walls tend to “call out” the asymmetry. On top of that, the windows include an H/C unit that stand from the floor to the lower windowsill.

Here’s my plan to turn these challenges into strengths:

• I’ll bring balance to the asymmetry by adding weight to the larger corner with a properly sized plant that pops instead of blends.

• For the window itself, I’m so very lucky to have Barn & Willow as an ORC sponsor! Their roman shades won’t overwhelm the window, but instead will draw you into the scene. Simple, sophisticated, and great fabrics and function. As a bonus, this will hide the standard apartment roller-shades without losing their functionality in case I want to block additional early morning light.

• The top of the H/C unit is large enough for what I plan to be elegant, but unassuming styling details. This, I think, will make something that looks accidental into something that looks purposeful.

Challenge 2: Wall Corner into kitchen

This complex corner must be hiding duct work behind the walls, but regardless of the reason, it’s simply unattractive! What immediately came to mind was a large folding screen. I’ve wanted one ever since I was a girl, and now I have the perfect reason. It’s exactly what I need to hide the funky architecture and at the same time frame in (and create) a small dining area between the living room and kitchen.

Challenge 3: Storage

 Small-space living means always layering in an opportunity for storage! Luckily, our walkway from the entrance/kitchen to the living area is just wide enough for a cabinet – I’ve got my eye on Ballard Designs eye-catching Adele Cabinet. I’m a sucker for grass-cloth when it’s done right, and Ballard is doing it very right. Just in the middle of confirming that the timing will work out!

Challenge 4: Bedroom and Closet

 The bedroom itself doesn’t pose many challenges, and by city apartment standards, our closet is big; but there’s no foldable storage. The room is too tight for a dresser across from the bed, but I found a solution in the small hallway just before our bedroom door. I think the dimensions work just work out for a sleek tall chest from A.R.T. Furniture that offers lots of storage in a small footprint. Perfect pick for the perfect solution!

Next week I’ll be sharing my firmed-up furniture designs and running you through my textile and art choices, some very exciting design decisions will have been made! For my interim planning, check in on Instagram (@janabekdesign) & Pinterest!

---

Be sure to peruse the other amazing participants planning too, links below!

At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona | House of Funk| House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham |Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon| Vintage Revivals | Media Partner BH&G | TM by ORC

If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m Jana Bek, a New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan based interior designer with a lifestyle line of home décor, textiles, & lighting. I have a love for bright colors, bold prints, and designing spaces & home décor that help transport you to your dream destination.

View fullsize

I’m so excited to be included in my ninth season of One Room Challenge! I’ve participated both as an invited participant and as a linking guest, and each avenue is an exciting opportunity to get your space looking awesome at top speed - with a wonderful design community supporting you along the way! If your joining-in this season, I wish you all the best in your sprint towards your space’s transformation!

Here’s a look at my favorite past ORC’s

take the tours: Living Room / Kitchen / Guest Room

For this seasons ORC I’m designing our new Brooklyn apartment, we literally moved in our first piece of furniture on Saturday! We cannot get enough of NY and are excited to be back. I started my career here and it feels like I’m returning home!

Between the move and daily onslaught of design inspiration on Instagram, I’m still working through some basic design decisions. I’ve settled on the main furniture and have brought in a few of my favorite things from Michigan. My M.O. is to build off a foundation of beautiful, classic pieces; and start layering on patterns and colors through exciting decor & accents. In this way, as my tastes, moods, and needs change; the space can be easily changed as well.

Our new apartment has a clean, modern look with a terrific view of the Manhattan skyline. What I plan to achieve in this ORC is to include the views as a central component of the space; and incorporate some great techniques that will help transform the nice, but “temporary” look of a rented apartment into the warm and inviting look of a home. It’s a personal challenge of small-space living; and bringing a custom look to a rented space. I am really enjoying finding and implementing the solutions I’ll be sharing and hope others in similar positions will get excited to try them out as well!

Here are the “befores”:

I measure out every anticipated item for the design beforehand. It’s the best way to set yourself up for success. Don’t forget measuring for item heights, layouts for artwork, and rugs.

In terms of inspo, I have most of the classic foundation pieces sorted & ordered (more on those next week) but it’s the artwork and accents that are currently throwing me for a loop. I’ve traditionally leaned towards layered pastels, but lately I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off of saturated jewel tones! And it seems that no matter where I look, from Instagram to my favorite home magazines, they’re jumping off the page.

Above, top to bottom:  Midwest Living’s lush tablescapes, Anne Hepfer’s recent house tour in House Beautiful (you’ll want to follow her on Insta, she’s so sweet to boot), & decadent Degournay panels. 

While these saturated hues are a bit of new ground for me personally, I’m pushing my creativity and will make it happen. I’ll have to make some major decisions in the coming days and I hope you’ll come back and weigh in on the progress! For my interim planning, check in on Instagram (@janabekdesign) & Pinterest!

---

Be sure to peruse the other amazing participants planning too, links below!

At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona  House of Funk | House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham | Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon | Vintage Revivals | Media Partner BH&G | TM by ORC

After making over our guest room last fall, I was inspired to shake things up in our master bedroom. I realized the airy, Zen vibe of the guest room was exactly what I was craving in our master.

Here’s a look at it:Coupled with the fact that our room needed additional storage, and I wanted a proper bed, I knew this project was a perfect way to ring in the New Year!

Here’s what are room looked like before. We did like it, just wanted a more neutral palette, and again, some much needed storage.

I had my eye on the gorgeous Frontgate bed for sometime, so that was an easy choice. I’ve always wanted a winged bed and I knew I’d enjoy its classic shape and nailhead detailing for years to come. Sadly, it’s now out of stock, but this one was a close second. Frontgate is one of the few companies I can purchase pieces online as their quality is consistently top notch.

To that end, I fell in love with their Gustavian chest, it’s timeless and beautiful. Living with it, I can confirm it’s crafted just as beautifully; it’s solid and heirloom quality indeed! Our emerald brushstroke lamp, paired with a lively jewel tone floral, pumps up the volume in this vignette.

From there, all that was required were fun aesthetic updates.  Matte stone is a finish offered in our new lamp shapes (it looks like cement which I adore), so I choose it for our clover lamps. I love the weight & texture they add to the nightstands!

Fittingly, a new Inslee figure study took the place of the blue one (also by her). I just love the lines and femininity of them.

I had been pinning Schumacher’s Lotus Garden print for sometime, using it for few throw pillows, adds just enough interest while still feeling serene. A bolster in our blush brushstroke fabric adds a bit of whimsy and femininity.  

We are loving our refreshed retreat, it’s cool, calm and uncluttered. When life is as hectic as it is, I think a bedroom that feels like an escape is essential!

For easy and impactful solutions, I always find that pairing down clutter, weekly laundering the sheets, and keeping a favorite candle on-hand; are ways that ensure a bedroom feels like a special space to unwind!