the raeviewer - a premier blog for skin care and cosmetics from an esthetician's point of view: INTERIORS | My Apartment Renovation ♡ Before and After Photos

I figured we should wrap up 2016 with my biggest, most stressful project of the year. Many thanks to Stella for making my dreams come true, interior designer Michelle for her sage input, and photographer Jeff Mindell for making my home look impeccable! As a full disclosure, I'm telling you now that I wish I could keep my apartment this free of Beau's fur and beauty clutter 24/7, but that is an impossible task. Also, many of you have waited for this reveal for months, but I lost (aka misplaced for a really, really long time) the SD card with half of the video footage, so I apologize profusely for the delay! Please enjoy xo

Since you cannot fully appreciate the transformation without some horrific "before" photos — specifically that dirty carpet and the popcorn ceilings — so here goes! Please keep in mind this apartment hadn't been renovated since it was built in the 70s. I wish I could have done more, but altering the structure like widening the doorways would have required zoning and extremely costly and potentially risky construction.

Now that you've seen what I had to work with, let me share the final results. This project was a team effort, so I was fortunate enough to have the support of my expert mother, my interior designer Michelle for putting out construction fires so to speak, and the PR team at West Elm. Last but not least, my whole family and all my sweet friends were very helpful and encouraging because I was extremely anxious and stressed out for four months straight! I couldn't have done it without them. Plus my handsome pup Beau, whose majestic ruff I would cry into every night jk jk (kind of).

The charcoal grey Leather Chairs are so buttery soft! My brother comes over just to lean back and swivel in them. I paired them with the Pebble Pillows 16x16 to add a touch of warmth because I am all about warm-cool balance. This brass and glass Coffee Table is actually one of the most affordable pieces in my apartment and it's so versatile! I got the Brass Bar Cart because I loved the table so much. It is quite useful and displays all my bottles, wine and whisky glasses. The Brass Bar Lamp is only for decoration, but it completes my bar cart. The Calvin Double Clothing Rack holds all my most worn outwear, although it's only available in black and white now. Next to the clothing rack is my Marble Side Table.

I designed this room to pop in pictures. It did turn out more glamorous and matchy-matchy than I had anticipated, but my eyes don't get tired of it! My turquoise velvet couch is custom made by my interior designer. If enough of you are seriously interested in ordering one, I will give you her contact info! The pillows on the couch are from West Elm, but they are sold out.

The Reclaimed Wood Table is a piece that I got very lucky with. I was struggling with the tiny size of my dining room which requires a small round table and this was the only design I found anywhere that I wanted in my home. Ideally I wanted a glass or acrylic table, but I couldn't find "the one" within my budget. I chose the ultra simple and minimalistic Dining Chairs to pair with the table. If you want to see how my table was arranged, check out my video tour! We used the Ridge Flatware and Cotton Napkins among other things. The whitewashed Wood Wall Art is also from West Elm.

The Dining Room Chandelier is from Lamps Plus, but unfortunately it is sold out! I had to exchange it the first time because the mesh ring was misshapen. Possini lighting as a whole seems to be well made though.

My mirrored media cabinet is from my previous apartment, a totally overpriced piece that I regret to this very day. But it has turned out to be useful because storage space in my apartment now is very limited. I keep Beau's bowls on a tray next to it! All three pieces are from Petco. The bowls were cute and photograph better than I anticipated, but again, a purchase I regret. I changed them out for glass bowls that are dishwasher safe!

My Roar and Rabbit Velvet Bed is actually a King size, which is available in queen and twin only right now. Although I wasn't sure about the footboard, I have learned to appreciate it. The Feather Gray Sham is a pintucked envelope-back design and the other side is smooth in case you are worried about creases on your face. The White Linen Duvet is actually a little too big for my duvet, so I tend to use the incredibly awesome Platinum Linen Quilt alone. I ordered another in white recently because it's that good.

The custom wreath was created by Handmade by Sara Kim. I was exploring all the possible wall art options but none made me want to pull the trigger. The paper construction is sturdy but it looks so delicate and matches the bed beautifully. I went conservatively with the measurements. The wreath could have been a few inches bigger with a couple more inches on each branch, but the subtlety is nice too! I highly recommend her work.

Do you see the face in the painting below? Everyone but me saw it! My awesome artistic stylish mother helped me choose this one at Z Gallerie. We looked through nearly one hundred pieces. Since the velvet and wreath make the room feel super girly and feminine, we thought the soothing cool tones of this painting would help me relax and unwind in a serene, balanced space.

The White Pillows 24x24 that you see are above actually just the covers. I bought pillow inserts for them, but I like to lean back into the chair! And if I had to boil it down, these Roar and Rabbit Velvet Chairs are the whole reason I went with West Elm. I'm still obsessed with them. So stylish and comfortable. The nickel color isn't available any more, but their new Wasabi color is equally retro and unisex although probably a bit loud for some. The Roar and Rabbit Nightstands hold my mismatched socks and jeans and jewelry and other random stuff that I haven't thrown out.

Now this is something I wasn't able to show in the video tour since the file corrupted, but the West Elm Parsons Mirror is my favorite and probably my most used! It's a floor mirror, intended to lean up against the wall, but we mounted it for a multitude of reasons. The final look is much more modern and sleek. The shelves are incredibly high quality acrylic from Kartell, recommended by Michelle, and they are used for displaying my towels.

All the paint is by Dunn Edwards, from their Zero VOC Paint line. The main color is Faded Gray DEW382 Flat while the accent wall in my dining room is Mother of Pearl DE6029 Flat. My bedroom is Crisp Muslin DE6212 Flat. All the White is DEW380 in both Flat and Semi-Gloss finishes. The giant sunburst wall clock is from Z Gallerie, another piece that caught my mother's very keen eye.