I’m starting a new thing here called Mood Board Monday (cute right?) So every Monday for the next couple months I’m going to share my game plan for one of the rooms. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite rooms, my Solarium, and I’m obsessed. I’m super excited to have a chill outdoor(ish) space!
Our last apartment had the tiniest balcony. You could fit 2 small chairs out there, facing each other, but you pretty much had to put your feet up on the other chair for it to work! Then Blue would try to come out and you can imagine how we all fit. And our apartments before that had nothing!
This is technically a “3-seasons room,” so it has windows on all sides but it’s not insulated. It does have an outlet so I’m going to see how it works in the winter with a space heater. But it’s honestly so nice! All of the windows open and have screens, so it gets a nice breeze as you can imagine, and is super cozy when it’s raining too! I could see myself laying down a mat and doing yoga out here, or reading a book, or taking my laptop and working, or literally anything. Here’s what’s inspiring me, and check out my Pinterest board for more pictures!
Inspiration
My biggest inspiration for this room is my Granny’s sunroom at her Florida house in Naples. I used to go down there alot as a kid, and last year I visited for the first time in a years. Even though she was pissed I got a giant mermaid tattoo on my arm, her sunroom is covered in mermaid stuff, what a double standard.
So even though I’m in cold ass Michigan, I want it to have kind of a tropical vibe.
There will be LOTS of plants! Hanging plants, potted plants, cannabis (kidding obviously, the conditions would be terrible for growth).
Working off what I already have...
The space has good bones already. The ceiling is wood planks and the floor is a green carpet that happens to match the color scheme I’m already working with!
I wanted the color scheme to be greens and beige. Idk why, I’m not usually a beige lover but it was calling to me. I love black and white so I think I’ll balance it out with some black and white patterns too.
I found this chair months ago in perfect condition at Goodwill for $5! Thrift store for the win again. And it happens to perfectly match the space, even before I knew what it looked like! The Universe always knows what’s up.
I already hung this stained glass light and I’m obsessed. I got it for super cheap at an auction, and you can see what else I found on this post about it!
I almost threw away my old (less than 2 years) couch, but I measured it and it is the perfect size for the sunroom. The couch was atrocious thanks to 2 little monsters, plus it was designed poorly (thanks IKEA!) You’d have to take the entire couch apart to get the cover in the right spot, but then I wouldn’t have been able to wash it, so it always looked like shit because it wasn’t on right! I got a new cover for it on eBay and it looks brand new!
The new sofa I got for the living room came with 2 matching green velvet pillows, but they were too matchy-matchy on that couch so I’m planning on using them in the sunroom, they’re the same color as the carpet! I had some pillow covers that I used for other rooms (Amazon 2-packs for the win!) so those will be going out here too. These are the exact covers I bought.
See the cute fishy blanket above? When my family went to Mexico in January (thank god we fit it in before the virus hit!) we visited the factory where they make these blankets and other textiles by hand. It was so rustic and sweet, it didn’t even have electricity!
I got the papasan chair for Blue, but she hates it. I thought she might like it because she loves to curl up in a tiny ball in spaces that are too small for her. In her defense, it’s a little wobbly and unstable, but honestly it is so comfortable it’s mine now, she can’t have it!
I also found this hammock chair, both together were only about $50! You should have seen me carrying this chair through the airport and on the plane. Looked like a giant boomerang.
And that’s what I’ve got so far! I’m planning on putting up some curtains but I’m struggling. I technically did put up curtains already, but something’s off about it. I got white sheer panels, but I feel like they are maybe too sheer so I’m going to see what I can figure out. I also took the bottom shelf off my coffee table, so I think I’m going to throw some legs on it and put it out here.
I can’t wait to have everyone over for a smoke sesh, and to finally get some plant babies going in here! You can see my plan for the whole house here, and also see my inspiration for the living room!
