Small Space Desk Set Up | How I Styled My Ladder Desk

Hello loves! A couple days ago on Instagram I posted about my desk area, an area that I rarely show on my feed. It’s been a minute since my last home decor post, so I thought I would further break down my desk set up here on the blog. With everyone doing school and work from home, now more than ever it’s important to have a dedicated workspace that’s conducive to productivity. If you’re like me and are living in an apartment or don’t have a lot of space in your home for a desk, it can be difficult to find the perfect piece of furniture. Enter the ladder desk.

What makes a ladder desk so great for a small space is that it’s not bulky, doesn’t come out too far from the wall, and the vertical shelves save space yet allow for storage. My exact desk is from Walmart and was super easy to assemble. The desk came with a plain knob, so I replaced it with a rose quartz one from Anthropologie to switch it up. The hardest piece to find was the perfect lamp. Finding a chic lamp under 1 foot tall proved to be difficult, but thankfully my mom found this one online from Urban Outfitters and I’m obsessed with it. Exact links to my decor and desk can be found below!

If my exact desk is sold out or you just want some other ladder desk options, I included a few below!

I hope you found this helpful if you are needing inspiration on how to create the perfect desk space in your home.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

The Best Places to Buy Affordable High Quality Furniture

Hello loves! I have missed posting new home content during this time that I have been back at my parent’s house in Texas. As of now, I am going to go back to NYC at the end of June, so hopefully I can crank out some more home content then. In the meantime, I thought it would be helpful to talk about where I purchased all of my large pieces of furniture from. I think we can all agree that it’s super easy to find chic decor these days, but finding high quality furniture at an affordable price point can be a challenge. For me personally, this was the most difficult part of moving in to my apartment a year ago.

I’m going to break down my favorite retailers, and which pieces in my space were purchased from each retailer. I would love to hear if you have a favorite furniture retailer!

Wayfair

SO many pieces in my apartment are from Wayfair. I love this site because their prices are reasonable, the quality is great, and they have outstanding customer service. I ordered my curtain rods from them and one of the rods came damaged, and they mailed me a new one free of charge and I didn’t have to deal with shipping back the broken one. Wayfair has something for every aesthetic just be warned, you will need to assemble everything yourself unless you want to pay an extra fee. 

World Market

I have a ton of decor pieces from World Market in my space, but their furniture is great as well. Out of all the retailers here I would say that World Market has the best in-store selection (my mom and I picked up my marble table at the one in NYC and got it to my place in a taxi). If you’re going for a more eclectic, boho feel, I would highly recommend world market.

Target

Everyone knows and loves Target, but I found that the best furniture pieces are on their website. In addition to the already low prices, Target will frequently do flash sales on furniture. The pieces I have were super simple to put together and the shipping was incredibly fast (one of my pieces literally came the day after I ordered it).  I specially love the pieces from their Opalhouse line - the aesthetic is amazing.

Walmart

The in-store selection at Walmart pales in comparison to the brand’s online selection. This is where I found my perfect ladder desk. This desk was easy to assemble and stands up on its own. I also purchased my full length mirror from Walmart, which you have seen many times on my Instagram.

NYC Apartment Tour Shopping Guide

Hello loves! A few days ago on Instagram I posted an IGTV video of a tour of my full NYC apartment. Since it’s difficult and not very user-friendly to link things via IGTV, I compiled a shopping guide for the blog and in the LTK app for you. Not everything in my apartment is still available, but I went through and found my favorite pieces that are still in stock for purchase. As always, click the image below to shop - enjoy!

Let me know what your favorite piece is - I would love to hear!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

NYC Apartment: Kitchen Tour

Hello loves! It’s been a few months since my last apartment blog post, so I thought today was the perfect opportunity to give y’all an in depth look at another part of my place. I don’t really show much of my kitchen over on Instagram, BUT in this post I’m breaking down all the details of my lil NYC kitchen.

Pictured below: view of my kitchen from my front door

Like most components in NYC apartments, my kitchen is small. But as someone who lives alone it gets the job done and is the perfect size. Although the appliances are smaller and not the full size that I’m used to being from Texas, I have plenty of storage space so I can’t complain. Pictured below is the left side of my kitchen that is next to the refrigerator.

I talked about this in my Amazon favorites post, but if you don’t have an electric wine bottle opener what are you doing? It’s only $15 too!!!! My fruit basket is unfortunately sold out, but I purchased it from Anthropologie.

On the opposite side of my kitchen is where the dishwasher and oven/stove are (and the ever so crucial Nespresso and milk frother). Like I mentioned earlier, the appliances are about half of traditional ones, but since it’s just me living here they work perfectly.

Here’s an inside look of what the interior of the cabinets look like. The one pictured below is the cabinet above my dishwasher and Nespresso. The cabinet above my toaster and Keurig has mugs, wine glasses, and tupperware, and the cabinet below on that side has my pots and pans and Instant Pot.

My pink dish set is unfortunately sold out but it’s from Target.

Finally for a pop of artwork, I added two little mirrors on the wall adjacent to the dishwasher and a print over in the corner by the trash can (this print has been with me since my freshman year dorm).

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know what part of my apartment you would like me to do a post about next.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

NYC Apartment Snapshots

Hello loves! Y’all seem to love my home content that I’ve been posting over on my Instagram, so I thought it was about time I added some more to the blog. Incase you missed it, I posted an entire reveal of my bedroom on the blog already. While my bedroom is basically done, the main living area is a continuous work in progress. Today I’m sharing some snapshots of my living room to showcase the progress I’ve made over the last two months. As always, you can click the photos of the individual products to be redirected to where you can purchase them.

When I was planning out my apartment, I knew I wanted a bar cart. Not only is it functional, but it’s a chic and sophisticated decorative piece. This was super easy to assemble and I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.

This desk was my most recent furniture purchase. If you’re working with a small space, I highly recommend this desk. It stands on it’s own and doesn’t require drilling to the wall like most desks I’ve seen that are designed like this. I decided to go with a velvet chair to add a different texture to my space. The desk also came with a white wooden knob, but I opted for this rose quartz one to make it look more elevated.

My rattan accent chair is one of my favorite pieces in my space. It adds the perfect boho touch, and I love how unique the shape is. I have ordered a lamp to add more light to this corner, so stay tuned for that!

For my living room I wanted to go with a mix of mid century modern and boho designs. This TV stand perfectly fit that vision (note: my dad did have a hard time putting this piece together). I use the giant basket to store my throw blankets. I knew I wanted a white ceramic planter, but I was having a hard time finding a large one for under $100, so I was happy when I found this one. I purchased the plant separately, and I was impressed with how realistic it looks. I still need to add more decor to the shelves under my TV but I’m working on it!

Let me know what your favorite part of my apartment is! See y’all in the next post.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

Your One Stop Shop for Back to College Shopping

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WalmartBackToCollege #CollectiveBias

Hello loves! As most of you know I graduated from college in May, but I know that so many of you are going back to college this month. I understand that prepping for college can be stressful, so I want to help you out in anyway that I can. Today I’m so excited to be teaming up with Walmart to let y’all know about their upcoming Back to College in-store events that are taking place across the country. These events are happening on 8/24, and 8/31. To find a store hosting an event near you, check out the store locator page HERE or hover over the photo below. Head to one of these events and stock up on your Back to College essentials today!​

When planning for Back to College, I would make a super long shopping list of things I needed for the new school year. It’s such a great feeling to shop in-store, purchase those must have school essentials and check them off your list. What’s so great about shopping at Walmart is that it’s your one stop shop for college dorm/apartment furniture and decor, technology, and food needs all at an everyday low price.

One of my favorite items that I recently found at Walmart is this adorable (yet functional) clothing rack. I know the importance of maximizing clothing storage in a college dorm room or apartment (especially if you’re like me and want to take all of your clothes to college with you). What I like about this clothing rack that is different from other clothing racks on the market is the two wooden shelves. The bottom shelf makes great storage for shoes and the top shelf is perfect for larger items such as bags or a bin that could hold accessories (I know Walmart has some chic bins!). I would’ve loved to have an accent clothing rack like this when I was in college, but I am so glad that I was able to find it for my new apartment.

I also picked up this ladder style desk from Walmart. Since it leans up against the wall and has built in shelving, it is the perfect space saving desk. Similarly to most college apartments, my space is not big enough for a traditional sized desk. I had never bought furniture from Walmart until this summer, and I am very pleased with the quality. This desk is under $200, which is so affordable and the perfect addition to your college apartment.

Let me know in the comments if you will be attending one of Walmart’s back to college events  happening on 8/24, and 8/31​. I would love to see what pieces you find. 

Channing

NYC Apartment: Bedroom Reveal + Details

Hello loves! I asked on Instagram if y’all wanted to see a bedroom or living room reveal first on the blog, and bedroom was the winner (glad y’all voted for bedroom because I’m still waiting on a couple more pieces of furniture for the living area). I’m breaking down all the details of my bedroom furniture and decor and what was my inspiration when designing my space. I also linked everything that is still available to purchase.

I had white bedding all throughout college and absolutely loved it; I knew this was something I wanted to continue in my new apartment. Having white bedding paired with white sheets makes me feel like I’m jumping into a cloud each night to go to bed. The bedspread I ended up selecting is actually the same one I have in my bedroom at my parents house, except that one is in the blue color.

My two gray throw pillow and my faux fur body pillow are from Dormify, and you can receive 15% off your purchase by using the code CHANNING15. Unfortunately my gold pillow is 3 years old from Anthropologie and is not available for purchase anymore.

Of course, I had to spruce up the walls with some wall art! I decided to make one wall an homage to Texas. I’ve had to hook ‘em hand print since sophomore year of college and the Austin print I received as a college graduation gift. I purchased the gold frame from a local craft store, but the print is still available. The minimal goodnight sign that’s above my bed has been in my room at my parent’s house ever since we moved in during my senior year of high school. I thought it would be the perfect touch to my apartment bedroom so I brought it back to NYC with me the last time I went home.

Since the two windows in my bedroom are on the smaller side, traditional panel curtains were not an option. I’m so glad I was able to find chic valences to spice up my windows. I love how they’re a continuation of the boho aesthetic that I have going on in my living room. I had them hung on gold walls to add a bit of an elegant element.

I’m so thankful that I was able to find a nightstand small enough for my space that was still aesthetically pleasing. It’s from IKEA but I definitely recommend going to purchase it in store instead of paying the $39 delivery fee like I did (there are no IKEAs in Manhattan). Just a warning, this was the hardest piece of furniture in my apartment to put together (I had my dad help me too and the drawer is still not perfect). My lamp is form Target and I love the gold/white marble combo.

Finding an affordable, yet chic full length mirror is hard! I prefer the free standing full length mirrors over the over the door mirrors because they function as a decor piece as well (and look good in outfit photos lol). It’s difficult to tell in photos, but this mirror is advertised as a champagne color, so it’s between gold and silver which is perfect for me since I have both metals in my apartment.

Having an accessories display was one of my top priorities when designing my apartment. This piece is furniture is advertised as a bookshelf, but it is exactly what I had in mind. I love using my favorite accessories as home decor pieces.

When choosing a rug for my bedroom, I wanted to pick something that would coordinate with the natural tones and textures that are present in my living room. I absolutely love this one and it comes in a variety of sizes for all spaces (for reference, my room is 10’x10’ and I bought the 5’x8’ rug).

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you want to see a video tour of my place, head over to my Instagram. Stay tuned, because within the next couple of weeks I’ll be revealing my living room in a blog post.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

NYC Apartment: Bathroom Reveal + Details

Hello loves! It’s been a MINUTE since I’ve posted on here. I’m finally getting settled into my NYC apartment, so it’s about time I start sharing all the details of my place with y’all. Once a finish a room or an area of my place, I’m going to write a blog post dedicated to that one room/area. When the apartment is completely done I think I might film a tour of the entire place to show y’all how the rooms connect/flow (let me know if this sounds like a good idea!).

My bathroom is the first space that I finished and I’m so happy with the way it turned out! It’s smaller than I’m used to, but I’m making it work. This is NYC so it could be a lot smaller! I have everything linked at the end of the post if you see something you like. I hope you’re excited for apartment content!

My bathroom the shelf space that I am used to coming from Texas. I’m so glad I was able to find pieces that are small enough to fit on my 6” shelf. The gold canisters are practical, yet are aesthetically pleasing. I keep cotton rounds in one, and q-tips in the other. I have greenery in my living room and bedroom and I wanted to continue this theme in the bathroom, so I picked up this adorable plant that came in this white planter.

This shower curtain was the first piece of decor that I bought for the apartment. This one is only $20 and my favorite detail is the gold shimmering discs. My apartment has boho accents, and this shower curtain perfectly integrates that vibe into my bathroom.

To keep my makeup organized, I picked up this acrylic makeup organizer. I narrowed down my collection when moving to NYC, so this fits all my essentials (plus has room for more!). It’s a nice way to keep all my makeup together and accessible, and it was only $20.

I hope y’all enjoyed this post! Stay tuned for apartment updates on my Instagram stories and more blog posts as I finish each room.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing