Decorating for the Choka Lifestyle

Most of you know that we love some vintage finds. So one of our new series on the blog that we will be starting is going to tackle the project of finishing decorating our apartment of one year. Our apartment is nice and cozy but it has been in decorating limbo ever since we moved in. Recently, I found this exciting 1970s Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book. This new series will be 16 parts, taking place over the next 16 weeks. We will be revamping our home taking advice from the tips and tricks learned from this 70s book.

The 1st Chapter is called "It's Your Home." It continues on, "It makes sense to begin your decorating ADVENTURE by defining your lifestyle....Your home is your very special place. Comfort comes first and includes beauty. Beauty is important because whether we realize it or not people avoid areas that are dull or not attractive...Atmosphere requires PLANNING."

This room has it all. Classic furniture, bold patterns, and tropical whimsy all rolled into one.

The first step is to figure out your life style. Are you "Carefree Party Givers", "Crafts People and Hobbyists", "Late Working Husbands", "Working Wives"? Once you have your lifestyle figured out, you want to chart your family activities.

Love this mod room with bold and bright colors!

Our activities typically consist of waking up, eating a really quick breakfast, going to work, coming home, plopping in front of the tv while eating and working on hobbies. We typically use our living room, kitchen and bedroom the most. The office is for work/hobbies and guests. However, lately we have been avoiding this room and methinks it's due to the lack of atmosphere. We have several ideas of a type of "atmosphere" that we want to display. And that leads us to the next step.

Details, details. Even if the details are simple, they can bring a room together.

Next is the budget plan.

"Develop your budget plan as fully as possible, even though your finances may not permit you to achieve all of your decorating objectives right away. By doing this, you will be able to avoid any hasty unwise purchases along the way."

I love that point. And for us this is key. We are on a very tight income right now and I have been able to set aside around $100 per month to go towards decorating and home furnishings until we get everything we need. 

The chair in this picture is obviously the luxurious item. When budgeting plan ahead for large ticket items

All the pictures above are from the book. I'll add pics of our apartment so far so that you can see good before and after pictures. How do you you like to decorate? What are your fave styles, tips and tricks?