NAFASI THE BLOG

Hi everyone! A couple weeks ago the NAFASI team took a field trip to Antique Row in Kensington, MD.  Antique Row is literally that - a row of antique shops!  It's the largest and oldest center of antiques in the DC/metropolitan area.  If you're ever in the market for that special antique or are just looking to spend a relaxing afternoon browsing old treasures, definitely visit Antique Row!  I suggest checking what times the stores open - we went on a Sunday around 11, and all the stores were closed as they open at 12 on Sundays!  So we went for a stroll around the block and picked up some yummy sandwiches at a nearby deli while we waited.  The area has a lot of cute restaurants that would be perfect for a date night. We started shopping on the block we wandered to while we were waiting for the Antique Row shops to open.  Capital Consignment was our first stop: We found that adorable wicker elephant table you've been looking for!!  ...

Once our design plan was set, we wanted to change practically everything about the old space, so we got creative. Take a look at all of the DIY projects we completed in just the Living Room alone to get rid of all the girly cooties from before! ;) I can blog about each of them separately after the reveal to give away some more insider tips! First project- Get RID of the glass shelves! I could not wait, and this project was on my mind since I had first moved in 3 years ago. Instead of a display case, I wanted it to be more of an open pantry with black inside walls and rustic wood shelves. It turned out great! Next was painting! We spent a weekend with lots of trips to Home Depot, lots blue tape, and lots of beer. It was actually really fun, and we started to feel like we were really moving in together as we were building our own new home together!! (The picture I snapped of Pats in his undies, painting on the tiny stool is one of my all-time favorites of him btw.) ;) ...

Let's start with the living room here. We had our color palette to work with. (See the last #TTPATShomemakeover blog post for details on that!) And within that color scheme, there would lie a design that we BOTH would enjoy. Patrick had some functional requirements. He wanted to have seating looking at the fireplace. He moved in in December, and the best part of our apartment is the real wood fireplace! It's fantastic and so cozy. So we wanted to take advantage of that. He also wanted no  TV in the living room, but instead to have the guest room dedicated as a TV room. I loved the thought of no TV in the living room, so I was on board! The whole theory was to cut out "passive TV watching." When the TV is out where the action is, it's on, it replaces conversation, it gets watched more- accidentally sort of. Now, we DO enjoy ourselves some well deserved relaxation time with a movie, or (guilty pleasure) The Bachelorette. But when there is a separate TV room,...

It's that time of year again... The sun is hot, the pool is open, the kids are out of school - it's officially summer!  All the astrology buffs out there know that summer also means Cancer season is from June 22 to July 22.  So in honor of all the crabs celebrating a birthday this month, Sydney and Teri, our resident Cancer, are going to give our readers a fun style analysis of the sign! Facts about Cancer: The sign is ruled by the moon, which in astrology represents our emotions.  Cancers tend to experience frequent changes in moods and feelings as the moon waxes and wanes.   Cancer is a water sign, making them more sensitive than some of the other signs.  They're guided by their emotions and intuition.   They're a cardinal sign so they love starting new projects and taking the lead!  Cancer loves their home - being at home, having friends over, decorating - and family is important to them! Their colors are white, silver, blue, and sea green...

During the whole design-the-apartment, and move-in-together-with-Patrick, and maintain-the-business part of my life I lost track of blogging. Now that we're all settled in though, I'll be telling the story from the past tense. :) Better late than never they always say, amiright!?  OK, so we left off on the #TTPATSHomeMakeover story with the last article, Pats Gets a Style Analysis where I realized my boyfriend who was becoming live-in , has nothing in common with me as far as living rooms .. Yikes.. So while trying to blend his modern, neutral, clean aesthetic, and my funky, bold, eclectic style I had a couple different color palettes to work with. We both really liked the look of clean white walls. The thought being that white walls will modernize the older architecture of the apartment. Great starting point! I also really like black and white, and knew he gravitated towards that as well. Now, the trick would be bringing in the main accent colors. It was between...

Hi everyone!    My name is Sydney and I recently joined NAFASI as Project Manager Intern.  I’m so excited to work alongside Teri and Rachel!  We have a lot of fun things planned for this summer and we'll be keeping you updated with our blog, Facebook , and Instagram !  Don't forget to look out for our newsletter so you can stay up to date on all things NAFASI - sign up here ! So, a year ago I worked at Urban Outfitters as a Team Leader, where I helped to manage and merchandise the store.  Merchandising is kind of like interior design for retail spaces: it involves everything from looking at the "big picture" of the layout of the store, to the details of how product is presented on a fixture.  I'm excited to see how much of my previous knowledge and experience from the fashion side of the world I'll be able to bring to NAFASI!  But of course, NAFASI has already found a way to incorporate fashion into its design process. ...