"Pretty on a Penny" Interior Design

This past summer Jim's mom stayed in a condo ten minutes up the road from us.  It was fantastic.  She got to spend lots of time with the kids, I got lots of projects done, she had a few house guests, (including my mom for two weeks) she felt empowered, and she had her own space to go home to at night.  Last summer, before Cora was born, she visited for a month, and this summer was two months.  She and Jim don't want to move here and leave their lives in Jamestown forever, but they do love being able to visit for long stretches.

Sharon has said several times that she wishes she had her own place here, so she could stay in it whenever she wanted.  Well, in September her dream came true.  She and Jim were able to purchase a two bedroom condo in Lenox Village!  The idea is that they will rent it out on a month-to-month basis and then stay in it themselves for a month at a time at various points in the year.

Of course, this means the condo has to be completely furnished.  From scratch.  On a budget.  For renters!  Sharon finds this task to be slightly daunting.

I, on the other hand, find it invigorating and thrilling.  Bring on the shopping.  (And shopping, and shopping, and shopping...  You would be shocked how much can be stuffed into a Honda Civic!)

Sharon and I have made countless trips, logged hundreds of miles right here in Nashville, and started stocking the space.  It has been insanely fun.  And the best part is that Sharon has given me free reign.

I haven't infused much personality into the condo on purpose.  I want it to be a balance of masculine and feminine, modern and traditional.  I am really going for a transitional look that can appeal to most anyone.  And although the space isn't done, it is well on its way.

This is what it looked like just a few weeks ago.  For one week we lived, breathed and ate condo.  That meant the kids did too, but they didn't care.  Brennan just made forts out of new boxes and blankets.

The whole condo is being done in white, chocolate brown, and shades of aqua and other soft blues.  It is all tying together so well, and I can't wait to post photos of the final product.  In the mean time, here is a picture of the mood board I put together for Sharon when we first started discussing furnishings.  We ended up using a few pieces exactly, while others just helped to establish the overall feel we were going for.

rental condo living room ideas by meriggs on Polyvore.com

Jim and Sharon would love to start renting the condo in December, so if you know anyone who wants to come stay in Nashville for a month at any point, let me know! In the mean time, I hope to post completed photos sometime in the next few weeks!