Welcome to my home! At long last, I can unveil my La Carmina apartment redecoration project — I redesigned the space and brought in new pieces for a mid-century modern meets Miffy and Japanese Zen vibe!
Read on for all the details of my apartment interior decor, including the scoop on the various pieces and where I got them (many are from my travels around the world).
And I’ll be sharing plenty of fashion blogger home content on my social media, so follow along @lacarmina — starting with this IG reel that gives you a peek inside my living space!
As you can see, Miffy the Dutch bunny — my fav mascot — features prominently. Created by Dick Bruna as a children’s book character, Miffy (or Nijntje) is a minimalist design from the mid twentieth century (she debuted in 1955), which fits with my MCM aesthetic.
Above: Maison Deux Miffy wool rug and throw blanket, and Mr Maria XL Miffy lamp.
Washi paper lamps also let me add a touch of Japan minimalism to the space. My Havenly floor lantern provides gentle ambient light through its rice paper shade — I love Havenly’s selection of lamps and other modern design objects.
I removed plastic elements from my space (you know I’m fighting the war on microplastics!) and added in quality furniture made from natural materials to last a lifetime. Behold my Mobital Quasar table with pentagram-like legs, made from stained walnut ashwood and glass! (Check out my visit to Mobital’s showroom to see more of their stylish pieces.)
As you can see, my apartment design puts my personal kawaii (cute Japan) spin on Mid-Century Modern. I’ve long admired the mid-20th century design movement, which emphasizes organic / geometric forms and modernist clean lines. I chose a classic MCM color scheme for the space: tangerine orange, aqua (light turquoise or teal), and avocado green. I looked for furnishings reminiscent of this era, mostly made with steel wire, paper and wood.
If you’re thinking that my home doesn’t look very Goth… then look closer! I didn’t want to clutter my space with plastic Halloween-y decor, or anything too dark (as that can make my tiny apt look even smaller). Rather, I added Gothic accents like this Anatomica book by Joanna Ebenstein, and a pentagram coaster from Kobe’s Satanic Idea bar. (The wood legs of my Mobital Quasar table also look quite like the points of a pentacle!)
My high-rise one bedroom apartment in Vancouver has giant windows and a balcony, which bring in lots of natural light to make the small space seem larger. The living and dining / kitchen spaces flow into each other to increase the sense of openness — and a UFO-like paper lamp by Vin Lighting floats from the high ceiling.
Anyone who loves contemporary design knows the name Herman Miller. The American furniture manufacturer rose to fame during the 1940s-60s, producing iconic pieces such as the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, and Nelson bench. Today, they remain the leaders in modernist, experimental home furnishings.
I have two Eames molded side chairs — one of most famous seats manufactured by Herman Miller, and created by Charles and Ray Eames — in Aqua Sky and Orange, with a chrome-finished steel wire base. The metal hairpin legs pair perfectly with the round Magis Tavolo XZ3 table, and a white leather chair my family got in the 90s.
My sofa adds to the retro modernism: it’s the Cavett Loveseat by Crate and Barrel in Lemongrass Green. The sleek lines, walnut frame and tapered legs are quintessential mid-century modern. Since I don’t have a large space, the smaller size of the Cavett sofa was ideal. (It’s styled with a Miffy Maison Deux wool throw blanket; details of my macrame owl and skull art are further below, so keep reading.)
While keeping the vibe minimalist, I accented the furnishings with meaningful, plastic-free decorative pieces. This gorgeous talavera ceramic skull is by artisans at Talavera de la Reyna in Puebla, Mexico (see photos of my visit).
I wanted to add natural greenery to the space, but since I travel a lot and have a “black thumb,” I find it hard to keep plants healthy. This dried eucalyptus bouquet by Karinya Botanicals was the perfect solution — Kathy is an indie Canadian designer who creates gorgeous dried floral and plant arrangements!
The space glows under the lights (see more info further down about my lamps). Details of my Miffy blanket, Line bear lamp by Mr Maria. and hanging Japanese Akari lamp by Vin Lighting.
Since I have a tiny apt, I had to get creative for my TV stand as traditional ones are far too large and bulky. Instead, I propped my flat screen on a Verner Panton Wire extended module with a custom glass pane on top.
Verner Panton is one my fav furniture and interior designers, famed for his futuristic and curved works from the 1960s and 70s. His Panton Wire modular system lets you arrange chrome cubes of varying sizes as shelves, storage, etc. I filled mine with architecture books, a curved candle from Mexico City, and a sardine bowl from Portugal (to hold the television remote!)
I have reminders of my global travels throughout my apartment. There are Japan coasters and a moai-shaped glass bottle from Easter Island on my Mobital Quasar table.
I got these stone-faced moai clay figures on my trip to Easter Island (see my blogs about it). They cast shadows on the windowsill next to my row of mini succulents.
All of the art in my apartment is original — no prints or posters! This powerful spirit painting is by Jón Sæmundur Auðarson, the Icelandic artist behind Dead Gallery in Reykjavik. His art often incorporates skulls and themes of death and spirituality, which is why it resonates strongly with me.
Here’s another skull / spirit / soul painting by Jón Sæmundur Auðarson, in orange and blue colors that match the hues of my apartment. I’m big on large-scale one of a kind art, and got his pieces custom framed for maximum impact. (Speaking of original art, the macrame owl is a creation by my mom in the 1970s.)
I used to have some plastic furnishings and toys around my space, but got rid of them as I’m trying to minimize exposure to microplastics. If you look closely, you can see architecture, Japan and Yoko Ono books on my Verner Panton / Montana Furniture metallic wire modular shelf.
I replaced my previous polyester rug with a kilim cotton one. The zig-zagging shapes mimic the legs of my Mobital Quasar table.
(See my IG reel about my apartment for video of everything featured.)
I styled my coffee table with plastic-free items that spark joy: a jade plant, Japanese coasters, a sardine ceramic from Portugal, and books about Robert Davidson’s British Columbia Haida art as well as minimalist architecture.
It’s impossible to feel “miffed” when you’re sitting here with this view! (See how my Mobital Quasar coffee table looks like a star or pentagram?)
More original art pieces: my dad made this aluminum avantgarde sculpture of a road runner while in architecture school. It complements my hand painted talavera skull from Puebla, a witchy candle, and Karinya Botanicals dried eucalyptus leaves in a vase.
Minimalism meets Miffy and mid-century modern! It’s a balance between decorating a space and keeping it from feeling cluttered and claustrophobic.
My extra large Miffy lamp (available here from Mr Maria) is a show-stopper. It comes with a dimmer so you can adjust the lighting intensity.
These Herman Miller Eames chairs pair perfectly with my round white Tavolo XZ3 table by Magis, the Italian furniture brand that makes designs by Jasper Morrison and Philippe Starck.
Get the Miffy face carpet here. It’s made of luxurious New Zealand wool by Maison Deux (again, no microplastics are being shed here!)
The sun mirror is something my family picked up in the 1990s, when the celestial whimsi-goth era was in full bloom! To make the space visually interesting, I used a variety of shapes, sizes and materials.
The metallic chair and table legs match the Panton wire shelf and stainless steel kitchen elements. In the living room, the angular wood arms and legs of the Cavett Loveseat by Crate and Barrel mimic the Mobital quasar coffeetable.
My Line Friends Brown bear lamp by Mr Maria looks over my teak wood kitchen utensils by Havenly Home. One of the simplest ways to reduce microplastics consumption is by replacing your plastic cooking tools with wood ones like these.
Havenly’s Japanese paper lamps with bamboo frames are also plastic free, and cast a peaceful glowing light after dark.
The eco-friendly teak wooden utensil set sits next to an original Vincent Castiglia skeleton drawing, and a Tom of Finland exhibition memento I got in Helsinki.
My Dutch designer friends Mr Maria are responsible for this sweet lamp, which uses fire-safe LEDs and has a dimmer. The MrMaria lighting family includes an elephant, polar bear, smiley face, Japanese doll, and other kawaii lamps.
Here’s how I combine natural light and mood lighting. Note that all my lamps double as objects of art.
This large oval paper lamp by Vin Lighting hovers above the dining table. Love the Japanese Zen meets futuristic space-y design of Vin’s 70A Akari. You can tell that the paper is a high quality, warm- hued washi — check out their site for a fetching selection of modern light fixtures.
This macrame owl perched on beachwood also looks over the room. My mom crafted it in the 70s when macrame was trending!
Pops of mid-century modern color add joy to the interiors. (See my IG reel for video of my apt decor!)
This isn’t a staged home, so there are “realness” elements like a not so aesthetic portable air conditioner and flat TV. I wanted the space to reflect my personality, and am happy with how it turned out.
It took a long time for everything to come together, as many of the furnishings are investment pieces — but they’ll last a lifetime. (Table and chairs Herman Miller, sofa Crate and Barrel, coffee table Mobital).
I also wanted to invest in original artwork to elevate the interior design. A sliver of light illuminates my spirit painting by Iceland’s Jón Sæmundur Auðarson. (Remember when I visited his Reykjavik gallery?)
The living room hits different when the weather and time of day shifts.
An alternate angle of the space, to give a sense of how it all flows together.
The entryway has a “walk of fame” stars carpet — it’s a Papellina Viggo Metallic Stone / Vanilla Star rug.
My Mobital Quasar table glows like a star under the light. (See my showroom visit to Mobital Vancouver for more of their furniture.)
Tip for styling coffee tables: use a variety of objects in natural materials, in different heights and sizes, for visual interest. Eg: plants, books, paper coasters, ceramics, and glass bottles.
I love how my apartment decoration came together! What do you think of my revamped space, and how I styled it?
CREDITS: Havenly floor lamp and teak utensils, Vin Lighting ceiling lanterns, Mr Maria Miffy and Brown Bear lamps.
Miffy carpet and throw blanket Maison Deux
Dry eucalyptus bouquet by Karinya Botanicals
Quasar wood & glass coffee table Mobital
Goth spirit paintings Jón Sæmundur
Verner Panton wire extended module, Herman Miller Eames chairs & Magis Tavolo XZ3 dining table, Crate and Barrel Cavett sofa, art from travels (Easter Island moai, Puebla talavera skull, etc). White curved chair and sun mirror from 1990s.
You’re welcome to Pin these images on Pinterest, and share this post on social media. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I promise to respond. Please also watch my @lacarmina Instagram reel for video footage of these interiors.
Thanks for stopping by my apartment! Now tell me or show me: what does your living space look like?