Hi All,

The entire thread I just wrote, unfortunately, didn't upload and I lost all of it so I will do my best to get this all down a second time.

FYI: I'm 32/M and feel like I've got a pretty good eye for design, yet at the same time, I'm also a total novice. I feel like I've done a pretty good job getting the place to its current state but have found that I'm easily overwhelmed (and therefore can't make a decision!) when browsing the likes of Pinterest/Instagram/YouTube for inspiration. Instead of pulling the trigger on anything I just get lost as it's really hard for me to see an item (either online or in-person) and actually envision how it would look in MY space. I also don't really want it to necessarily scream "bachelor pad!" as my long-distance girlfriend will be moving in with me around the Spring of next year. She's been here once but it was right after I moved in and the place wasn't super put together at that point.

Advice needed on: I'm primarily trying to figure out three empty spaces that I've laid out below. That's my focus for the time being but I'm also open to any general tips/suggestions that anyone might have for the space. Something I noticed is that I'm really lacking pops of color (remember when I said I'm a novice?) as I've unintentionally ended up with a rather flat color pallet throughout most of the flat.

I moved into this space (officially called the Tiki Barge here in Sausalito, CA) just over a year ago and absolutely love it! It's a floating barge with three separate apartments — one of which I currently rent. I'm pretty proud of the work I've done to date considering that I'm a total design novice. Many of the items I got used on Craiglist (West Elm coffee table, Room & Board couch. etc.) as I didn't (and still don't) have a huge budget for decorating and whatnot.

Here are a few pictures of the space (will post a few more in a comment below due to the 4 pic limit) so you can familiarize yourself with what it looks like right now:

So, I know I could go buck wild with all sorts of crazy design stuff to really make the place shine — but I'm really trying to focus on the mandatories so I get the most bang for my buck. There are three main "problem areas" that I've identified that I'd love some help with:

1) Living Room — what should I put on the right side of the TV console? I was thinking one of those shelving units that attach to the wall could look really good here. It'd be functional and also serve as a place to display some of my personal items and cool looking decor stuff. I thought about a big plant but I've already got a nice "snake plant" on the other side of the console.

2) Entryway — I'm probably making this one harder than it needs to be...but I'm thinking about a floating shelf that also has hooks for hanging coats/jackets. With the way it is right now I have to go into my bedroom closet when I get home to hang anything up, not a huge pain but it'd be nice to have some hooks next to the front door. Do I put a bench below it?

The part that makes this challenging is the trapdoor that leads to my basement. I need regular access to it as that's where my W/D are so I can't really put anything on top of it. The bar on the wall is for safety (landlord put it in) and almost acts as an unnecessary divider for that whole wall. If I add a shelf with some hooks on the left side of the bar, should I just put some art on the space to the right? Open to any/all advice here!

3) Bedroom — this corner feels like it needs some love! How do we feel about putting a nice big plant there? Another idea I had is to add floating shelves on either side of the window to display decor items and whatnot. Thoughts?

Many thanks in advance to anyone that takes the time to give me some advice here — it's much much appreciated :)

Cheers,

Zach