Monday, May 6, 2013

New Apartment: One Week Later


Good morning - happy Monday!  I've now been in my new apartment for just over a week, though it feels like home already, and I think I've teased you enough with Instagram photos.  It's time to take you around the place!  I'm actually going to split this home tour into a few posts scattered over the next couple of weeks; I think it's really important to show you the "in progress" layout because nothing starts out how you want it to look at the end, so today's photos are as unstyled and unedited as can be, but I'll update the blog with more detailed pictures and explanations as I continue adding furniture and putting final touches here and there around the apartment.  (I'll be asking for some decorating ideas from you at that stage because I think I'll need some fresh eyes!)  For now, though, let me introduce you to my new apartment!

It's technically a studio, though at 675 square feet it feels quite spacious.  When you walk in the front door, you're in an entry room.  There's a closet door immediately on your right, and a doorway on the wall perpendicular to that.  You walk through the door and are standing in the hallway, facing into the kitchen with a window on the opposite wall.  If you keep going into the kitchen, you'll come through a wide open doorframe into the dining room.  (It's not really a "room" per se, but let's go with it.)  Turn left once you're in the dining room, and you'll find yourself staring into the living room.  Head in, with the bank of windows on your right, and then head left again to face into the bedroom.  (The bedroom and living room are technically one big room, but I've tried to give them different feels.)  On the far wall is a closet door.  Walk towards that end of the room, and then make a left through the open doorframe back into the hallway.  Immediately on your right is the bathroom, and at the far end of the hallway is another closet.  If you make your way down the hallway, you'll see the doorway to the entry on your right - and you're back where you started!

Welcome to my home, dear readers.








56 comments:

  1. Looks great so far, Betsy! It actually seems quite spacious for a studio!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's so cute!!! Right after college I lived in a studio in Hoboken, NJ and I absolutely loved it. It was so much tinier than yours haha. The main space had my piano and a twin bed, which I transformed into a "day bed" during the day with lots of throw pillows, because I didn't have room for a real sofa. You'll have so much fun in this apartment. I love how you separated your bedroom off with a bookcase!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love, love, love the bright color on the walls! Beautiful place, Betsy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love it! That rug is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh i love it, and i do love that rug. i need something like that so bad!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a great studio! So nice to have some separation of space between living/dining and your bedroom area. I know you're going to have a lot of fun nesting over the summer!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It looks fantastic! You have done a great job of making the bedroom area feel separate from the family room!

    ReplyDelete
  8. it's definitely not what I imagined when I thought of a studio - or what I saw in other buildings! I totally lucked out :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. THANK YOU! I was so scared before I confirmed it with them but I'm so glad I took the chance :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. thank you - it was on super sale when I got it! website below...

    ReplyDelete
  11. haha yes though obviously if I move from the bed to the couch Charlie has to follow me...

    ReplyDelete
  12. THANK YOU! more details on the bookshelf soon - hint: it's NOT an Expedit!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such a cute space! I think it looks really roomy and home-y for a studio!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I LOVE that carpet in the bedroom. Thanks for the link! I've never heard of that website before and I have some tile floor in desperate need of something past the 4x6 Ikea rug currently on it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This NYer thinks you're living in my dream apartment!! You have SO much space!! Looks amazing! Can't wait to see how it evolves!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. looking good, Betsy!! I think that it is always tricky to create separate rooms in a studio but it looks like you've done a wonderful job!

    ReplyDelete
  17. thank you! I had to fight the urge to move in ALL THE FURNITURE and I'm glad I did in the end. (though my dinner guests last night agreed that another chair or two would be okay.)

    ReplyDelete
  18. ooh thank you - I had almost as much commitment-phobia about picking rugs as paint colors :P

    ReplyDelete
  19. Betsy it is so lovely! You've done such an amazing job moving in already. And thank you for honesty about how houses just don't look the way you want them to when you first move in. It's refreshing to see "normal" (though still adorable!!) house pictures on a blog instead of the incredibly over-styled ones. Our places has gone from cute + empty -> boxes everywhere -> everything out of boxes so it's a mess -> Eliza freaking out about the mess, pushing everything to the center of the room, and starting with a fresh coat of paint. You'd think after this many moves, I would know my process a little better ;) xoxo!

    ReplyDelete
  20. thank you! the space itself helped - you can sort of see from the photos that there's a low beam above where I've put the bookcases and a tiny bit of wall jutting out there, too. I just went with that!

    ReplyDelete
  21. haha thank you :) I remember those apartments that my friends who stayed in NY got after college - as amazing as the city is, the real estate is a bit scary :/ I love seeing glimpses of your home on your blog though!

    ReplyDelete
  22. That's a HUGE studio! You look WAY more put together after one week then we do after a month! Granted, we are trying to fit two bedrooms and a storage unit into one bedroom with no closet, but still! It looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  23. thank youuuuu - it is a LOT easier to move in when it's just you (and the dog) in a studio, so there's that :) I knew that I absolutely didn't want to style or edit these first photos in any way (though I will admit that I picked up all of Charlie's toys and put them on his bed so they weren't strewn about the whole place) because I hate the idea that WHAM BAM it has to be perfect. that just doesn't happen you, know? the mess is part of the process :) good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  24. haha it helps when you're starting from scratch! downsizing would be a NIGHTMARE. I don't know how you're doing it! thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. your apartment is so interesting! it's like a hybrid studio. and I really like the way your wall color choices turned out. that coral-y color must be perfect for sunny mornings eating breakfast at your cute little table!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I want your bench. I will trade you two antique chairs. Paul will throw in as many antique chairs as he can pry from my chair-lusty little fingers.


    And, I admit, your smaller space and lesser stuff (although when it comes down to it I don't actually want to give anything up... ugh. I'm such a cliché.). Love the expedit "divider" for the bedroom- perfect visual break without losing open space!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Just read it's not an expedit.


    Need more info.

    ReplyDelete
  28. it was my grandmother's! I love it and it turns out to be exactly the right size for that wall. I was thinking about how I'll do the next few posts featuring the individual "rooms" and I do want to talk about where I got the furniture because I wrote that temper-tantrum about Ikea a few weeks ago, but I realized that every other piece will say "from Mom and Dad's house" or "from Grandma" haha!

    ReplyDelete
  29. That's how I feel about my furniture- it's all "hand-me-down" or "from the auction house in England".

    ReplyDelete
  30. "Grandma's house" sounds less exciting than "English auction house" hehe

    ReplyDelete
  31. That rug is fabulous!!! Where did you get it! The whole thing is looking so good betsy! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  32. It looks so great!! Very spacious!

    ReplyDelete
  33. How pretty! It definitely doesn't feel like 675 sq. ft. We have almost 1400 sq. ft. and it seems just the same size! It's so beautiful, really.

    ReplyDelete
  34. it was 60% off at rugsusa.com! not sure if they have those sales often, but I couldn't have bought it otherwise. thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. haha I have no idea what I'd do with that much space - there were too many decisions in half that size! thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. the wall of windows helps! thanks lady :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Both services offer extra storage space for small fees if you need
    more. Sometimes, the bargains can be found at different stores, so shop around in your neighborhood stores for the best deal.
    The devices must be hooked to a power source and be connected
    to WI-FI for it to automatically back up.

    Here is my website ... nest thermostat

    ReplyDelete
  38. It's not a lot the safety of those who "personally" engage within this "networking" point; rather the indirect publicity to these about them, who do not safeguard on their own, in the unknowing., from individuals who they didn't know;
    existed. 'Ex: A friend's Screw buddy's true boyfriend is robbing the property; & killing your dog inside the process. Not random.

    my web-site; Dating Tips for Girls in urdu

    ReplyDelete
  39. Your layout is awesome!! Studios can very easily feel like a messy, tiny box, but you have created beautiful defined living spaces. It looks great so far!

    ReplyDelete
  40. The rug really is fantastic. I love how it turned out and you did great within your parameters. Not to mention, your location is worth it already. So this place is like, amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Your space looks great! I love how you divided your "bedroom" area with the shelving. So clever!

    ReplyDelete
  42. thanks! I wanted to make them separate spaces but also wanted to keep the light going all the way through :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. This is great! Rob and I are considering studios but we love hosting and weren't sure how it would work out. This is a great reference for how to make it work!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. this is definitely enough space (and a great layout) for entertaining, but I have to admit I don't know if it will seem cramped when Jon and I are both living here (with Charlie, of course). It's usually nice to have a bedroom door to slam when you're mad :P

    ReplyDelete
  45. It looks so cozy! Love the paint colors and the floors. Great rug too! Impressive how quickly you turned it into a home :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. It looks great so far, I can't wait to see what you do with the place!
    xo, Maria

    ReplyDelete
  47. La Chapstick FanatiqueMay 9, 2013 at 3:39 PM

    Your place is super cute!


    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  48. I can't believe you've only been there for a week, it's already looks so warm and inviting!
    I love the rug in the living room, it's a great touch :)

    ReplyDelete
  49. thanks, SL! I'd been planning it in my head for quite some time :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. haha thank you - easier to do when it's a little space I imagine!

    ReplyDelete
  51. What a fantastic apartment! It definitely looks much more spacious than I would have imagined for the square feet! Love the color in the dining room-- very similar to our kitchen in fact! When I first moved to Baltimore I had a 475 square feet apartment with a loft style bedroom. It was definitely quite the trick figuring out how to make everything fit!

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your thoughts and suggestions! Please do leave a comment so we can get to know each other better.