Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts

Challenges of Apartment Living

Renting a New York City apartment has it's ups & downs.  I LOVE living in Manhattan - but renting has 'DECORATING limitations'. It's been strange not being able to do major DIY projects or paint a wall or two - without the thought of having to paint it back when we move. Sometimes the apartment starts to feel stagnant, and new decor is a must! Know what I mean?

What I miss about owning a home is having the freedom to change up your space on a whim!  So, what is one to do?? Well, we can either do very small changes or just go online & live through others.
I do however find myself changing things out with accessories & new art....and you??


Do you live in an apartment?? Do you find yourself facing the same challenges?? What have you done to keep things fresh in your home??



























images via:


architectural digest / francis sultana
/ elle decor/ shoot factory 







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Decor: small space ideas

Hi guys! Drew's back! I've been inspired by Jen's recent moving news & thought I would show you a perfect little living space that would fit her small-living needs in the big city. 

Alvhem Makleri has the PERFECT space to get your ideas rolling for small living quarter ideas. Think lots of white with creative storage units, shelving and touches of color added throughout the space in decor.

Having a SMALL space definitely doesn't mean it can't be functional and stylish! Take a look at these rooms and you'll see how creative and innovative they really get!



                  












Here are a few key items you can look for and purchase when looking to decorate for a small, but design-worthy apartment or living space:




1) Z Gallerie Magazine Tote

2) Anthropologie Hook
3) Urban Outfitters Case
4) Addonovo Sectional




-post by drew humphries



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Upper East Side

I'm crazy about the Upper East side. Hoping to stay in this area when we finally find an apartment. I'm not sure why I love this neighborhood so much. Perhaps it has something to do with all the cool architecture? The people here can be so-so, of course depending on which direction you go. I love Madison AVENUE. It's great for shopping - but 'some' of the people there can be a bit too snooooooty for my taste. Not that I dislike them or anything. No offense to those living on Madison AVE. - that's why I said 'some' people. 

Anyhow - every so often I frequent real estate sites & came across a gorgeous town home here on the Upper East side. You can actually check out all the details here on StreetEasy. Way beyond affordable in my world, but no ONE says I can't look & say "WOW".

Anyone else in LOVE with the East side of NYC? Or do you have another favorite area in NY you prefer?
















Anyone else in LOVE with the East side of NYC? Or do you have another favorite area in NY you prefer?


 
 
-images via street easy



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Moving Again...

Hey guys! How are you? We've been in Minnesota for the last day & will be back in NYC on Sunday evening. As some of you may know - we're going to be moving - again. God-willing we'll find an apartment here in the city & be moved in by early or mid November.  Crazy huh? The reason we're moving is because the construction in our current area has gotten to me & it's gotten to the point that we just have to go!

So, with that said, we've been looking at apartments here & there - and of course, what we'd really like, isn't always what we can afford. Know the feeling??  It sucks sometimes, but I'm sure God will lead us in the right direction despite any current obstacles. I looked through Sotheby's the other day - of course, daydreaming, & came across a dream apartment. It's so inspiring. In fact I can't wait to move & start the decoration process over again. I know my guy isn't looking forward to it because he's the one that ends up having to hang everything up on walls & so on.  I'm hoping the apartment-hunting experience will be a smooth one. We shall see.

Have you ever been apartment HUNTING in NYC? What was your experience like?


















 -images via sotheby's
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Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello everyone! I'm still on the road & boy am I EXHAUSTED. I'm literally trying to force my eyes open while I write this next post....
About a week ago I asked on my Twitter if there were any bloggers who wanted to share their rental experience with MadeByGirl readers. 

Since I will now be RENTING, I'm curious to know your thoughts on 'the GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY' of apartment living! I chose a few of the posts that were submitted to me last week. Below is the first one....I'll share more of the submissions soon! Enjoy!

Hello MadeByGirl readers, I'm Julia from Tartan & Sequins. Sharing my apartment living experience!



The GOOD
Let’s face it, developing a sense of style when it comes to your home is even harder than developing your personal style. Of course there are people who just get it from the start. But, for the rest of us, it usually takes some time to figure out what you like and don’t like when it comes to decorating and then gather all the parts and pieces to make the design work. 

Being able to test-drive design ideas and styles is one of the great benefits of apartment living. You can focus on developing your style while not having to worry about too many extra design elements like paint, wallpaper, construction, etc. It’s less risky to make changes when you’re living in an apartment, as a throw pillow is easier to change out than a horrible fireplace. 




The BAD
Now onto the bad. Once you have developed your design sense, it can be frustrating not having control over those extra design elements mentioned above. It may even get to a point where you just have to bite the bullet on the repainting fee and go crazy with painting the place. Other changes can include replacing hardware like the towel bars in the bathroom, door/cabinet knobs, or installing curtain rods at your own expense.

The bad part about living in an apartment is that that those types of changes usually require someone else’s approval. No I don’t mean your significant other - that’s challenging enough. I mean the person who actually owns the place, the landlord.




The UGLY
Now, we all have things we can live with and cannot live without when it comes to apartment living. You may be able to live with a small cramped kitchen, but not having a walk-in closet to house your large collection of shoes simply will not do. Living in an apartment requires all types of tradeoffs, it’s what you do with the bad scenario that makes all the difference. I, myself, have two bay windows in my living room. 

Not a problem you say? Well, they are covered in old beige blinds and each take up an entire wall. So in an effort to inject color, establish a theme for the room and hide the blinds, I put up light olive green and white Moroccan print curtains. The bay windows are now my favorite part of the room!


If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment!

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I'm Moving!

Hello everyone! Remember this post?

Well, my guy was just informed he got a job in NYC!  He & I sometimes chat on Skype video when he's on his lunch break & TODAY he held up this sign....


I SWEAR, my heart skipped a beat! I'm so excited to be moving!!  You see, this past weekend we flew to NYC on a last minute trip for his interviews. While there, we took advantage & viewed a few rentals. We probably saw 20 places, some nice, some not-so-nice. I felt like I was on House Hunters, narrowing it down to 3 places - all on the upper east side- our fave neighborhood.

Now, the challenge is to sell some items in my home, in my closet, sell our car, rent our home (yes, I gave in) & figure out how we're going to ship a few pieces of furniture & clothing! ....AND do this all by Jan 27th.

We need to find a moving company to move a few pieces...as I'll be SELLING my large Crate & Barrel dining table, possibly the dining chairs, my sectional sofa from West Elm, Master bed tufted leather headboard/bed, a few lamps & possibly my dark brown West Elm coffee table (which I love).  Oh yes, & our cool car.....
 
I'll be posting items FOR SALE on my blog within the next few days...however, if you see something in my home you'd like to buy, just shoot me an email & I'll let you know if I'm selling it. Wish me luck.

Below are some photos from the trip last weekend, including the hotel we stayed in & some of the apartments we viewed!















Came across this building below & thought it was interesting. It's an actually entryway to an apt building...only in NYC.






The hotel - was called "Marmara" - it's a cool place with a nice staff located on 94th & 2nd avenue. Very affordable too! The only issue I had was with the construction on 2nd avenue, but it didn't bother me that much in the morning!  Having a full kitchen was well worth it & saved us a few bucks by cooking.They also have an AMAZING deck area, with views of the city!




 How cool is this? A chandelier in the elevator!!



-images by jen ramos


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