I have promised an apartment tour in our last two apartments, but have never felt like they were ever "done" to actually share. This apartment is actually no different - No more finished than its predecessors. But! A few of you have asked to see how we're making things work in our tiny city apartment, & I finally got around to taking pictures. I included some of the ways that we're stretching the space in this apartment to its full capacity. We've certainly learned (& are continuing to learn) a lot.
^^ This little landing pad has been a lifesaver. With such limited space, we've found it to be extremely helpful for things that we access daily to have a designated spot - Turns out, they have a much higher chance of being put away. I promise that Jared usually has a satchel here, too, & that there's a purpose for each of my bags displayed here ;) ^^
^^ We were determined to find storage for all of our kitchen needs without having to use the open space above the cabinets. With a lot of downsizing & a hallelujah that we bought this "
occasional table" for our last kitchen, we have a beautifully organized kitchen space without anything being out in the open.
^^ After two unused years in our last apartment, Jared brought back the open shelving we used in our first kitchen, which seriously helped the fight to keep everything else behind closed cabinet doors. ^^
^^ Confession: I took some of these pictures back in October. That beautiful basil plant has since passed. But not without a final batch of pesto. ^^
^^ Sorry if it's weird to share a bathroom photo. I bought this shower curtain from Urban Outfitters over four years ago for
way too much money, but seriously... It was so worth it. I have never once considered replacing it & it's brought a finesse to the "washroom" in each of our apartments. (
similar) ^^
^^ Our current apartment has no linen closet or storage, so we used a mixture of three
Ikea night stands (that we also used for storage in our Norfolk apartment's bathroom), a few pieces of pine from Lowe's & canvas bins from
The Container Store to store everything from my makeup & hair items to towels & sheets. ^^
^^ Grateful for tall ceilings & linen curtains purchased with my college roommate back in 2008 ^^
^^ I can't even talk about how happy these string lights from
La Case de Cousin Paul make me. It was a dream come true to visit their store in Montmartre during our trip to Paris in November. Jared hanging them in this corner & turning them on for the first time may have induced a little song & dance from me. ^^
^^ The color options are endless & I was completely overwhelmed when we walked into the store. After a near panic attack & about 30 minutes of pacing, I finally decided on these colors for our lights: white, cream, soft pink, sunshine yellow & olive green. ^^
^^ This rug was an impulse purchase while I was Christmas shopping in Georgetown in December. I wandered into American Holiday & stumbled upon it, discounted to an insanely low price. I had been pinning $$$ indigo rugs for months, so this guy was a super pleasant surprise. ^^
^^ Our tv stand is an Ikea dresser that we also use to store our extra bedding, DVDs, office supplies, air mattress & electronic boxes (Blu-ray player, cable box, etc.), so it shouldn't surprise you to know that inside this suitcase is unused polaroid film, my wacom tablet & miscellaneous cords. Sneaky storage is the way to go! ^^
^^ Again, an older picture, taken before I'd found our blessed rug. ^^
^^ Our decorative pieces have been relegated to open shelving in the family room, courtesy of our tall ceilings.
These shelves are the same shelves seen in our
2012 Christmas video- Jared removed the majority of the small pieces & turned the shelves horizontal to get the most use out of something we already owned. ^^
^^ I inherited this patio furniture from a bakery I worked at in college, & gave it a fresh coat of mint green spray paint when I found out that our DC apartment had a balcony. We are certainly missing our fall mornings eating breakfast out there. ^^
^^ We wake up most mornings to the sounds of delivery trucks being unloaded & trash trucks reversing down the alley, but it's sort of calming - The sound of a city waking up; the beginning of the hustle & bustle. It's a good place to be. We're happy to call it home. ^^
