Apartment Tour

I think it’s about time I showed you around my new place, what do you say?

Let’s start with how I got here. Last summer, I commuted from my parents’ house to work. It’s about a 25-minute drive without traffic. It’s maybe 30 minutes on the average morning. It was anywhere from 35 to 120 minutes in the evening, averaging between 45 and 60. I know plenty of people have it much worse (especially given that I had free/cheap housing), but I felt like if I wanted any semblance of a life, I should move closer when I was working full-time.

I now live closer to 10 or 15 minutes away, just far enough to have time sing to horribly in the car and prep for my day or replay the important things in my head, but not so far that I’m stressed about the lack of time left in the day when I get home.

I started looking at these apartments last year, because they’re right behind CycleBar and Fresh Thyme and they looked nice. At the time I thought I’d have a roommate (friend from high school), so I was looking at 2-bedrooms. This was a DREAM because they’re really nice apartments and splitting 2-bedroom rent was a good deal.

As you know, I do not have a roommate (because she didn’t take a job up here and there really isn’t a great reason to live in this specific area unless you work here). There’s a lot of stuff within 5 or 10 minutes – a mall, a Target, about 5 grocery stores, a few gyms and plenty of boutique fitness studios, and a zillion or so restaurants – but it’s not nightlife or brunch-spot exciting, ya know?

But after looking at the model one-bedroom (the only apartment I looked at) and taking a tour, I was pretty much sold. Everything is lovely. The whole complex is only about 3 or 4 years old. The apartment gym is very modern and open to residents 24/7. It doesn’t have barbells, but it has a wide selection of dumbbells and cardio equipment and is nice and roomy, so I don’t need to pay for a gym membership. I’m not a huge pool person, but ours looks nice. There are outdoor grills available in the not-winter. There’s a beautiful movie theater you can “rent” for free after hours. There’s a small dog park where I can let Ben off-leash, plus lots of walking trails and sidewalks. Parking is plentiful and close, and I’m used to parking in the driveway, so I don’t feel the need to pay for access to a garage.

So, yeah, I was hesitant because it’s a little pricey, but it’s still within my budget and it just felt so easy to fall in love with the very first apartment I saw.

Furnishing it

Oh, my goodness. My mom is some kind of saint (I’m sure you already gathered this), but she helped me so much with picking out stuff to fit my specifications. In my ideal world, my decor goal was everything white and gray with plants and accents of pink and teal. But mostly white and gray. I wanted it to feel light and open, even though it’s… an apartment, guys.

And then I’m over here saying:

• “I want white things that look kind of like IKEA because I like the clean lines, but I don’t want them to be from IKEA because they’ll chip when I put them together.” (No furniture is from IKEA, but my entertainment center is a similar style from Target.)
• “Will this gray look horrible with the beige walls? Do I have to paint the walls white?” (The gray looks 100% fine with the walls. They have not been painted and I will not do it.)
• “Why are there no entertainment stands that are accent pieces and also look modern and also aren’t $1,000?” (This is true. My entertainment center is cheap and serviceable, and the only furniture I don’t see lasting me ages and ages.)
• “Is this wood too dark? Too yellow?” (My dining room table is perfect and not at all yellow.)
• “Will it look weird to have dark metal on my lamp if everything else is light?” (No.)
• “Do I just like these dishes now, or will I also like them in 5 years?” (Pretty sure I’ll at least like them forever.)

I also felt the need to buy everything ASAP because I wanted to make sure I could find pieces I loved and have the chance to take advantage of sales and price adjustments, so we were shopping for this stuff in May. And then my parents allowed a bunch of my stuff to take over their house until we could move it. Incredible. I was able to get a lot of the big stuff delivered to my new place last weekend, but there was plenty of semi-big stuff we had to lug up the stairs.

I am happy to report that I did find things I love! I also found several things that got delivered to the house and then returned because they weren’t quite right. We got my entertainment center to the apartment, and as I was organizing my closet, my mom called to me from the living room because she was about to put it together and could tell I would hate it immediately. It was glossy, and reflected EVERYTHING. A replacement has since been found.

I adore everything I have, and while I definitely spent more than I strictly wanted to (especially having just gotten a new car), my priority was liking my stuff and I know I’m lucky to have that freedom.

There was one last-minute scare: When we walked in, I honestly thought nothing would fit. My couch, maybe. But the dining area looked way too small for my table and my bedroom too small for my bed (never mind Ben’s crate). We measured everything, but it just looked so small. There’s some straight wizardry going on here, though, because it looks so much roomier with everything here. THANK GOODNESS.

Living Room

{This is such great lighting in person, but taking any pictures into those windows is a nightmare at any time of day}

I asked for some advice in a Facebook group about where to find good couches, and that ended up being where I found all my major furniture!

The answer? Macy’s. I was a little mind-blown, but I love my pieces and they have the best warranty program. If you don’t use the services (and remember to request the money back at the end of the warranty), you get the warranty money back.

I adore the couch. So much. Mine is the Devon Heather, and while I was worried it would be too light, it looks so good! It’s also fairly firm and supportive, but soft. My poor mother sat on so many couches with me and I was like, “This isn’t soft enough.”

I did a bad job of explaining what I meant, apparently. I didn’t mean in terms of plushness, but rather the fabric feeling soft and not remotely scratchy or rough. I’m sorry I’m ridiculous. This feels like flannel against your skin (but isn’t too hot), and when I sat down, I knew this was the couch for me. I don’t usually like the tufted back because it can look stuffy and old, but I think this one looks pretty modern. I also really like that the arms are the same height as the back because not only does it feel like the couch cradles you, but I can also rest my laptop on the arm of the couch and type at almost eye-level. Also, Ben has seriously sharp claws and while I stop him “digging” on the couch as soon as he starts, he sometimes doesn’t want to listen and definitely hasn’t punctured it or even come close. Quality stuff, guys.

My desk is small, but has enough storage to keep notebooks and pens, and I adore that it has a roll-out section, so I could have a computer or book open on the top part and take notes or something on the pull-out part. Also, that makes it extra compact!

The chair is blush and comfy, and the entertainment center was a last-minute purchase and is actually a bookshelf, but I liked how much storage and decoration potential it had.

The books are all a mix of my UChicago required reading, my personal collection, and my dad’s old collection, and I got a bunch of little (fake but cute) cacti and succulents from Michael’s to fill in the other cubbies. Yes, Ben likes to occasionally try to eat them. No, he is not deterred by the fact that they are plastic and not actual leaves.

I’m in love with the lamp. You can turn on just the bottom light, or the top two, or all three, and it fills the space really well because it arcs over the couch. And if you believe that Ben’s toys actually stay in that basket by the TV, you’re fooling yourself… but it makes it feel kind of pulled together for ten minutes before company comes over. Aaand I just ordered these three canvas prints (pink/teal – teal/white – teal/pink) to put side-by-side (all oriented horizontally) above my couch.

Couch | Desk | Chair | Entertainment center | TV | End table | Lamp | Toy basket

Kitchen + Dining Room

{I am exceptionally confused by the two outlets in the middle of the back wall}

I love this dining set. It’s a dark brown wood with gray undertones and the cushions are pretty much gray. I love the bench. I love the size. It fills the space – almost too much – and I feel like it’s almost a modern farmhouse table. I dunno. It’s the third table I thought I wanted, and I’m glad this is the one that’s here. The first was too light and tall. The second was too random – it didn’t really fit my style. And this is nice and classic.

The wall grid is a lifesaver for when I take Ben outside (and for not forgetting my keys). At the house we have a little storage console by the door to keep dog stuff in, and I totally don’t have room for that here, so this is a space-saving cute option.

I got these Kate Spade dishes in blush and camel, and I like that they have some color, but aren’t so bright that I think I’ll tire of them. Also, they were buy-3-get-1-free at the time, so that’s nice. And I (my mom) found this two-tone copper flatware that isn’t enormous and is cute! My dad even commented on how nice it looked when he was loading my dishwasher for the first time.

Table & chairs | Wall grid | Dishes | Flatware

Bedroom

My bed is more gray than it looks in the link – the color in the picture here is pretty accurate. I love having drawers under the bed! It gives me a good place to keep totes/bags, socks and bras/underwear, and workout clothes, while giving me my whole closet for everything else and not needing a dresser. One of the four drawers is also kind of a dumping ground for things I don’t have a home for yet. We all need those, right?

I can never move somewhere with a smaller closet, because mine allows me to hang all of my clothes that are not workout clothes or jeans/shorts. I hate folding clothes and am truly horrible at it, so this is the BEST. Plus, there’s a ton of built-in shelving for shoes and the like. I used a bunch of clear Command hooks to hang my jewelry on the wall.

The carts are white, the lamps are blush, and the curtains are gray and only remotely necessary because there’s a lot of light outside at night in the parking lot. In general, I love the amount of light I get. The decorative pillows are from Society6 and were housewarming gifts from my aunt, uncle, and cousins.

I had been sleeping on the same mattress possibly since I got into an adult-sized bed, so it’s been awesome having a new one. I opted for a Serta iComfort 300 and I’m pretty sure it’s the best ever. (I also loved the Purple 3.0, but I didn’t order it in time, so I got something that could be delivered faster.) I’m obsessed with my comforter because I found it really tough to find a nice, relatively plain white comforter, and this one is lightweight and lovely. I’ve never had white sheets (I also have a gray set, which is in the pictures), and I’m interested to see how long it takes for them to look worn. I hope they last because they’re soft and light and fabulous, but I assume there’s a reason I’ve never had them? We shall see.

{Adorable Ben pic from my lovely mom}

And yeah, Ben is allowed on the bed. He doesn’t sleep there, but he sure likes to hop up and chill out there.

Bed | End tables | Lamps | Lampshades | Comforter | Sheets | Curtains | Pillow | Pillow | Pillow

Bathroom

I tried to get a reasonably okay picture of my bathroom and failed. It’s decent-sized, but narrow and hard to give any context. It’s cute, I promise.

I got towels in Charcoal and Chrome and they are SO soft. I adore them. I’m obsessed with the obnoxious brightness of my shower curtain. And while it’s unimportant, it is also the softest shower curtain ever. So silky. My counter space is limited, but I really like having all the makeup I own visible to me, so my makeup organizer is the kind of clutter I’m willing to allow. Perhaps I should pare it down, but I use about 20% of what this holds on a daily basis and I like having options.

Shower curtain | Towels | Makeup organizer

And that’s… pretty much everything. I use my laundry room for miscellaneous storage and a kitchen pantry because my kitchen has just enough storage for all my cookware and dishes. My entryway closet holds more coats than I realized I own, plus more of my embarrassing number of shoes.

It took me almost a week to actually get everything here and where I wanted it, and there are still final touches I want to add. I reeeeally want a nice-but-not-horribly-expensive full-length mirror, but the one IKEA used to have doesn’t appear to exist anymore and I haven’t found one I like since. A little more decoration would be fabulous. But it’s come a long way! Moving was rather exhausting, and I’m so grateful to have had so much help from my parents in the shopping, lugging of stuff up the stairs, washing of dishes and cookware, and the building of some of my pieces.

Let’s not talk about the number of meltdowns I had over:

• How much money I was spending
• How I didn’t really need to move out, and could save so much by living at home
• How much I would miss my family
• How much I would miss Pippa
• How many decisions I had to make
• How I could know if I was making the right decisions

But there were a lot of those, and now it’s all pretty good. Funny how that works.

Your turn:

How was your weekend?

When was the last time you moved?

What was your first place of your own like?