If you've been following along on SnapChat lately, you know January has been a big home revamp month for me. I've been scouring a lot of the furniture shops in the city, new and antique, hunting down pieces at flea markets and upstate estate sales (Hudson Valley has a great weekend market that I need to visit again soon) and generally streamlining my space as much as possible (which means a lot of furniture rearranging, much to Elvis' dismay).
That said, I still think my biggest obstacle (as most New Yorkers can probably attest to), is space layout, or perhaps more fitting, the lack thereof.
Don't get me wrong. I love my West Village studio -- it's decent size for a one room space, just enough for Elvis and I (although I'm still waiting for the day that he pitches in for rent) and I can't beat the natural daylight I get at most hours of the day.
But there's only one closet.
Insert gasp here.
If you recall either of my San Francisco apartments, you know I was pretty fortunate to have not only several of them, but sizeable to boot (remember this closet? -- ah, how I miss that little alcove!). Needless to say, downsizing to only one closet has meant a bursting at the seams rolling rack had to step in, and thereby, the real estate space in my apartment alone had to be completely reconfigured.
It's still very much a work in progress, one I hope to complete and share soon, but in the meantime, here are three small apartment hacks that I think would make MacGyver proud.
1. Curtain dividers: My studio is relatively long and narrow, with two sunny windows at the rear, facing the street. My bed is currently situated next to the windows (as I love being able to crack a window at night and have fresh air come in), meaning the living space takes up the front half of the apartment. I wanted to find a way to separate the two spaces, without blocking the light, and ideally, conceal my overloaded rolling rack. I first played around with the idea of an Ikea shelving unit as a room divider, but got nervous that if it wasn't anchored properly, Elvis might knock it over and hurt himself.
That's when someone suggested a curtain divider. I was hesitant at first (would it feel like a hospital room?) but after scouring the internet for a few ideas, I love how light and airy it can make the space, while still giving just enough privacy.
2. Mirror gallery wall: When it comes to gallery walls, this ain't my first rodeo. This time around though, I intend to focus just on mirrors, old and new, to place next to my windows and hopefully bounce and reflect more light around the space. I especially love the idea of layering a few smaller mirrors on top of larger ones for added dimension.
3. Custom shelving with a TV cubby: As someone with has a lot of books, magazines and knick knacks from travels (my goal is to really have my space remind me of places I've been fortunate enough to visit in the world), I require a lot of storage space, that doubles as a showcase. I love floor to ceiling shelving units and have the perfect wall for it, opposite my couch. This time around though, I'm putting on my big girl shoes, and ponying up for a TV (I haven't had a TV in my apartment since Gossip Girl was still on). I generally, don't like how TVs dominate a wall space, but I love the idea of it seamlessly tucked into a beautiful shelving unit, surrounded by my favorite things.
All these photos (and more) can be found via my home Pinterest board here.
