Making a home in the city

Once we got approved for our apartment, and had moved, I started the process of making it home. I’ve never really had full decorative control of any space that I’ve lived in before… I went from my high school dorm room, to my varsity dorm room, to my family home and then to my husband’s apartment. All places that had limitations or rules regarding decorating. So I really wanted to create the perfect feel for us in this apartment, something that spoke to who we are as people.

I knew right from the start that I wanted something comfortable, so I had to balance comfort with style. I also definitely was greatly inspired by modern farmhouse vibes meets Scandinavian minimalism meets mid – century modern.

I went for neutral tones everywhere because I wanted to feel a sense of calm in the apartment. I also incorporated a lot of seagrass and basket elements because while still neutral, the texture change makes everything a little more exciting. I’ve never been one for plants but moving to a city filled with concrete makes one appreciate greenery that much more. So I incorporated a couple of plants into the living room space and my favourite is this Monstera (aka the Swiss cheese) plant.

The hardest thing to sort of balance out for me was making sure I filled the empty spaces without cluttering the apartment. If you know anything about New York City apartments, then you know how notoriously small they are. We had this small-ish space between our guest bathroom and our guest bedroom, that looked so awkward when empty, and I knew I had to fill it up with something that not only looked pleasant, but also served a purpose. So I got this console table from Target and paired it with some baskets from Marshall’s and a round mirror from Ikea. The mirror really opens up the space and makes it feel less tiny, which I absolutely love.

Another awkward corner was one between our couch and the wall. I initially thought I’d fill the space with a fiddle leaf fig tree (which seem to be all the range now) but then I remembered that I really need a place for my fresh flowers and greenery. They would be such a nice pop of colour in the corner. So I ordered this side table from Overstock.com which perfectly matched our coffee table, and I styled it with some coffee table books, a glass vase and a candle from Amazon.

So I’ve definitely made strides in making our living room home, which is perfect because we’ve had to spend so much time in here. My next living room project (and probably the last for now) is the wall art. I’ve been taking my time with this because I’m such a visual person and so whatever art graces our walls has to be calming, inspiring and reflective of us. But this is a journey that takes time.

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