Hello and welcome back to part two of my furnished studio apartment tour! I revealed part one last week showing the main area when you first walk in. Now we are heading to the second area in the back: the bedroom and bathroom area (with a closet that has a washer and dryer because down with laundry mats! #amiright?!).
So basically you walk past the kitchen, turn the corner, and the bathroom is to your left and the bedroom is straight ahead. Here we go!
And there you have it! The finale of my furnished studio apartment. But oh my goodness, seeing your place in pictures gives you so many new ideas! The bedding is definitely getting a makeover (already have that in the works), and I think I feel a major purge coming my way. However, that typically happens with me every season. For some reason when the seasons change I feel like going through everything I own and pairing it down.
Next up I’m going to break down the new furniture I bought and where I saved and splurged!
Five months. Five whole months I have lived in my little studio apartment in Roanoke. That means I have lived through a whole season. I have watched the trees bud and blossom and then turn bright green. I have seen the heat rise from the sidewalks and children play in the water feature in the park. I have seen the days get longer and now again get shorter. Five whole months of this whole new city living. Five months that I dare say have been the best of my life. Five months that I describe to people as a “magical bubble of life”.
Since I’ve been in this magical bubble of life, I’ve been living big. So big that the blog has definitely seen a drop in the number of times that I post. I’ve been choosing living over posting. Finally, finally, I am back for a post to show you how I’ve been living in my apartment – with furniture that is. You’ve seen the bare bones, the unfurnished apartment. Now it’s time to see it how I live day to day.
When I say live day to day, I quite literally mean it. I didn’t create beautiful vignettes just to photograph on the blog. This is how my apartment would look if you dropped by on a Tuesday evening unannounced. It’s clean and tidy, but these pictures also show me room for growth, places that look a little too cluttered. Perhaps it’s time for another purge! Just the thought of getting rid of even more stuff makes my heart sing.
Anyways, you’re here for the pictures, so let’s get to it. I’ve decided to split up the tour into two parts. There is the living/dining/kitchen area, and then there is the bedroom/bathroom/closet/laundry room.
Today let’s look at the space where I do most of my living, right when you walk in the door. It’s my combined living/dining/kitchen area!
Ok, there we are. I have taken you on a full 360 of my main room when you walk in. If you’ve been around here long, you may notice that you see some familiar things but there are A LOT of new pieces. I’m going to go into the new pieces I bought in a future blog post – how I decided what to buy and when to save and when to splurge.
I will be back soon with part two of my furnished apartment tour!
Thank you so much!I’m so happy with it so far! Pictures definitely show your place in a new light so I’m going to make some tweaks after looking at these pictures! 🙂ReplyCancel
It’s so cute and and you’ve maximized every bit of space. I hope in your furniture post that you’ll share your opinion of your IKEA sofa. I’d like to know if you recommend one since we are in need of a sofa. I love your tiny table and pretty chairs that you paired with it. Can’t wait to find out where you scored those.ReplyCancel
I’ve always loved baking. Not only is it therapeutic for me, but of course I also love the end result (or even the middle result because: cookie dough). Baked goods are also one of the ways I express myself. When someone is happy, sad, grieving, celebrating, my initial reaction is to always make them something sweet. Perhaps baking is my real love language.
Over the years I feel like I had tried every cookie recipe on the planet. I loved making them, eating the cookie dough, and then tasting them fresh out of the over. Then, after cooled, I was over them. I just didn’t love any cookie I made past fresh baked. Everyone else would enjoy them, but I would just be over them.
That was, until my friend Katie introduced me to her secret family recipe one wreath making weekend with her.
It was like the heavens had parted when I first bit into this cookie. It was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It was absolute perfection. Not only did I love the cookie one minute after they came out of the oven, but I also loved them one day, even one week later.
After that fateful first bite of cookie, I haven’t made another cookie type since. I am 100% sold on these cookies! Plus, they are slightly customizable too, which makes it even more fun.
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.9 ounce) package of instant pudding mix (experiment with different flavors)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
Any other add-ins you like: nuts, sprinkles, etc.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars and pudding mix, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
Combine flour and soda; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in chocolate morsels and any other add-ins; drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks for cool completely.
I use the birthday cake instant pudding mix (Kroger brand is the only one I’ve found) and it creates an amazing taste and those sprinkles are SO pretty. I’ve also made them using finely crushed peanut brittle in them and it created the most amazing caramelized insides that I have ever eaten. Ahhhh-mazing.
Let me know if you make these and what combinations you used! Have fun with it!
Can I just say I love summer. I. Love. Summer. Emphasis needed. It’s been the best summer ever! I’m going to need to do a post with just some of my random summer adventures. Also, when talking with a friend the other day I said “winter” and it was like it was a bad word! We both recoiled when I said it.
Anyways, now that you’ve seen pictures of my new apartment, I thought I would show you the video of what it looks like! This really helps get an idea of its layout that can’t quite be captured in photos.
Here’s a quick slideshow in case you want to check out the pictures before diving into the video:
My New Studio Apartment Video
Also, this was about an hour after receiving my keys, and I was super excited. But I’m sure you can tell that…
Ok, now I promise to get my act together and show you pictures of it furnished….with basically all new stuff you haven’t seen if you’ve been around this blog a while. I basically sold everything I owned and bought modern, multi functional furniture that is perfect for this updated city living apartment and gal!
Sound the gong! Ignite the confetti cannons! Turn on that strobe light! [What kind of party am I having here…?!] Let’s get this party started because I am finally, FINALLY showing you my sweet new small apartment digs.
I’ve been in the apartment for almost four months (!!) now and have been having the time of my life (for real…) figuring out this small space living, learning about my new city, exploring downtown, being a city girl, and using brand new modern appliances. Can a girl love a toilet this much? Yes, yes she can. I love my toilet, hard core. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I haven’t been posting as much because I have been living. Living so happily, so freely, so uninhibited and boisterously! This has to be one of the best life decisions I have made for myself in a long, long time. It’s amazing that 53 miles can do for your life. It’s been a game changer.
I’ve met new people, learned to factor in time to get to my car in a parking garage, walked everywhere around this little city, and learned how to carry everything to my apartment in one load (it gets interesting).
Okay, okay enough of me going on and on about this change, you probably want to see the place right? Well here is my blank little slate of an apartment before it got piled high with boxes.
This is the view I am welcomed to every day I walk in the door! Well, of course there is furniture now, but this is taken from the doorway. Those windows, right?! That kitchen?? I love everything about it. This is the living room, dining room, and kitchen. It truly is a small space, but it just works so well.
I am so in love with this kitchen. I love how modern it is, I love the accent wall, I love the wood color of the cabinets. It’s perfect. Is it small? Yes. But does all my stuff fit? Yes! With room to spare! Thank you organizational skills and downsizing (and being tall so I can use all those cabinets daily).
Can’s stop looking at this kitchen! I will show you (one day) the inside of my cabinets and how I made it like a tetrus puzzle and made everything fit. It was so oddly fun putting together the puzzle that is my kitchen. Everything was very thoughtfully placed.
This picture was taken with my back to the windows and facing the front door. I am using that wall as my dining area. Also, please excuse the mess that is my purse, modem, cables, and photography stuff.
This angle is with my back to the kitchen with the windows to my left and front door to my right. This is where my TV currently is.
The only downside about my apartment is that it is an inner apartment and the windows face into the open area between apartments and not out to the city. I call it my weather hole because it is a little dark, and I have a hard time telling what the weather is unless it’s raining or storming really hard.
This is standing in the hallway to the right of the kitchen looking into the bedroom area, with the bathroom to the left. This is true studio with no doors, which I love. It’s only me so I don’t need privacy from myself. Plus it makes the whole place seem so much bigger without the confines of extra doors and walls.
My bathroom!! I love my bathroom so much! It matches the kitchen, which helps unify the space. Plus, another beautiful grey accent wall. And that toilet. Yes, I am going to swoon over my energy and water efficient toilet. Makes me so happy.
This is standing in the bedroom looking towards the closet. Those windows look out into…an alleyway. Woo hoo the view! Also contributes to my weather hole. But napping is super great here.
At this point in my life, having a washer/dryer is essential and completely a deal breaker. I don’t know if I could handle a laundry mat anymore. Plus, how convenient is it to be in the closet? Almost eliminates the need for a hamper and makes laundry time a breeze! But I’m the oddball who actually enjoys laundry so I don’t really consider it a chore.
And finally, here is the other side of the closet. It is actually so much bigger than it looks! I fit all my cleaning supplies, a bookcase for storage and all my in-season clothes and shoes in here. Amazing right?! I just keep two bins under the bed for off season clothing and shoes. It all fits perfectly.
Oh well, I do have to point out that I have a small storage unit in the basement. That is mainly filled with books though. I can’t help it! I still can’t get rid of my books, although e-readers have definitely helped my storage space situation. As one of my friends helping me move in put it, “You know, moving would be so much easier if you didn’t have so many books!?” Well, guess moving will always be challenging for me because I’m not letting go of the books, buster.
I am also working on a video tour because that helps so much in helping you get a sense of the flow of the apartment. Stay tuned for that!
I’ve been puttering around for months now trying to get everything in its proper place and it’s really coming together. Things are even on the wall! I can’t wait to give you a progress update soon!! Also, can you tell I LOVE my new place?? I am one happy girl here!
I love it and I know that you’ve made use of every single space. It’s cozy and modern and just perfect for you at this stage in your life. And it probably takes no time to clean!ReplyCancel
Thank you! I completely agree. I love every single part of this space!!! And the cleaning…it’s almost like what cleaning?! Except when I dump a whole container of mustard seeds in the kitchen….but anyways….Can’t wait for you to come visit!ReplyCancel
Love that headboard and your tall windows! Can’t wait to see your new bedding!
Thank you! Can’t wait to buy it! 🙂