My New York Apartment

This story probably isn’t like many others. I moved to the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York, at the end of September 2021 from Edmond, Oklahoma. Yes, OKLAHOMA. Why? Because I wanted to. New York, Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do. So here I am, peak 2nd round of Covid in Big Ole New York by myself at 24 and there are some things you can’t do. For example, you can’t get your apartment finished in a New York minute.

So let me start by telling you the honest truth about getting an apartment in New York City. It ain’t easy. Was I picky? There are definitely pickier. My apartment needs were: 1) had to be in my budget of course, 2) pet friendly and compatible for my Great Dane, Letty, 3) in the Upper East Side, and 4) aesthetically pleasing. Did I find what I was looking for? YES! How long did it take? It honestly felt like eternity, but approximately two months. You, of course, have to go through the credit checks and financial checks, which compared to Oklahoma were much more difficult. However, the parts that really got my blood boiling were getting the applications in before anyone else did and, more importantly, getting my dog accepted! My PERFECT GEM of a dog needed TWO letters of recommendation to be accepted. Yes, you read that right. I repeat: my dog needed two letters of recommendation. Not me-my dog. But, enough about me.

My New York Apartment is a 600 sqft walk-up studio located in the Upper East Side. I’m two blocks from Central Park. There is a Starbucks on the corner, bagels down the street that’re to die for, and I have my very own ugly naked guy across the street! The interior is exactly what I wanted-white and simple with a little bit of character (an old black fire place). So maybe you’re wondering how I’m creating a light and bright space in my tiny little studio. Well, we are trying. So bare with me and come along with my design journey of my dream studio apartment in New York City.

We love a good NYC stoop moment…… I hope to have a little Carrie Bradshaw romance here.

My New York Studio. isn’t it dreamy? My stepdad referred to it as a “hotel room” and what’s wrong with that? I’m a single 25 year old female chasing her dreams with her trusty canine by her side (and might I add, Letty loves it here.) Something I never thought of, that Letty and I love about living in this apartment, is every morning we can hear New York’s sexy pigeons purring outside our kitchen window. It’s very calming and balances out all the traffic from the other end of the apartment. Something about me, I haven’t mentioned yet is my profession, or rather passion. I’m an Interior Designer freshly graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma. I design random spaces in my sleep and everywhere I go. It’s truly a gift, or maybe a curse. I was jumping at the bits when my realtor finally sent me the floor plans of MY new apartment, so naturally I created a few options. Then the millennial and Libra in me posted about them on social media for some help. Since the drive from Oklahoma to New York was 1,400 miles and I didn’t have thousands of dollars to either buy all new furniture or rent a U-Haul for 3 days to move ALL my things, the only pieces of furniture I brought with me were my full size bed and my beloved burlwood waterfall coffee table that I thrifted a few years back. Needless to say, my furniture plan options could only go so many ways!

You’ll see in the next blog post which option I chose, or if you follow me on social media you may have seen. These were some options and vibes I was going for. Ya girl loves to create some mood boards. I wanted to maximize the space as much as possible while also getting everything I needed to fit. The apartment’s bones are fabulous with 10’ ceilings, newly finished hardwood floors, and a white and neutral color scheme. I got very lucky with this one! I’m going to add a few more photos of my naked New York Apartment below. I’m obsessed and completely in love.

So this is where we begin with a fresh new start in New York City. The pictures are a little blurry, so my apologies for that, and honestly they do it no justice. The kitchen is a perfect size for the simple chef like myself. Between reheating leftover Uber Eats and all the desserts I bake and then give away, it’s all I need. My apartment is blessed with great natural light and many many lighting options. I so felt like Emma from the movie Monte Carlo, when I found out the lights had dimmer switches. I couldn’t find a good picture of my bathroom but I’ll definitely post about it soon.

Thank you all so much for getting through my first blog post.

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