Digest 5.15.15

Happy Friday, everyone. Boy, am I ready for the weekend. We're down to just a few things to unpack, and I'm hoping we can tackle it tomorrow. (Wall art is the main culprit.) For a break from all my musings about my own little house, here are some links that have caught my eye lately:

Living with less has gone high-fashion, with coverage in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.

My latest blog discovery (via Remodelista): The Shingled House. 

This is a very cool tiny house (that's it above, and you can sign up for a tour).

It's not my style, but this small apartment is full of clever ideas.

A modern-day root cellar.

IKEA is now serving breakfast-in-bed.

Food52 covers cooking on a budget.

Simple rules for healthy eating. 

Cheese: the secret to a longer life and faster metabolism? I hope so!

Plus, coffee isn't bad for you, after all. 

Apartment Renovation: Decoration Inspiration

Our decor won't change too much in our new apartment (the same old stuff came with us to Queens, of course). However, starting over fresh in a new space, definitely has me rethinking our decor a little.

Our new building was completed in 1946, so it has a little bit of a pre-war, mid-century feeling (though there is nothing architecturally interesting about it at all). Both my husband and I find ourselves feeling that some of the antique/traditional pieces we bought for our last apartment don't feel quite right for this new one. Plus, some of them just don't fit the space.

I'm also hoping to apply my aspirations to live with less to our decor. We got rid of a ton of stuff pre-move, which felt great, but I think there will be even more to go as we settle in here. Right now it feels so good to be in this space that is much less cluttered than our old one.

Here are some of the homes that are currently inspiring me:

I can't count the number of times I've turned to Remodelista editor Julie Carson's Mill Valley home (above and below) in the Remodelista book. To me, it's the perfect modern home: It's light, open and spare, yet also lived-in and full of personality.

If only I had the budget to hire Buttrick Won Architects to revamp my little 2-bedroom! One of the things I most admire in Carson's home are all the clever built-ins, which won't be something we can afford to copy. For the best tour of Carson's house, pick up a copy of the Remodelista book, and for a quick tour, check out this slideshow on Refinery29.

Another apartment that is currently inspiring me is Thom Browne's Manhattan apartment, which is as crisply tailored as his clothing designs. I love pretty much everything about it--and my husband does too. You can take a virtual tour on Architectural Digest's site.

Tom Scheerer is my hero when it comes to decor, but many of his interiors are a little more old-fashioned and preppy than I am thinking our new place will be. However, his own Manhattan apartment and office both fit the profile of the modern, urban look I am hoping to achieve. Head to the "town" section on his portfolio site, and click on Gramercy Park Apartment to see more of this lovely space.

Another inspiring home is right here in the new neighborhood! The Jackson Heights home of Jesse James and Costas Anagnopoulos is traditional, yet feels fresh. I'm erring on the side of fewer objets than you see here, but I like the feeling this apartment exudes. There's a full house tour on Remodelista, if you're curious to see more.

Want to see more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board for the apartment's decor.

Apartment Renovation: The Envelope

While some of the design decisions for the apartment took time, we immediately knew what we wanted to do with the envelope of our new apartment. Here's what we were thinking and photographs of a few of the interiors that inspired our choices:

Located on the ground floor, we wanted to maximize the feeling of natural light in the apartment. So, we decided upon white walls throughout (I'm adventurous, I know). We opted for one bright, white for the walls and ceilings (Benjamin Moore, Chantilly Lace), and another, creamier white (Benjamin Moore, White Dove), in a high-gloss finish for the trim.

While it's hard to tell from the listing photos, the floors were not in great shape, and would need to be refinished. I have learned my lesson with past renovations: If you have even a passing thought about refinishing your floors, do them, and do them before you move in! No amount of  mopping or detailed application of specialty floor products will make your old floors look good. And for a relatively small investment, your whole place will feel fresh and new.

We decided to try a white-wash finish on our floors. I have seen it in several homes that I admire, and I thought it would add an additional feeling of lightness and brightness to the space. I also figured blending the transition from wall to floor would make the apartment feel larger.

For the doors, we decided to go with a painted  high-gloss black finish. Inspired by Thomas O'Brien's Long Island home (above and below) and other interiors, we had painted the doors in our last apartment black, and loved the results. The doors in the apartment are original to the building's mid-century construction, so they're solid wood, but not in the best shape. For now, we're sticking with the doorknobs from the previous owner, but that's an upgrade that's on my list for later on down the road.

TIP: If you want a super-black finish, opt for the straight-out-of-the-can, pre-mixed black. It will always be a much truer and deeper black than one that is custom mixed for you. Don't forget to have the paint store agitate the can in their shaking machine--it really helps the paint re-emulsify.

Finally, we decided to unify the baseboard trim throughout the apartment with a very simple, low-profile molding. Previously, the apartment had different trim in almost every room, including a rather over-the-top choice that was added in the dining room/small bedroom. Changing the molding didn't increase our costs significantly and it helps unify the look of the apartment.

The Little House in Jackson Heights

Back in December, I suggested that my husband and I go take a look at a few apartments in Jackson Heights. After selling our apartment more than two years ago, we had continued to look at apartments in Brooklyn neighborhoods while we rented in Clinton Hill, and never could bring ourselves to commit to anything we saw. We even started looking in Manhattan, figuring, if we were going to pay as much as we were expecting to pay for Brooklyn real estate, we may as well have the convenience of Manhattan.

 An afternoon of looking in Queens quickly convinced us to swap boroughs. One apartment in particular caught our eye. It was listed as a one-bedroom, but it had a dining area that could easily be considered a second bedroom (albeit a small one with no closet). And at less than half the price of a similarly-sized apartment in our Brooklyn neighborhood with a very low maintenance fee, it was an easy decision to make an offer. Our offer was accepted, and we moved forward with the purchase.

While we loved the layout (see floorplan above) and the location, there were some things we knew we needed to do before we moved in. The walls needed painting and the floors needed refinishing, but we were undecided about the kitchen and bathroom. Both rooms were in good shape, but were badly designed and total eyesores. On the one hand, we could certainly live with the ugly tile, but on the other hand, any improvements we made would probably earn themselves back if we choose to sell in the future. Having lived through a bathroom and kitchen renovation while inhabiting an apartment, I was very keen on the idea of getting it done before we moved in, which was ultimately what we decided to do. 

Now we’re moved in and we just have a few more fixes to make. I’ll be posting more about the renovation process, the before and afters, and everything we’ve learned along the way in the coming weeks. For now, this is a sneak peek at what the apartment looked like when we bought it.