nyc apartment (#4) tour

this is our 4th nyc apartment tour (apt 1, apt 2 here & here, apt 3), not to mention our dc apartment & former ut houses. it's such a pain to take pictures of where you live, but i cherish these posts with photos of homes that are just memories now. i can hardly look at our old apartments-- in our building that is now ready for demolition-- UGH. i can't! i can't. 

it's funny seeing the same things- same couch, dresser, rugs... so much of the same, but years in between. babies who are now bigger. the spaces have changed, but i am so grateful for these homes.

our current space is almost 1100 square feet- nearly double our last apartment- now we have 2 bedrooms & 1 bathroom. we gained a few closets, a washer and dryer, a separate tub & shower, and our own bedroom! 

we lost a heck of a lot of light, access to a roof, and so much money. for whatever information may be on the internet, pricing in nyc is outrageous- higher than ever before. it dipped a bit during covid, but soared once vaccines were released and those who left (and a whole lot more) came pouring back into the city. it's dreadful, but we still love it ever so much. 

grateful for this little part of the city...

our new space...

i love this space SO MUCH. we didn't intend to move, but due to a weird series of events, we got this apartment on a wednesday, and we moved in that same saturday. thankfully, it's 4 doors down from our old space so the move itself was as easy as a move could be (at least, with 3 kids).

we moved because of a construction issue with our last apartment, but otherwise, we weren't bothered by our 525 square foot place. this apartment is slightly bigger (600 sq. ft.)- nothing dramatic, but there's an entryway (!!!). we thought the bedroom was similar (it's actually a lot bigger than our old shoebox space). there is also this dreamy exposed brick. and a little staircase up to the bedroom. and there is a renovated kitchen & bathroom- which was the real selling feature. we're paying more, but we didn't have to pay a broker fee this time around, and they let us sign a slightly longer lease; *KNOCK ON WOOD* i don't want to move again. i told mike i had 1 more move in us, and this was it! i'm STAYING PUT FOR A WHIIIILE! this also gave me the chance to finally trade in our tiny ikea table that only sat 4 (and the chairs ripped out my hair from their little screws along my back); and we got a real table that seats us alllll! otherwise, no major changes or need to purchase anything (ok, there was a lighting situation, but i'll get to that later).

cheers to the 3rd apartment in the same building in 3 years;) 

*taking pictures of your home is like when you're selling and you have to clean it for a showing- it feels impossible to get it all cleaned at the same time...... and by the time you do, it's dark... anyway, i have always done little tours of our spaces, so i couldn't not do it this time. 

i want to talk a little about lighting and storage.

first, lighting. there are no overhead lights in the bedroom or main living space. we get great natural light- we always have- but for almost 3 years we've lived in DARK APARTMENTS once the sun goes down because we've refused to spend money on lights. (the kids room has always just had christmas lights strung up. still does. it works.) floor lamps never made sense, and we just couldn't come up with a decent option in the main space. when we were in chinatown for my birthday we found a lighting store that sold individual fixtures and cordage by the foot. we realized we could just buy 5 lights, and string them into an extension cord. i mean, not glamorous, but it was an idea. and as i sat in sweetgreen and looked at their rough "loft" lighting overhead, i realized it could totally work for us. it was a moderate nightmare to figure out, but it WORKS! we have light after 4pm!!!!

next, storage. here are some of my thoughts i've come up with over the years of living small: 

• JUST HAVE LESS. you don’t need to organize what you don’t have.
• re-think what you buy. and maybe don’t buy it. mike and i don't do gifts; we RARELY do presents for the kids, and when we do, they’re “useable” (like experiences, movie tickets, or art supplies). i buy with the mentality that we’ll either re-sell it, or dispose of it, which means we naturally buy less. sometimes i even put things in my cart (in person or electronically), and then just remove it. just so i can feel if it’ll be a good thing or not. maybe super weird. but it totally works. 
• know what you have at all times. i go through every part of our apartment frequently. every drawer, cupboard, and bin. i donate a bag or two at least a few times a month. we use minimal products, so we don’t have unused or unnecessary food, toiletries, clothing, etc. we don’t buy more until we’re out, so we accumulate AND waste a lot less. we only need 3 pots and a frying pan, so that’s all we have. a few knives, a spatula, ladle, and wooden spoon. if we miss something, we can always re-buy it!
• work with your space. we’ve been lucky to have height to work with, so we go up in closets. hanging pants is the best apartment hack ever. suitcases are great storage. we don’t have room for sleds, so we use cookie sheets the one time a year when we go play in the snow. babies can be changed on the floor instead of a changing table. gathre mats work for literally everything indoors or outdoors- totally worth investing in one. it’s not perfect, but it reeeeeally helps cut back on stuff. be purposeful in your items and your space. 
• make it up. i’m shocked i really don’t miss the stuff i used to have. i’m also shocked at how little kids need to entertain themselves. when they get bored, we go outside. if we’re stuck inside, they take off couch cushions, or play with cardboard boxes, or in cupboards. toys like legos or magnetiles work for so many ages, and all 3 of my kids love playing with them.

the best part of all of this is it's EASY. life is so much easier with less stuff to deal with; less to clean. less to buy. less to move around. there's so much life that is complicated, i'll take anything i can get to make it easier. 

an update: (still) living in 518 square feet...

this post is a follow-up to this post i made after we moved into our "tiny" apartment last spring. we just re-signed our lease for another year- 15 months in, and we've committed to another year:)

living in a small space. living in a tiny house. living in nyc. i think because we had space before we didn't have space, it's a lot easier of a lifestyle than most assume. it hasn't gotten old yet, and it's still a conscious choice we're happy to make. it's liberating. and it's really fun in a lot of ways.

conscious decisions

the decision of re-signing for another year was a harder than i thought it would be, mostly out of pride because our management company raised our rent more than i thought they should (normal, but annoying), and i really wanted to move out of principle, but i realized they wouldn't care if we stayed or left. and i also realized we have neighbors who have never complained- not once. which is like a unicorn in nyc. plus, we never smell cigarettes, and only smell pot in the halls in the summertime, so we decided to quit while we're ahead and stay. 

plus, who wants to move a murphy bed? that saves $500 right there. moving a murphy bed is nooo joooke.

the unfortunate news is that rumors are circulating that a high rise is set to be built RIGHT next to us. feet away. too close. first, they'll demolish the shorter building that allows us a view- that'll be loud i'm sure. and dusty. then they'll build. and we'll lose our view. and gain one of a construction site. men peering in our windows at eye-level. flood lights on 24/7. blegh. really, i'm hoping all that will take longer than a year, and by then, i assume we'll have officially outgrown this tiny home. we'll see.

(the bathroom. the bathroom is the one space that i curse. it's SO small- you can kind of see how the width of the bathroom is literally the size of the door. that's it. it's like an airplane bathroom. the size sucks, but the water pressure is a dream.)

changes

the space is very similar to how it was last year- the biggest addition (aside from adding another human being) has been the metal rack by our front door, which became necessary to hold diapers, shoes, and hang winter garb since we don't have an entryway or a coat closet! otherwise, we've replaced a few picture frames (#indoorsoccer), baskets, and added hooks. that's about it.

speaking of winter, we just switched out winter for spring attire- which is refreshing. winter was hard with coooooats, gloves, hats, boots, stroller sleeping bags, sweaters, and an all-around extra bulk that doesn't seem to exist with lighter summer clothing. we store our items in suitcases mostly- swapping out seasons is a full-apartment-experience. seeing everything you own get moved around a few times a year reinforces the feeling of only keeping what you neeeed.

stuff & storage

hanging pants (above) was still my best- albeit, stolen from pinterest- idea i've had in my 33 years of life. they hang in our closet. we have 2 closets- a regular closet in the kids' room, and this small walk-in closet that acts like a regular closet, basement, garage, pantry, medicine cabinet, laundry room, and more. that closet is packed, but it is meticulously packed.

i have a whole different perspective on "stuff" in recent years. stuff is very much like food- disposable for the most part (enjoy it, realize it's coming at a cost, but it's just temporary). if i'm buying a shirt or a bowl or a toy, i ask myself in an oh, so philosophical voice: 'am i ok donating/disposing of this in a season if it no longer serves a useful purpose?' or 'is this worth replacing another item in order to hold on to?' i find it makes us re-think why we do what we do. what are seasons/celebrations for? do we need to buy decor? if i want a new coat, is it time to part with one i don't wear as often? can my kids share rain boots? socks? it's a constant process. i'm still learning. but it's a fun learning. it's like hyper-organizaiton. i organize and purge items at least weekly. sometimes a couple times a week. every drawer, box, cupboard... everything has a home at all times. items without homes are evicted.

i've also realized that the difference between small and smallER isn't as bad as i thought. our last apartment had more space for sure, but if harvey's up screaming during the night, both spaces were small and little difference would be noticed in that circumstance. 

a friend sent me this article a while back, and i love it- it captures the one caveat of living in such a small space: the need for a breather every once in a while. overall, our time in this apartment has been wonderful. it's been overwhelmingly freeing. it's easy. SO EASY. 

miscellaneous items of noteworthiness: 

- after harvey was born we replaced our double stroller (which i LOVED) with a single stroller (uppababy cruz) + ride board. mike and i have had countless arguments in our 9ish years as parents- 99% of parental arguments have been about strollers. as proof of the fact that i totally won this (and most other) stroller argument, i direct your attention to our "stroller parking nook" which basically proves that space was made for the stroller. (said nook is in the corner of the apartment, next to our closet & kitchen table, and fits the stroller perfectly.) an annoyance is that we bump this stroller up/down 10 steps because our apartment is not on the same level as our elevator. which drives me batty. but that's ok. could be worse. either way, strollers are lifelines. my stroller is my car. if the stroller isn't working, life cannot go on. groceries, the park, errands of any sort... all are reeeeally hard (dare i say impossible) with 3 little kids in the city if one is down a stroller. we have stroller parking in our apartment, which is fantastic:)

- trader joe's has some of the best flowers in the city (i can't confirm in other cities, but i can in this one). $7 for peonies that are the most lovely i've seen *outside of your yard, kerry!!* mike's the biggest proponent of flowers in our apartment- way more than me. i love that about him:)

- when all else fails, go UP! we store things so high in the air! we have high ceilings, so we take advantage of the space in our closets, and above our cupboards. 

- hanging laundry baskets was a game changer for us. i mean, i'd give up a kidney for a washer & dryer in my apartment, but i'm trying to remain realistic here. i'll take what i can get.

so why stay in a micro-apartment you ask?

light is a big deal in nyc. and views- at least to me. we certainly give up space, but we have light. and a view. i love the sounds of the city, and i love that i never feel trapped in this little space. we also still have access to our roof for tiny amounts of time (aka: run up and take it all in, then come down before we get caught). and we have an elevator & laundry & a doorman. we could give all those up for a 2nd bedroom, but we'd pay at leeeeeast $300-400 more/month (or $4k more- the range is quite broad:); it's not worth losing money and amenities for space right now. 

the main reason we stay is because we love these blocks. this neighborhood is still our favorite part of the city. we love our routine. the kids' school is close. there's a hardware store, bodega, movie theater, tons of food, shopping, endless treats, drug stores, the best parks & playgrounds, and constant entertainment, all within 2 blocks. we don't "need" to leave to be entertained. we can fully function here, and that's worth the sacrifice of space. 

here's to another year!