Hi friends, welcome back and come on in! Jon and I have been busy making our new apartment feel like home and I’m finally ready to share an updated tour. Our goal was to make it feel as much like a home as possible and not fall into the mindset that we’re just renting so we won’t bother decorating. We kind of had that mentality in our old place but ended up staying for four years, so we weren’t going to let that happen again. In case you missed it, I’ve previously shared an empty apartment tour, I’ve shown you the views, and now it’s time to take a tour!
Walking in we have our coat rack/drop zone to the right, and that little hallway leads to the second bathroom. We really enjoy walking in and not being confronted by our Peloton bike in the entry way. The little bin is for our recycling.
We have our laundry closet at the end of the hall.
Turning the corner, the office is to the right and bedroom to the left. This space is weird to me because it seems like it would’ve been more efficient to make the second bedroom bigger instead of having a big open space. Our building used to be an office building before it was turned into apartments, so that could be why some of the walls and ceiling indents are odd.
Our kitchen is almost identical to our old one, but the dishwasher is in a different spot and it’s a little longer. We get so much sun, so we’re a little nervous it’ll be burning up in here in the summer. Even after we moved in it got up to 80* in here before we turned on the a/c. I have to be careful what candy I put in my holiday bowls because the sun melts it.
The living room is set up a little differently, mainly because our couch is so big this is the only way it could be, but we like it. It flows nicely. We are thinking about getting a rug in here, but other than that we are pretty done with this room.
My desk is in this little nook and I like being able to see the boats go by on the river.
This painting is new addition from Giri Designs, I found it from an effective targeted ad on Instagram. We don’t plan on painting the walls because we don’t want to worry about painting them back, so this painting makes it not feel like living in a white box.
The office is the smallest room, but took the longest to put together. It is a very skinny room that needed to function as Jon’s office and a cycling studio. We tried a lot of different configurations with the desk and bike, but this one finally feels right. I think we’re going to get an old map of NYC to have above the desk, and then we will be done with this room too.
Jon wanted a sophisticated background for all his video calls and it took us a while to figure out. His dream vision was a Pinterest worthy built-in across the wall, but we weren’t going to build that in an apartment. We also thought about getting a console table and art, but we ended up getting three more ladder bookcases from the website Nathan James. They are similar to Ikea quality, but they look nice and were a good solution. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of shelves I had to decorate, but it was easier than I thought.
My favorite part of the office is my holiday closet! I dreamed of having all my decorations nicely organized in colored tubs and it finally came true 🙂 Spoiler alert for my Halloween decor tour, I got more pumpkins.
Hope you enjoyed the tour! We love our new space and are so happy we were able to move.
Apartments can be so impersonal, but you took this blank slate and made it your own Lyssy. As to the heat in apartments, our son and daughter live in a glass tower with no A/C in Vancouver. During the 2021 heat dome, it was unbearable. Thanks for sharing your home and enjoy your Wednesday. Allan
Oh man I can imagine that would be unbearable! I am worried about getting a sun burn in my apartment sometimes. But the alternative is having no view and looking right into an alley or something, so I can’t complain.
Are you always this neat and organized? Ha. Seriously, thanks for letting us through the front door for a peek. I noticed the book on the front coat stand, so you don’t forget something to read at a coffee shop or Central Park? The transition space to the main living area doesn’t seem awkward but maybe the photos make it look different than it really is. Nice shelving units in Jon’s office. Finally, my daughter has the same grid of large framed photos of her and her husband (all from their wedding) in their entry hallway. Maybe a decor idea you both found on Pinterest?
We are like 90% that neat, when you can see everything in a smaller space it motivates you to stay tidy I think. That was my library book to return, it would be nice if I could read on the subway but it’s so loud. The door to our bedroom also swings out into the living room, so maybe that’s why the extra space too. Maybe I’m not used to all the space so it seems weird haha. I think I did see the gallery wall on Pinterest. I actually put a pic of ours on Pinterest and a lot of people saved it. Would be a small world if she was one of them.
Looks great and you get so much light! Maggie
Thank you! We are lucky to get so much light!
I think you have transformed the apartment / flat into a home very well Lyssy and you must both be pleased with the outcome. I remember you saying that you were on the 45th floor. How many more floors above you are there? I expect that there is more than one lift otherwise it would be a long walk when they were out of order! Does your floor sometimes get shrouded in low lying clouds. Your views are spectacular.
Thank you! We are very happy with how it turned out. There are 62 floors in our building and the top two are a fancy restaurant/bar. We have three elevators that go to floors 29-60 and sometimes I have to wait 3 minutes to catch one, but usually it’s pretty quick. Luckily we haven’t had to use the stairs. There are some days when it’s super foggy that we can’t see out our window, it’s pretty neat.
Great views and so light and bright – it’s charming and I love the decor.
Thank you! I have to be careful I don’t get a sunburn inside some days.
Your apartment looks amazing, Lyssy! I especially love the black countertops in the kitchen and the bookcase in Jon’s office. You did a great job of decorating it as well as incorporating a space for the Pelton bike. Now, would you please tell me how you arranged your gallery wall so perfectly?
Thank you!! The black countertops I have a love-hate with. They look nice but reflect everything which makes filming/taking pics of recipes hard. We saw a hack for gallery walls and it changed the way we hang everything. We bought a big roll of paper which you can see in the last pic, and then we (Jon) just traces all the frames on the paper how we want them and then we tape it to the wall and hammer in the nails. It requires a little finessing to make it all straight, but this has been the easiest way we’ve found.
Thank you for the tip. I have some not-very-straight ones in my dining room and every one of them has 100 nail holes behind it! Yours look absolutely perfect.
It all looks great and love geeting a glimpse of what it is like to live in NYC!
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed!
This apartment has been redone and designed .Anita
Thanks Anita!
Your apartment is very beautiful, and I am impressed with your decorating!
Thank you, Allie!
It all looks so nice and homey!
Thank you, glad it gives off that vibe!
Where do you hide your kitchen appliances. Your big kitchenaid mixer, toaster, coffee pot?
The coffee pot is out on the peninsula in the corner along with a kettle, but everything else is in one of the cabinets under the counters. They are big cabinets luckily so we can fit all our appliances.
You’ve done a nice job of decorating and making your apartment feel like home. I love all the natural light you get.
Thank you! The natural light is so nice to have, especially in NYC.
Great space! Love the light!
Thank you!!
I love it, it looks wonderful. That desk in the lounge looking out – I’d be sitting there every day 🙂
Thank you!!
Great job decorating the place, Lyssy, and making it really feel and look like a home. I love your little nook, watching boats go by while working on new posts sounds wonderful. The wall with your photographs is my favourite bit in the new apartment as it was in the old one. I love how perfectly straight they are.
Thank you!! We love our space and how relaxed we feel in the middle of NYC. It is so nice to watch the boats go by. Yesterday I opened the blind and a bird was sitting on the window sill, we both scared each other haha. We finally have a system to get the pictures straight so now we are gallery wall experts haha
You did a great job at decorating the place! It does really feel like a home, and I think you were right to put your heart into it, even though it is a rental! It makes going back home or spending time at home much more enjoyable! I love your decorations closet and I’m glad I’m not the only one dreaming of a holiday-decoration closet ahah!
Thank you! You are right, it’s nice to have our relaxing space to come back to after a busy day of the city. My decoration closet smells really good too from the fall candles. One day you will have your holiday closet too 🙂
Looks fantastic. I can’t get over the view from your apartment!
Thank you!!