Name: Amy
Location: West Village
Size: 400 sqft
Favorite: The fact that the lady in the laundromat across the street remembers her from the last time she lived on this block.
Amy has moved 5 times in the 7½ years she has lived in New York City. Each time she called the same guys to do the job. Over the years they have become very comfortable working together.
She says they are a “good crew and very sweet” and she appreciates that, by now, they recognize her belongings! Invoking past lessons learned, they treated her stuff like old, good friends when maneuvering the entryway.
Do you have an idea for a house tour? Let me know! jill@apartmenttherapy.com
This latest apartment is only 8 doors down from where Amy lived a year ago. She held out in sublets and such until she could re-establish herself on her favorite street in Manhattan across from her favorite lunch place, and a few yards away from a couple of very good friends. For Amy, location trumps almost all other factors. Nonetheless, it is a one bedroom with garden access and for that she cannot complain.
This is phase one in terms of house tour, as she has just moved in yesterday. We are watching her unpack in real time! After the carpets were ripped up and pergo floors were put down, Amy chose a yellow tinted Benjamin Moore white to replace what she called "White White" throughout the apartment. These basics were in place when Amy moved in yesterday, but she had her doubts about color choice. As the sun retreated, she grew less critical of the wall color.
The first priority once the movers left was to make it feel like home as soon as possible. For Amy, this meant setting up and making her bed, arranging some perfume bottles, plugging in a certain lamp, and pushing all the boxes to the edge of the room so as to create defined order in the middle. Since some people were coming over to celebrate with champagne, she decided to tackle the “easy boxes” full of glasses for the kitchen.
It was a long day of moving out, picking up additional stuff in storage, moving in, and feeling settled. For Amy, the best part was to see all her personal possessions reunited once again in what is now her new home! Stay tuned for the next installment.
Hey share the wealth!
Who are your movers? Good movers are hard to find in this town.
And, yep, I always read the text and also do the ALT right arrow thing.
i'm sorry – is that an ipod under the birdcage in photo 13? what kind of music do your birds (byrds?) like?
Rainbow Movers are THE movers... they are the best. They actually make moving a completely pleasurable experience. you can find recommendations and info on them if you search the AT website.
and not sure about the ipod and the bird music. that was the previous tenant's bailywick. I bet she did play some music for her birds... and i happen to love the byrds!
Going to be warm and cozy; love the yellow on the walls.
Isn't it funny, though, that all these changes seem to have occurred without any human intervention? Maybe it's all virtual.
What a charming place. Can't wait for the next installment.
Just out of curiosity - why were the floors laid side to side rather than lengthwise? I'm not a design professional, so forgive me if this is a dumb question.
What's behind the two wide doors near the entry? One is ventilated, so perhaps HVAC intake? Or hot water heater?
Amy, I hope you love your new home and will feel settled quickly.... and will want to stay there a long time.
I envy you, Amy. It looks very cozy.
hi anne in dallas.
funny you mention the direction of the new flooring. the landlord and I both thought, hmm, not EVER the direction we would have done considering the layout. well -- it turns out b./c it is a basement apt (yes, HVAC and hotwater for the townhouse behind the two doors) the floors are somewhat uneven and laying the flooring this direction was smartest in relation to the waviness of the foundation. so, in this case, the contractors win, and our instincts were not the smartest.
in the case of the bedroom, it's length is perpendicular to the front rooms, so it feels more logical back there.
thanks all for the comments. it is cozy and i do hope to enjoy this place for a long while!
Where is the oven?
It is a charming place, Amy. I have moved six times in the last four years. I just finished building (not quite, really) my own home out in the country. That is a first for me. Sometimes it almost feels like an addiction to move into a new place and fix it up to make it yours.
Blessings to you!