A Spacious Philadelphia Rental Is the Epitome of Simple and Sweet

Name: Heather Vander Zwaag
Location: Rittenhouse Square — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size: 1,000 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months, renting

I moved to Philadelphia after spending almost a decade in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and four years in New York. I feel like I have become an expert at moving and apartment scouting, and this place is a total culmination of my past living spaces: Great bones, natural light, a beautiful neighborhood, and plenty of room (finally) to spread out all of my pretty things.

What is your favorite room and why? The living and dining space. I love having an open floor plan, and after four years in New York, the natural light and windows on all sides is the ultimate luxury.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? The carpet on the stairs between my first and second floor! But really it feels so ridiculous and fancy to have two floors, so it isn’t worth complaining about!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I was able to bring so many things with me that were collected in all of my past places, and they all just fit magically in here, so I didn’t need to find much.

But the last big purchase I made was a cabinet to hide my TV away in; I hate looking at technology in my house (it’s already what I do all day at work) and I had been lusting after this cabinet from Urban Outfitters for months, so finally did it.

The last small addition to my home was a bunch of creosote I gathered on my last trip home to Arizona to put in a vase by my bedside and remind me of the magical place I call home. I get homesick way out East, so this smell and sight is the perfect reminder to make me feel at home.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Patience! Which I am the worst at. But my favorite things and the things that have lasted through each move are those that I have just stumbled upon, not those I sought out to find. Don’t worry about things matching or where they will go; when I find things I like, I take them home with me, and their place in it becomes clear.

Thanks, Heather!

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