My Apartment Therapy Small/Cool Contest Submission
Notes and pics of my 380 square foot prewar Manhattan apartment
The big art piece resting atop my fireplace is a section of an original Gilded Age rug from a mansion-turned-museum in my hometown (Oswego, NY), where I worked one summer during college. It was cut up and auctioned off in the 80s and I found it in my favorite antique store and had to rescue it!
I've collected art and antiques from many travels and years of thrifting with my late mom. When I moved to this first solo apartment I was eager to display it all. The big circular piece is an original gifted to me by my elementary school art teacher, whose studio I worked at during high school.
I hated the "boob light" on the ceiling that came with the apartment, so I DIY-ed a pink fringe lamp out of a wire basket, trim, and some wire. My north-facing living room needed some extra light so I have 8 lamps in here - a mix of fringe, brass, stained glass, and my grandma's antique hurricane.
I masked my ugly gray kitchen tile with a runner and bamboo mat. My portable washing machine helps me avoid trudging down 4 flights to do laundry. Its bespoke cover was made by my boyfriend's mom (brought measurements to her in Israel) to hide it in plain sight, with enough room for a tiny dinette.
My bedroom is packed with vintage clothes in various dressers, with every inch of wall not displaying art used to hang accessories. The chair doubles as a second work nook. The square shelf on the right above the headboard serves as my bf's bedside table (including a tiny mouse lamp) when he visits.
I've used every bit of my railroad-style, pre-war, one-bedroom Manhattan home to display and store my antiques, hand-me-downs, and treasures; while also being able to comfortably house up to two people working from home. Most of the furniture is Tetris-like in how it's configured as you can see!
(image not included in submission — I was limited to 5 pics plus a floor plan!)
My groovy, maximalist apartment houses my collection of art and vintage; with citrusy pops of color, velvet and shaggy textures, and middle eastern influences (nods to my Lebanese heritage and trips to my bf's family in Israel). It's a remote office for two, party pad, and personal gallery. My super comfy couch has hosted many friends and I often doze off on it admiring my joyful space.
My home is a museum of my personal history, with precious objects from important people in my life (living and departed -- with many items of my mom's and grandma's) and exciting trips to places far away (many objects from Morocco, Ghana, Mexico, Ireland, Turkey, and Israel) and familiar (I often thrift in my hometown and can't resist taking home a piece of Oswego history or art when I find one).