Pieces Every Apartment Needs

I consider myself lucky to have two "first apartments". My first first apartment in Atlanta was homey, spacious, and perfect. My first New York apartment is very...New York. Tiny and cramped. So while trying to make it as much of a home as I can I realized there are certain aspects that any space can't be without.

CHARACTER PIECE

There should be one piece in each room that your attention gravitates to. Back in Atlanta it was my giant lit hashtag and it is a clear chair in the NYC apartment - the newest addition.

BAR CART OR AREA

Fork out the money for the ingredients. It's so worth it when you come home from a long day and think, "I could use an old fashioned, and ya know what?! I have all the ingredients!" Treat this area like part of your pantry - once you get all the ingredients you won't think about how much you spent getting started.

POP OF COLOR

If you said "pop of color" to 10 year old me I would be hitting the wall with a bright yellow can of paint... Color has to be the one thing my apartment is missing right now. Our white walls absolutely kill me, but with these thing it takes some time. Having a fun canvas can be the best way to bring it all together.

SHELF WITH STYLE

Use this place for your little trinkets, books, even heels! If I had a penny for every time I looked at my shelf and thought happy thoughts I could have already afforded to pay my next year's worth of rent up front.

FAMILY TREASURES

It's so fun to have a piece displayed that tells a little story. For instance, I had this vase (has been back at my parents' since the move) that was absolutely atrocious. It was tan, porcelain, and gaudy with bugs painted all over it. It was given to me when my grandmother passed away (I assume because my grandfather couldn't stand the sight of it), and there was absolutely nowhere to put it in my place. To make everyone happy I obliged and took it home, slapped it on a table in the hallway, and wouldn't you know I got more compliments on that damn vase than anything else in my apartment! Moral of the story: take the ugly thing and draw (the best kind of) attention to it.

GALLERY WALL OR WORD ART

When you find something like this ^ how do you say no? Show your personality. Sass it up.

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Now, I've written about coffee table books and my love for them before, but I truly believe they can bring a little something to a room. While they're not as fun to get as Christmas gifts, they're usually worth the investment. Barnes & Noble has them on sale quite frequently!




What are some pieces that your place can't live without? I'd love to hear!

Relaxing + Links

I'm finally back to posting after a month-long hiatus. Miss me?

It's been a busy, busy month: my friends Sarah and Jeanie, some of Sarah's coworkers, and I packed up and went to the Hampton's for Memorial Day Weekend, the weekend after I went back to Georgia, last weekend some friends and I decided last minute to go to the Belmont, and this weekend I needed to relax and focus on taking it easy, no drinking (okay, maybe a few glasses of wine...), and getting shit done. And boy did I need this weekend to relax!! New York just has a way of wearing you out - even if you're the person who likes to go 1,000 an hour... So this weekend I'm just thankful for coffee, friends, beautiful weather, and wash + fold service.

Hopefully I'll plan some posts and you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here again soon.

Now, on to the fun stuff:

living across the street from the Hudson River is pretty freaking sweet

shopping + things:

Gigi New York is having free personalization through this weekend. I've had my eye on this clutch for a while now, and this tote actually needs to make it into my wardrobe.

Behold, ladies. The best soap for cleaning your makeup sponges + brushes. It's magic, I'm telling you!

Mu nails it with this floral romper.

WANT and NEED this tassel necklace. You will too when you see it's price.

my absolute favorite place in the city

links + stuff:

Asking a 23 year old to find her passion and shift her focus is a little overwhelming - considering half of us really have no idea what we're doing.

A way to use every last bit of your strawberries this season.

Instagram stories.

Are you allowed to paint apartment walls? 12 color meanings + how to use them in your place.

Mackenzie's 5 ways to transform your rental.