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A glimpse inside Liz’s 550 square-foot apartment in NYC!

Happy Monday, friends! Today we are giving you another peek into my new place here in Manhattan! We decided to write about this space a little bit since one of the main questions I am often asked is what it is really like to go from living in suburbia your entire life to moving to a tiny apartment in the city. So, I’ll tell you — it’s BANANAS.

To give you some perspective, we moved from a three bedroom home in rural Pennsylvania to a 5th-floor walk-up (yes, that means you walk up and up and UPPP) on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The apartment is a tiny, two bedroom, two bathroom apartment that is around 550 square feet. I’ll admit, this part of the transition is a shock to the system and living in such tight quarters is definitely not for everyone, but I am learning to see the joys in being in such a cozy space. Plus, I totally recognize that the sacrifice of space is worth the experiences that are right outside our window. NYC is a dream and every time I want to scream expletives at the universe on that 5th flight of steps I try to remember that.

However, to make our lives fit in this tiniest of spaces it meant completely purging most of our belongings and only hanging on to things we really loved or actually used. Which, in my case, meant getting rid of the majority of our furniture including our kitchen table, couches, accent chairs, bookshelves, china hutches, and so much more. It was nuts!

As a result of the stark contrast that is my old home and this new apartment, there were a lot of adjustments that we had to make to make this tiny space work. One of the biggest was seating. We knew we wanted a place that was welcoming to visitors but there definitely wasn’t room for a couch and love seat or even a couch and chair, so we turned to our friends at La-Z-Boy for help!

La-Z-Boy is so much more than your dad’s favorite recliner brand, and makes beautiful, customized furniture to meet your every need. They have over 900 fabrics and leathers, endless styles, and design assistance to make sure you get the perfect piece of furniture. For us, this mean the Tribeca Sectional! The Tribeca Sectional comes in a bunch of different configurations that you can personalize to fit your space and style. Since we have such limited space, the sofa had to fit very specific measurements, and with all of the different options from La-Z-Boy, we were able to create a sectional that could not fit the space more perfectly while allowing for lots of comfy seating.

Honestly, this thing is SO comfortable and is the first thing anyone comments on when they come inside. Plus, it has the most gorgeous stylish and modern details and since we got to choose our own fabric, it matches perfectly. I recommend this sectional and this company to everyone because of how fun and easy it was to design our sectional, and because of how much we love and will continue to love the result for years. Honestly, best couch EVER.

To go with our sofa we wanted lots of fun wall art and since we have such limited wall space we wanted every piece to be meaningful. This painting from Minted is one of the major centerpieces in the room and is a painting of a mountain range in Utah which we still call home. I love it so much. We also got the gorgeous gold foil-pressed map of Salt Lake City from Minted to go with the mountains.

 

This letterboard from Letterboard Co. is a major favorite in the room and we love changing the message for visitors or holidays or different moods we are in! Everyone needs one of these on their wall and the quality of the Letterboard Co.’s boards are above and beyond any others I have seen. Plus, they have several styles and sizes to fit your space! We love it.

Another favorite component of the space is this stunning area rug from eSale Rugs! We are such fans of this site, their endless rug designs to fit every style and space and their affordability. It is quite the feat to be a rug in our house with our wild rug rats trying to destroy all of our pretty things all the time, and this rug has help up wonderfully.

The major show stopper of the room has got to be this light George Kovaks chandelier from Bellacor! Because we walk up so many stairs to what is considered the “penthouse” of the building, we have really high ceilings. However, the light fixture that was installed when we moved in was so small for such a tall space. This chandelier made a world of difference once it was installed and is so beautiful, well-made, and stylish. I love it more every day and can’t believe how much adding it to the room elevated the space. It’s gorgeous. Plus, Bellacor has so many other beautiful lights, decor, furniture and more to make your space more beautiful! I am such a fan.

Can we talk wallpaper? I feel very passionate about the stuff. As a renter, I knew I wanted to add some extra homey-ness but didn’t really want to paint and then have to paint again when we moved. Plus, wallpaper has come such a long way! Most companies make wallpaper now that is completely adhesive and removable making it so easy for renters to make their space their own. I had researched a handful of companies and wasn’t sure where to go until I went to my neighbor’s playroom and saw some gorgeous wallpaper from Chasing Paper and I was sold!

Chasing Paper’s wallpaper is next level. This stuff is the most beautiful quality and the designs are total stunners. I wanted to plaster my walls with something like these banana leaves but my husband is a little more conservative so we compromised on this grey crosshatch that I am obsessed with! It gives the perfect amount of subtle dimension to the room and was completely fool-proof to install. I literally put the whole thing up by myself in an hour and barely broke a sweat. This is a must-do to take your space to the next level and Chasing Paper is the only way to go! It is a little tricky to see the pattern from far away in these pictures (you mostly see a light grey wall in these pictures), but here is what the paper looks like up close:

More art! This shelf and “But, First, NYC” art make this little wall something special. I love the detail on the shelf and the colors of this print fit the room so well. Minted makes so many different kinds of these gorgeous shelves in different finishes and lengths, making them perfect for any space. And don’t even talk to me about all of the different pieces of art you could get from Minted to go with them. The mind reels, y’all. They are too good. Plus, that favorite Family Proclamation print is from my dear friends Ashley and Mack at Slimhouse Studio and is a MUST for any LDS home. Their shop is packed with loveliness.

There you have it! A glimpse into the tiny place we call home in this crazy city. For a round up of all of the great brands that made it happen, see the list below and be sure to leave a comment if you have any other questions about items that were featured! I love them all and could talk about them all dang day.

Happy homemaking!
ox. Liz

Featured Brands + Products: 

Wallpaper from Chasing Paper
Sectional from La-Z-Boy
Area Rug from eSaleRugs
George Kovaks Chandelier from Bellacor
Blue Mountain Art from Minted
Foil-Pressed SLC Art from Minted
Artful Shelf from Minted
Letterboard from the Letterboard Co.
Family Proclomation print from Slimhouse Studio

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