my apartment

i’ve been in my apartment for almost two years now — when i rented it, i certainly thought it was a short-term situation. i had a friend who lived in the building, and not knowing a ton about downtown living, i thought it was as good as any, so i scooped up a sublease and furnished my little spot with extra furbish furniture, some stuff from my moms and a just a few favorite things.

going from a decent size house to 650 square feet was less of a shift than i’d imagined. i found i had all the room i needed – and what’s more, room of my own. i developed my own routines – cooking breakfast every morning, coffee on the balcony, friends over before dinner out, or stopping by for brunch. going to bed early to read, or simply enjoying clean sheets, little by little, i made this space my own. i settled into a new way of life, and while my space got simpler, and smaller, my world seemed to grow by the day.

don’t get me wrong – my apartment has seen it’s share of tears, lonely nights, confused weekends by myself that stretched endlessly on, a little heartbreak and a lot of deep digging into what the hell i was doing with my life. but alongside all of the tough times, i was able to make this not-my-house a home, by simply doing what’s always worked. adding things i love – things that inspire me, that remind me of friends and far-away places, and that make my happy, maybe just because they’re pretty.

i’ll always keep adding layers. if i’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that living anything less than authentically will never quite work for me.

i’ve loved living here, but i am searching for a new spot now. i need a bit more space to accommodate things from my old house, furbish finds that constantly overflow, and let’s be honest, i have a lot of shoes (i need another closet!). the dogs would love some more space and i wouldn’t be at all mad at a pretty kitchen again, and a big old bathtub. if you’ve been itching for a pied-a-terre off peace street, i am going to sublet my space soon, and, brian is going to rent our old house (here and here) out while he’s living at the beach (and perhaps sell, the the right person). you can email me if you want more info!

most things are from furbish at some point or another, but if you’d like a source for a particular piece, leave a comment and i’ll do my best to help.  most of my framing is by framebridge.

photos by anna routh