105th & happiness.
Our very own (pretend) cabin in the woods. This is our apartment in New York. Needless to say it’s a very special place, but like all special things, it came with its limitations and so did we.
The minute I was shown this apartment I fell in love with it — it is spacious, charming, and, like a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow, NEWLY RENOVATED! It is however on the ground floor; so not much natural light, and it has a looonnnggg hallway (takes up about 200 sq.ft.) like something out of The Shining.
Since it is a darker apartment, my challenge was to create a vibrant living space with furniture that we already own. We were moving from out of state, so our budget was tight and we had to supplement what we owned with essentials.
Here’s what we achieved…
the living room.
The lack of natural light bothered me at first. Our living room couch has deep blue upholstery, the little light that comes in is absorbed by the couch and the exposed brick wall it faces. There was something pleasant about it though; it reminded me of cozy, rainy days in the mountains in Southern India where I went to boarding school.
nooks and crannies.
I love the indented brick walls and the exposed pipes in the apartment, so I created a little reading nook to elevate its character. Adding these hanging bulbs also highlighted the tall ceilings of the apartment creating more vertical space.
master bedroom.
Natural light, during certain parts of the day, is abundant in our bedroom. We wanted to leverage light and maintain a minimalist feel while adding pops of colour in the form of books and plants.
I compromised the second faux fire place in this room to leave space in front of the windows . This orientation made more sense in terms of space and flow. Additionally, we are able to use the wall indents instead of night stands.
study & guest bedroom.
The apartment has two bedrooms and we used the second room as an office and guest room. This sofa has been with us for four years and is really great for any space, because it folds into a bed. It is smaller and sleeker than traditional pull out sofas, and the mechanism is very easy.
The sofa faces a small flat screen TV. This orientation allows for guests to have access on either side of the fold out bed. The ledges of the wall and window can also be used for their belongings.
details.
When I design layouts and set details, my main objective is to create areas that function for the habits of the residents. My husband and I really enjoy our coffee, so it was important to create a space that observes that.
Photo Credit: Ambika Singh