Jul 27, 2010

5 Problems and Solutions to Apartment Living

Last week was a pretty eventful one.  I was informed of a job opportunity, had an interview, and got it all in a matter of 2 days.  I am going to be the manager of our apartment complex!  I have mixed feelings about this, but have mainly felt excited and like it is supposed to happen.  I have been bored the last couple months and I think this is exactly what I needed.  I thrive on change I think.  I love our apartment and my life, but I just love to mix things up every so often!

So, we are moving September 1st.  Luckily it is just downstairs and the building next to ours.  Unfortunately it is an older version of our apartment (although we are getting new blinds) and the ceilings are a normal height.  I am SO going to miss our 13 foot vaulted ceilings :(  We also will have our own washer and dryer, but it takes up Allie's closet.

Here are a few of my ideas of decorating solutions to these problems:

1. Lower ceilings: mirrors on the walls to make it feel more open and I want to use lots of light colors/white in the main living space


2. Less closet space: put most of our stuff in storage (we get unlimited amount of this) use wicker baskets to store other things we use more often (on top of cabinets, on shelves, etc.)


3. Smaller windows bring in less light: sheers in the windows to bring in more light, use lamps in darker spaces



4. Ugly Counter-tops: There are lots of temporary options for this, I just am not sure what the best option is yet...granite tiles laid on top, large cutting boards, contact paper, tempered glass boards, vinyl adhesive tiles, vinyl tablecloth, or faux granite wallpaper...


5. A little less square footage:  This is similar to the solution for lower ceilings, but I will also be storing more of our furniture.  I will be arranging what we do use to keep the room feeling open by putting the big pieces closer to the walls and not cutting the room in half with the couch.



These are my ideas for color schemes right now:
Main living room: Gold and whites/creams along with some brown (and possibly turquoise)
Allie's Room: Browns (woods) and some accent colors (mainly turquoise/light blue)
Bathroom: White and black, along with some silver
Master Bedroom: Possibly Silver/gray and yellow, as in these colors:



Needless to say, I have a busy couple of months ahead of me: training for the job, going on vacation for a little over 2 weeks, then jumping right into moving and starting the job on Sept.1st.  I will try to keep my blog updated as much as I can, and I am definitely keeping Favorite Things Friday going, but please forgive me anything is lacking in my blog for the next couple months :)
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26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never thought about putting together grey and yellow, but looking at the pictures this looks great!

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Vanessa said...

Congratulations on your new job, I love the challenge of settling into a new place. Still working on perfecting my apartment three months later, ur...

Let us know how your new job as an apartment manager works out, sounds like a lovely job! Seriously.

Renée said...

That is exciting and you'll enjoy the make-over challenges. Congrats!

Kurtzhals said...

ohmigosh...how timely!!
I'll be blogging soon about moving from our 3 acre, 4 br country house to a 1 bedroom DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS apartment with my husband and 2 daughters. Time to start thinking about those issues. Yikes. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the gold/white combo you have. Love it.

Natalie Smith said...

I love the challenge of moving and redecorating and reusing what you have. What a great opportunity you have...Can't wait to see pictures of your new place.

Maria said...

What beautiful colors. I am excited to see it!

Unknown said...

Great tips - we are moving my daughter and SIL from Texas to their new Brooklyn apartment, which looks like a long hallway!

Definitely keeping this post in mind!

Cheers,
Laura

P.S. Your newest follower as well.

Tina said...

Had a super time visiting your blog this morning!
T

Heidi said...

Hi Jessica,
I bet you're hubby is not giving any thought to the color scheme of your new space, or the heigth of the ceilings! I, too would have a very long list pertaining to decor if we were moving to a new place. I'm sure you'll work it all out with no trouble! Good luck, and thanks for linking to Wednesday Gratitude!
XO
Heidi - Heart and Home

Justine said...

Congrats on the job! I can't wait to see the apartment! I love the color choices!

Justine
www.justbettertogether.blogspot.com

Amy Kinser said...

Would love to see what your new apt. looks like. You sure have some great ideas. Good luck with your new job.

Partying with you tonight.

Joy@Thrifty Parsonage Living said...

Great tips!

Sachiko said...

Great post! I love how you put everything together so nicely.

Ashlee Marie said...

Thank you for linking up to Topsy Turvy Tuesdays! I live in a small basement apartment so I'll need some of these ideas!

LuckyStarErin said...

gorgeous! we're looking for someone to photograph our products for our etsy shop. do you do this type of thing?

Danielle said...

Congratulations on the new job! The new apartment sounds like a challenge but I'm sure you'll make it beautiful and functional in no time ♥

Amy said...

Had to feature this great post at "AP Tuesdays" it got lots of attention, thanks for linking up!

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Thanks so much for sharing these great ideas!

Anonymous said...

Such pretty pictures! We live in an apartment too, and I'll definitely be using some of your ideas to bring in more light. I never would have thought of laying down granite tile over the ugly counters, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Life in Rehab said...

How beautiful!

Mad in Crafts said...

Thanks for linking up to the Mad Skills party!

Kat @ Black Kats Design said...

Congratulations on your new job. How fun to decorate a new space, even if its a little smaller.

Thanks for linking up to the “Cheap Thrills Thursday” party at Black Kats Design. I hope you had fun and will join in again next Thursday!
Kat
www.BlackKatsDesign.blogspot.com

Jay said...

I live in a super super tiny apt (under 500 sq feet!) so i totally understand how important the 5 points you made are!
Also, fun fact. my whole apartment is decorated in a yellow grey white color scheme! I love love love it too.

Anna White said...

Good on you sweety..thats awesome news...probably just the thing you need to mix things up a little..and really put your interior skills to the test..your solutions are awesome...they will work a treat...I know you will turn your new little pad into a cosy little home..cant wait to see xo

Unknown said...

I kind of notice the elegance of whites and matching it with wash colors. You hit the great spark to make stark colors turn into sexy and classy. I've seen this art disciple in a friend's New York Apartment. Rental, (short term in other words) she did her interior stints in that apartment before moving to a bigger one. She likes pure and wash colors too. Maybe that's why she opted to rent one of those NYC vacation apartments. So just one question, what's the inspiration behind the yellow-white combination on the last picture? My sister loves it.