Welcome to my home!
August 2020 marked five years of living in New York and it’s hard to believe how fast the past few years have flown by. In 2018 I started to look into living on my own because I was in desperate need of space. I was living with two roommates in the Upper East Side and spent my days at different coffee shops, just so I could pretend I had a morning commute to an ‘office’ to work, and then at 6pm trek back up five flights of stairs to my tiny bedroom cluttered with boxes of styling samples, blog gifts, PR packages and furniture. I loved every second of these years, but I was growing beyond those four walls quicker every day.
I was looking for a one bedroom apartment that I could use as my home, but also an office and styling studio for my team. I was about to hire my first full-time employee and wanted a real home base to work out of, not crowded coffee shops where every freelancer was fighting for outlet space for their laptop.
I worked with a dear friend, Chelsea Hale at TripleMint Real Estate to help me find a new apartment / office. I had a few requirements for her:
- I had to have an elevator (I could not keep lugging 100 lb duffle bags of styling equipment and clothes up five flights of stairs by myself)
- I wanted a living space big enough to divide into an office (I did not want to work from my bedroom again) that could have space for my team as well.
- Closet space! Duh!!
- I wanted to live closer to downtown since all of my photoshoots, events and meetings were below Times Square every day.
- I wanted to be in a safe and secure building if I was going to be on my own.
I know, this might seem easy tasks anywhere else in the country, but in New York City? And affordable? Wish us luck! I viewed a handful of places that weren’t right and then Chelsea and I discovered this apartment. I viewed a model apartment in the complex and signed a 2-year lease without ever seeing my actual apartment (the previous tenants were still living in the space up until I moved in). I moved into the apartment in March 2019 and slowly decorated the space. Once COVID hit and I began quarantine, I had the time to finish decorating, hang up photos and put the final touches on my bachelorette pad.
This past week, my apartment was featured on Apartment Therapy! You can read more about my design process and my favorite decor items in the article. Below, you can shop all of the items. Let me know which room is your favorite! xo
THE LIVING ROOM
The living room is the perfect representation of my personality and home decor style: Art Deco meets “Golden Girls.” The area is filled with color, texture, vintage finds and art by my Nana Susie, and myself!
AllModern Sofa – Wayfair
Willa Arlo Interiors Ottomans – Wayfair
Audrey Cabinet – West Elm
Baxton Studio Mid-century Lounge Chair – Overstock
Kallax Shelf Unit – IKEA
Lucite Console Table – Overstock
Sunshine Cowhide Rug – Amazon
Arched Gold Mirror – Bellacor
AllModern Floor Lamp – Wayfair
Framed Leopard Print – Fy!
Gallery wall and decor- mix of thrifted, gifted or DIY projects
Books – gifted while working at magazines
THE OFFICE
Just to the left of the Ikea bookshelf divider is my office. I wanted this area to feel inviting, creative and empowering. My desk looks out the window towards World Trade Center, across from my desk is my extra desk for assistants and interns and above are framed magazine covers I’ve styled and worked on.
AllModern Glass Desk – Wayfair
Red Barrel Studio Cowprint chair – Wayfair
Mistana Bookcase – Wayfair
Storage cabinet – Wayfair
Rug – Amazon
Decor- thrifted
Metal Rolling Desk – Wayfair
Orren Ellis desk chair -Wayfair
Planter – World Market
THE ENTRYWAY / DINING ROOM / KITCHEN
The entryway was one of the last areas I decorated because I was unsure how to fill the little corner that you see when you walk into the apartment and is next to the kitchen. I framed old wooden dominos from my Grandpa Herbie and filled a vintage vase with Eucalyptus. In the kitchen I repurposed wood shelves and created a mini cocktail area for my glassware.
Tamarix Wooden End Table- Target
Thin Metal Matted Gallery Frame- Target
Vase – Vintage
Faux Eucalyptus – Amazon
Espresso Machine – Breville
Vases – thrifted
THE BATHROOM / BEAUTY CLOSET
Welcome to the hidden treasure of my apartment, and possibly one of my guests’ favorite parts: the beauty closet. I am lucky enough to receive beauty samples and gifts from brands, so I’ve curated this incredible skincare and makeup collection. This closet fits so much (a true NYC dream!)
WallHalla Wallpaper- Etsy
Makeup Storage – Amazon and Amazon
Portraits next to beauty closet – Painted by my Nana Susie
THE BEDROOM
I made a deliberate decision to also divide my bedroom into my sleeping area and my closet / styling studio. I have never had the luxury of have a space to sleep that felt calm and spacious, so I minimized any storage near my bed (exception of my dresser and under the bed shoe storage). I kept the colors more cohesive in the bedroom and wanted my bed area to feel like a little cozy oasis after a long day.
And now what we’ve all been waiting for, the closet. This is a literal dream come true. In my first apartment I had closets in cardboard boxes underneath my bed and I could touch both sides of my bedroom walls (it was basically a closet). This is my favorite area of the bedroom and where I spend a majority of my time!
I maximized storage space by working from floor to ceiling, adding clothing rods for additional hanging space, garage storage hooks for belts and adding a metal rack in my walk-in for more storage. I know I have an insane amount of clothing, but everything has a place, is color coded and organized.
Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse Velvet Curtains – Wayfair
Safavieh Vintage Boho Hamadan Hayriye Oriental Rug – Overstock
Drew Barrymore Flower Home Lamps – Walmart
Dresser – Wayfair, replaced with brass handles from Amazon
Decorative pillows and throw blankets- Target
Justina Blakeney Tiger Pillow – Wayfair
Macrame Wall Tapestry – Target
Kudu Horn Accent – One Kings Lane
Faux palm leaf – West Elm
Canvases – I found the larger one in my building lobby and I painted the smaller one
Sheepskin rug – Amazon
Mid-Century Leopard Bench – The Inside
Andover Mills Mirror – Wayfair
Brimnes Cabinet – Ikea, replaced with brass handles from Amazon
Pax Wardrobe- Ikea, replaced with brass handles from Amazon
Vases – TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods
