in my perfect world... this is how i'd decorate my nyc apartment.

brace yourselves! we're getting kitschy today.

I write this sitting in bed. And to be honest, I’m having a hard time. Maybe it's because my brain is moving a mile a minute, maybe it’s the car horns punctuating the silence (honestly, the silence punctuates the incessant car horns) or maybe it’s that I keep stopping to take a sip of the flat white I just made.

Or maybe it’s the fact that I moved to New York City and have no idea where to start!

I love the car horns (which might wear off, but I’ve always preferred noise to quiet), I love the Nespresso machine in the apartment I’m subleasing, and I love when my brain finally does take a beat and I look out of my window on the seventh floor and have a pinch me moment about five times a day that I finally did it. I moved!

The ~big move~ was the cause of my little break, which I apologize for. I was priding myself on my posting schedule, only to be humbled by the most whirlwind couple of weeks of my life. I’m now semi-settled in the city, working at a fashion brand and slowly but surely adjusting to a life of late trains and expensive coffees and getting my wire headphones tangled on my walk home.

I say semi-settled because I’ve yet to move into my long term apartment, so all I can do is mentally decorate and endlessly scroll for area rugs, statement lamps and wallpaper that doesn’t cost a fortune. I thought I might bring you guys in on my favorites so far, but also maybe include some pricier items just for fun (as I’m known to do). Like I said, we’re only mentally decorating, therefore we can use our imaginary wallets!

Before that though, we’ve got to catch up.

We’ve gotten the most important news out of the way, but there are still things to discuss. I turned twenty-three and celebrated with an outdoor movie night complete with matching pajamas. My mom and I (mostly my mom) could teach a master class on vacuum seal storage bags, and we tried and succeeded at traveling with five suitcases between the two of us (with no overweight bag fees might I add!) We braved the New York City housing market, which is debatably more horrifying than the city’s war on rats. I’ve not only survived but thrived in colder temperates, mostly because I’ve actually dressed correctly, which I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve done in my life. Is this maturing? Is this growth?

1. dinner at american bar where i opted for every girl's favorite: salad and french fries. 2. the famed nespresso machine! isn't she lovely. 3. obligatory mirror pic before a night out.

I’m doing lots of schlepping these days. For example, this afternoon I walked 30 minutes with a purse and a tote bag with not one but two laptops in it. Don’t ask. I schlepped all of that to the grocery store, where I added Doritos and a cauliflower crust pizza to my already overflowing number of things to carry, then I schlepped to my apartment. You don’t know how much you can fit in your arms until you have to find out.

Something I tried: painting my own nails! And I’m so proud of myself! I used Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel nail polish and many a Duane Reade brand emery board to get the job done. They’re chipped, they're scrappy, they scream “post-grad budget” and I’m patting myself on the back.

Something I watched: One Day on Netflix. At a very rapid pace. I urge you to do the same.

Something I didn’t like: the Dune 2 press tour and every interviewer’s obsession with asking Timothee and Zendaya about what it’s like to kiss each other? Have Hollywood coworkers not been kissing each other for the sake of cinema since the dawn of time? It seems like they (or at least Timothee) are getting awfully fatigued from hearing this question and I don’t blame them.

Something I listened to: one of my wonderful and very musical friends sent me four playlists she made - one for each Sex and the City character - following my big move. Something about my mattress arriving to my new apartment and me having to unwrap it all by myself felt very Carrie Bradshaw, so I played the Carrie playlist accordingly. It did not disappoint. The playlists are linked here - one for Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte.

Something I read: another Substack newsletter rec because this is actually where I do all of my online reading these days!

Unbox Inbox

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Chloe List

is my new favorite read every week, described as "a weekly newsletter packed with packaging inspiration and observations.” She talks about packaging design and its rich history in a way that’s somehow fresh and actually interesting, as well as gives uber specific recommendations (ie. “Toothpaste for the person who hoarded gel pens in middle school”).

Something I bought: on a meandering afternoon in my new city, I found myself at the iconic, Harry Styles frequented, TikTok adored Sweet Pickle Books. I don’t know what came over me, but I came home with a book about the culture in 1950s Rome? It’s called Dolce Vita Confidential, and it details the “swinging high life” of the city post World War II.

Something I recommend: this Gisou lip oil. My friend got this for me as a birthday gift and while I’m usually a lip oil skeptic (too oily, not enough moisture), I really like this it.

I am chomping at the bit to decorate my own apartment (especially after Gabriella Karefa-Johnson’s house tour dropped on Curbed), but am facing the realities of coordinating delivery times and that darned aforementioned post-grad budget. This is really just a chance for me to online shop for a few hours. I’ve broken it down by room (there’s only three of them… it is New York after all) — here is how I'd decorate my apartment, in my perfect world.

THE BEDROOM

1. The Allswell Luxe 12" Bed in a Box Hybrid Mattress - we have to get the boring stuff out of the way first. Living in someone else’s space can be weird, but when I got into bed my first night at the apartment I’m subleasing… it all felt surprisingly comfortable! Especially this mattress. I texted the girl (Samantha) whose actual apartment it is to find out what in the world I was sleeping on. Lo and behold, the mattress was from Walmart. I immediately purchased one for myself. Everyone say thank you Samantha!

2. Waveland Ivory and Natural Stripe Upholstered Kids Full Bed - remember this newsletter when I said there was gold to be found in the children’s book section? There’s gold to be found in the children’s furniture section, too. I will be buying a full size bed in order to fit literally anything else in my room, and in my perfect world it would be this one. The subtle stripe and the wavy headboard design sold me.

3. Ozawa Modern Pleated Metal Fabric Floor Lamp - I’ve been all over a pleated lamp shade recently, and we all know I love anything red. So basically, this lamp combines all of my interior design favorites at the moment.

4. Handmade Chelsea Britny French Country Fruit Wool Rug by SAFAVIEH - I shouldn’t have to do lots of selling on this one. Who doesn’t want a fruit rug? Probably a lot of people, but humor me.

5. Yolanda Upholstered Round Accent Ottoman - this feels like a piece that would be in your elegant grandmother’s walk-in closet, and that’s basically my whole aesthetic. I love an ottoman. What are they actually for? Sitting? Haphazardly throwing clothes on when you get ready for a night out? Who knows.

THE KITCHEN

1. Mugs from pomme ceramic - I have been obsessed with ceramics mugs for sort of a while now, and I’ve wanted one specifically from pomme ceramic. For one, they’re chunky and huge so more coffee for me, but I also love the handpainted fruits, hearts and other little doodles they put on their mugs.

2. Anything from Fishs Eddy - when I first beheld Fishs Eddy in all of its checkered glory, I knew I wanted at least one dish from there one day. Now that’s it right down the road from me (more or less), I only want one even more. Their whole inventory is definitely not on their site, but they do have a few items you can buy online.

3. Petit Four Cocktail Napkins by Maison Balzac - only in New York does a “little stroll to get some fresh air” turn into a near six mile trek (remember what I said about schlepping?) My most recent “stroll” ended at Coming Soon NY’s storefront, where I saw these cocktail napkins on display and fell in love. They’re just the right amount of weird, don’t you think?

4. vintage cherry dot 4-piece crock & utensils by kate spade - you’ll notice a fruit theme today… maybe that’s just my body crying out from too many Doritos and freezer blueberry waffles. I love this utensil crock (I won’t pretend I knew it was called that before writing this) from Kate Spade, because why should your spoons and spatulas not get a fun place to live, too?

5. Courtly Check Enamel Salt & Pepper Shakers by Mackenzie-Childs - another brand known for its iconic checkered pattern. I want kitchen decor to be interesting down to the salt and pepper shakers. The decor devil is in the details!

THE LIVING ROOM

1. Vintage posters from Posteritati - I’m starting to fancy myself an antiquarian, AKA I love anything that’s old… especially artwork. Vintage posters are my newest obsession, and I actually have already purchased a piece of my own from Posteritati. I recommend them wholeheartedly.

2. Celia Willoughby Chair from Anthropologie - there’s a fruit theme, a checkered theme and now a stripe theme! If I had space for a big cozy chair in my living room, there’d be one just like this. If you can’t see yourself sitting in a chair, reading a book with a cup of tea… is it really a chair worth buying?

3. The Only Woman by Immy Humes - truth be told, I already have too many coffee table books. But if I were to add another to my collection (which I probably will sooner rather than later), it would be this one. The Only Woman is a “compelling gallery of women who made their way into a man's world, shown through group portraits each featuring a lone woman.” It’s pleasing to look at and a history lesson all in one.

4. Tiffany Style Table Lamp - an “I made it” item for me would be if one day I was able to own my own, real Tiffany lamp. Until then, “Tiffany style” is okay with me. I’ve always loved the look of these types of lamps; they make a space feel extra cozy. And they totally evoke elegant grandmother aesthetic.

5. RHODE Wiggle Round Pillow - life is too short to own boring throw pillows. These RHODE pillows from West Elm are whimsical but not too whimsical, colorful but not too colorful. In short, if the fruit rug was a stretch for you, a pillow like this might make a little more sense in your space. In mine? I’d have them both.

   

   I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad that I can’t buy every single one of those pieces. But that’s why this all exists in my perfect world! In the real world, I’ll be nice and cozy with my vintage poster and Walmart mattress… and I think that’s a great start.

   See you next week!

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In my perfect world… I can move in already and light my New York City candle from Homesick!