Mini Apartment Tour

Way way back in November, I posted a poll asking if anybody was interested in an apartment tour before our stuff arrived. The response was an overwhelming YES! So, on New Year's Eve, I recorded a video of our apartment before our stuff arrived then posted about it the first week of January. I did a full walkthrough of our empty apartment detailing rooms and plans. I also promised in that video that I would do one in a few months once we got settled in.

The comments and direct messages back in November made it clear that my readers also wanted a video of our place once we have settled in a bit. In my prior video, I said I would do an after video soon, even promising a commenter that I would do one by spring.

Well, it certainly has been more than a few months... And it is well past spring. But it also took a fair bit longer to be ready to record our after video (which you will find further on) than I expected. Unlike many people who, after unpacking a few boxes and suitcases, declare they are settled and done. For me... It is a much more involved process. I tend to literally install myself into a space. Everything must be thought through in detail, and every square centimeter must be considered.

Being that we are in a rental, I am limited in how deeply I can install myself. I didn't let that stop me from painting the living/dining room a stunning shade of blue1 in February. Then the task of hanging art began... We had to drill a thousand and one holes into our plaster on masonry walls to hang the art. I also rewired a couple of light fixtures for European bulbs, installed the wall sconces, and the very heavy, very fragile, Italian Tronchi chandelier in the dining area. Finally, I had to arrange, rearrange, and rearrange again, the space several times over.

But here we finally are.... The living/dining room is 86.67% complete. Over the course of this next year, I hope to get it to 95% complete, but it's important to note that it will never be 100% finished. After all, interiors should evolve and change over time.

Thankfully, we are far enough along that we've already had a few dinner parties, as well as a large party. The feedback from guests has been nothing short of amazing. I am by no means a decorator, but if you have followed along with me over the years2, you will know that I have a strong sense of style, I am not afraid of color, and my home is very much a reflection of who I am3.

Where is Yoav in all of this?.... My amazing husband (see what I did there) is not as particular as I am about our home. Beyond his own love for art, he is more than happy to live in a nice space, and he often says that my interiors feel like home to him. That said, he does possess ultimate veto power. There are things I have wanted to which he has responded with a hard NO. I am, of course, a very good salesman. The trick is to present him with what I want to do, along with a detailed explanation of why it will be fabulous... And then sell, sell, sell. Much more often than not, he says yes.... And nearly always is glad I did it after the fact.

I want to note that this is not a full apartment tour. You can see our entire space in my previous video. This video is about the public spaces in our apartment The primary bedroom will get done along with other rooms, but they are not ready for prime time. So, you will see the entry, the living/dining room, and that pretty much it.

So… Here is the video… More to read after.

Oh... About the Art...

Clearly we have an art addiction obsession. Not mentioning the art is sure to fill the comments section with questions (and the following probably will as well).

We both already had some original art when we met (Yoav more than I, as my focus was more on photography). And just a few months after our first date, we made our first art purchase together, buying a pair of limited edition originals at CB2 on the Upper East Side (shown below).

Many of our pieces have been acquired via eBay and Etsy (after spending endless hours scrolling through schlock and muck to find the hidden gems). And some gems have indeed been found. We've also found some great pieces at street fairs, thrift stores, and antique shops over the years.

We have also acquired a sizable collection of works by several Cuban artists4. It all started with a visit to Galeria Cubana in Provincetown, MA, back in the summer of 2017. After falling in love with a couple of pieces, we learned that the gallery owner does annual trips to Cuba "in support of the Cuban people". The trip focuses on the arts and involves visiting the homes and studios of several Cuban artists as well as other art focused activities. We went in 2018 and loved it so much, we went again early last year in 2024. The second trip was absolutely incredible.

The vast majority of our works were acquired for under $100 (after which we have spent small fortunes having some of them framed). There are a few we spent a lot more on (mostly our larger pieces) which were acquired during a time when our income allowed us to buy such works. We are no longer in that echelon, but grateful for the pieces we were fortunate enough to acquire in those years.

We are indeed blessed with more art that we need, with a few dozen yet to be framed and/or hung. This was partly why we fell in love with our apartment... More walls means more room to hang art.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. I know I am always curious how people settle into their homes, and I have always been fascinated by homes outside of the US. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you hate it, that’s fine, you aren’t living here.

Next post… Well, we have been here a year. I have a lot to share… I will do my best to do so very soon.

Other Items and Sources...

• The gold wall sconces in the dining area were purchased at CB2 for our house in Philly and never installed. We had already rented the apartment here when I was packing up, so I knew we had a place for them.

• The black ceramic hand sconces are vintage 1970s and were sourced from France last year via Selency.

• The Italian Tronchi chandelier was a major eBay score. I just happened to have had perfect timing on the auction and paid far less than I should have.

• The sofa and green chair were custom ordered from CoCoCo Home in North Carolina. I have long dreamed of having custom furniture made to my needs. These two pieces were custom made for our house in Philly, but they work here just fine.

• The red rug was purchased back in 2015 for our NYC apartment. They are carpet squares from Flor. I am a big fan of Flor's carpet squares and wish they were available here.

• Dining table from local IKEA (I wanted a round table to seat six for dinner parties).