home tour

I've lived in six Brooklyn apartments (and counting!) since living in NYC and they've all been very tiny. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on small space living, but I have learned a few things along the way. Each year I've loved pouring over Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest entries and seeing how other people manage to live stylishly in small footprints. I've always wanted to enter myself but never felt like my place was up to the challenge....until now! After moving into our new apartment last December, Kurt and I ditched some of our crappy old furniture in exchange for nicer investment pieces and made a huge effort to pull our space together. We entered the contest and are so excited to be featured! We're up against some stiff competition, so we would love to have your vote! See our entry page HERE or follow the link on the sidebar.

Thanks so much to Kurt for taking all these amazing photographs! Sadly, we could only submit five but here are all my favorites.

The living room. I'm in love with our couch. We sat in tailgate chairs for three months waiting for it to arrive and it's been life changing. Plus, it can be arranged to fit twin or king sheets and doubles as a guest bed. I loved the gallery wall at our last apartment but decided to use picture rails here for our extensive "art" collection.

Kurt and I watch TV while we eat together and love to have friends over for dinner, so carving out some dining space in the living room was key. The table is reclaimed wood with hairpin legs and we've finally graduated to a set of matching chairs. 

I call the nook off the living room our "Map Room".

Of course our state of Ohio flag is still prominently displayed.

Some of my first DIY projects were painting the doors and kitchen cabinets black. I think it makes such a difference. We hang our bags and hats by the door on a piece of wood from Kurt's parents' front yard back in Ohio.

The bedroom. I've still got some work to do in here. Those walls are too bare :)

The plan in all its 450 SF glory.

Aubie says hi! and DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

B1G network party

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this event Kurt and I had the chance to attend earlier in the summer. So in honor of being in the great state of Ohio for the Canfield Fair this weekend and duh duh duh duh....the start of college football on Saturday (War Eagle!), here is the story of how Kurt and I lucked our way into the most over the top NYC event I've ever been to.

For those of your who don't follow college sports, Kurt's alma mater Ohio State is in the Big Ten Conference which has it's own television network. This year, the conference is welcoming in Rutgers and Maryland and the Big Ten Network threw a big party to welcome the new fan base.

Somehow Kurt--the rabid loyal fan that he is--ended up on the invitation list and got me an RSVP as well. We've been to events our schools have hosted before but they usually consist of buying your own drinks at a bar and maybe a sad cheese plate in the corner. I guess TV networks have a bit more funds available and completely blew our expectations out of the water.

The party was held at the super swanky Cipriani 42nd Street. (Like if I dumped Kurt and married a politician and his family estate on Martha's Vineyard was booked, we would probably have our wedding here. It's that fancy.) There were several fully stocked bars (totally free!) and food everywhere as well as passed hors d'oeuvres. There were even super elaborate sushi stations complete with kimono clad Japanese women who would place the rolls on your plate for you.

The main room was converted into a football field with turf and bleachers and even field goals. The place was crawling with cheerleaders and mascots representing all the B1G teams. We were serenaded by Mekka Don (up and coming rapper who went to Ohio State) as Brutus and his friends filled in as back up dancers. 

There was a short presentation by the network executives and then they started introducing all these past B1G sports stars, including past/current coaches and players. Kurt was out of his mind with glee at this point. 

And then they had lots of fun trophies you could take your picture with! (Not pictured: burly security guards ready to tackle you if you tried to touch said trophies.) We hit the Heisman and Rose Bowl trophies early on and a little later in the evening (i.e. a few gin and tonics in) we thought the camera operator at the Big Ten Basketball Championship trophy looked bored, so we gave him our "business".

Kid in a candy store :)

We finally tracked down Eddie George--former Ohio State football player AND Landscape Architect--so Kurt could talk a little shop and get a photo. We might have to photoshop out that beer bottle before this gets framed and hung in Kurt's future man cave.

"Go Bucks!"

domino factory exhibit

Several weeks ago when Kurt's parents were in town, we went to see Kara Walker's art installation at the defunct Domino sugar factory in Williamsburg. It was the final day of "A Subtlety" so the line was many blocks long even before the exhibit even opened. Thankfully, it moved pretty quickly and we were shaded under the Williamsburg Bridge for most of it. The sugar sculptures were pretty amazing but my favorite part was seeing inside the old factory that will soon be torn down to make way for a new development.

4th of july fireworks

Happy [belated] Independence Day, everyone! For the past few years, the big NYC fireworks show has been held on the Hudson River, catering to the west side of Manhattan and New Jersey. Finally, this year, they have been moved back to the East River near (and on) the Brooklyn Bridge to be shared with the legit boroughs. Kurt's parents were in town for the 4th, so they requested we get an up close view of the show from Brooklyn Bridge Park. The show was great and amazing and impressive (although surprisingly quiet), but there were just so many people there! Getting to the park and then returning home ended up being a bit of a hassle. (During the show, we could see cars parked on the BQE because traffic was so bad!) It was fun to experience the show up close, but next year I think I will try to find a nice, relaxed rooftop viewing spot. Or maybe a vacation outside the city!! Who knows!!

of mice and men

Several weeks ago, Kurt, Christian, and I went to see Of Mice and Men performed at the Longacre Theatre. I don't often go to plays or musicals (talk about wasting away my NYC experience) but we were excited to see James Franco, Chris O'Dowd, and Leighton Meester on stage in this rendition (yes, I can be swayed by celebrities). It had been a while since I read the book back in high school, so the story wasn't exactly fresh in my mind. Luckily its a pretty simple premise and easy to follow along.

James Franco as George was good but pretty much just yelled a lot. I wanted to like Leighton Meester as Curley's wife but she was shrill and had a terrible accent (maybe she isn't meant to be a likable character anyway?). Chris O'Dowd as Lenny was excellent. He really stole the show in my opinion. The detail and construction of the stage sets was incredible. They rolled on tracks and descended from the ceiling to switch between scenes. 

There was no photography allowed in the theater but I snapped that middle one before getting yelled at by an usher. Kurt nabbed that bottom one of the cast during the final bow. I don't think I'll be attending shows every week but it was a treat to take in one of the city's more cultural draws. If only I could find some reasonably priced Book of Mormon tickets...