Change of Plan(s)

Yesterday, I was all excited about my new room, perfectly content with the layout and eager to begin putting the finishing touches together. Then my floor plan and I received some helpful criticism (not my favorite thing but I am trying to keep an open mind) from landscape architects to the stars, Kurt and his boss. 

My initial design decisions were rooted in the fact that our apartment only has electrical outlets in interior partition walls. (The landlord must have been lazy and didn't want to chop into the exterior brick.) I was tired of living amidst a sea of extension cords, so I wanted to locate my desk and other electronic things along this wall, close to the power source. That left (what I thought was) a cozy little corner by two windows for my bed. 

The masterminds at Terrain decided it would be nicer to open up the corner with the two windows for a small chair and/or table. They suggested arranging the bed so it would look towards the windows instead of being jammed up against them. It won't be so drafty and sleeping in will be easier without the sun beating down on me. I'm most excited to have 3 sides of the bed accessible for easy bed making! (You can't imagine what kind of acrobatics I have had to do for the past couple years!) My favorite tip they offered was to remove the closet doors and replace with curtains. This will open up a lot of floor space in the room and offer a great opportunity to introduce some color and/or pattern.

Thanks, Kurt and Steven! I'm hoping to test out the new arrangement this weekend to see which works best!

Plea

Dear Old Man Winter,

      Thank you so much for all the snow you have sent New York City this winter (over 50 inches already, to be exact). It really makes for a beautiful scene out my window. However, I am writing to you now to say that I. Am. Over. It. It has got to stop. I have worn my boots for more days then I can count. Snowfall like this would have paralyzed any city I have lived in before NYC but I still have to go to work. Snowdays don't exist here! I have slipped on ice and fallen on my butt on the sidewalk, not once, but twice this season and have been pelted by one too many snowballs. The prettiness of snow lasts for about 20 minutes before it turns to brown slush and collects precisely where I need to walk. And did I mention I don't like the cold? Anyway, you can go ahead and bring on those sunny days and warm temperatures a bit early this year. I don't think anyone will mind. Hell, I will even take the humidity. I really think we have been through enough. A change will be greatly appreciated.

      Yours truly,

      MG

Room Transformation

Surprisingly, I hadn't drawn my room in AutoCAD until anticipating this move (don't laugh...I'm an aspiring architect...I think it's allowed). I can't believe how teeny tiny it is! The bed takes up half the space! I knew it was small, but now, more than ever, I am happy to expand to a little more space (see New Room). This is the layout I am planning on, but you never know how it will stay until you live with it for a while. 

Kurt and I started by spackling all the holes and painting the walls. I know it is boring, but I wanted the walls white. I like the look of white walls with more colorful furniture and accessories. Plus, I'm lazy and only want to paint this room once. Red is a notoriously hard color to cover, so I was afraid my wimpy white would be no match for it. Luckily, I found a mystery can of grey primer in our apartment which laid down a good foundation. 

Everyone, please note the Block O Kurt painted on my wall. He was very proud of it and wanted to make sure everyone saw it. Isn't he special? (Also note Aubie Cat checking out his new space. I think I caught him at a bad angle. He's really not that plump.)

I really liked the grey and momentarily considered painting the whole room in it. However, I stuck to the original plan and we moved along with the white. Most walls got one coat to freshen them up and the scarlet/grey wall needed two coats of white.

Kurt rolled the walls while I went around with a brush getting the more detailed areas. It was a pretty good system. The non-color I used is Benjamin Moore's White which you can buy right off the shelf without any tinting. The overall effect is a little sterile, so I couldn't wait to move things in to warm it up.

Window treatments first.

Then all the other junk! (See those reimagined dressers?!) The move from next door was pretty easy. I carried armfuls over while listening to Obama give the State of the Union Address. Pardon the mess. It's still a work in progress. I still need to move my clothes and get rid of lots of junk. The walls are in major need of some art. I have tons of maps that should brighten it up. I also think that stretch of wall between those two windows would be the perfect location for a plate wall (sans fish) (thanks for the idea, Mack!). I also plan on giving my old room a deep clean and fresh paint on the walls so the new roommate has a clean slate to work with. 

I'm in love with the few extra square feet I've gained. It's amazing what a little breathing room and brightness will do for you. I can't wait to see what the new roommate brings for the common space and we can start putting the apartment back together. Maybe I should host a dance party while there is absolutely no furniture in the living room!

Dresser Makeover

I completely ripped off this dresser remodel from Aubrey and Lindsay's blog. They say imitation is the fondest form of flattery, right? I think their project turned out much better than mine, but I thank them 100% for the inspiration. It's a great way to turn my inexpensive (and actually pretty good quality) IKEA find into a more grown-up piece of furniture.

IKEA Rast Dresser

Liberty Oval Ring Pull from Home Depot (a steal for $2.10 each!)

Benjamin Moore's White Dove (Semi-Gloss)

I painted all the drawer faces which were then meticulously inspected by Aubie.

We loaded the drawers back in and installed the new hardware. Piece of cake! I completed the whole project in one evening. Pardon all the junk surrounding the drawers. It is all the stuff that goes back in them. I elected to hold off on staining the frames like my inspiration blog. I have a theme of unfinished birch wood through the rest of the room and wanted to keep some continuity. I like the new hardware but think it may be a little too ye olde for the rest of my things. Eventually I may choose to switch them out for some Anthropologie knobs (or cheaper knock offs from World Market).

Not sure if you can tell from that last image, but I also moved rooms last night! I love the new space! More on that later!

Clean Energy

From the way I blog about it, you would think my impending move is halfway across the world, not just the other side of a single wall. Regardless, its been occupying my time and thoughts. Since the roommate who moved out had all the utilities in her name, I get the joy of transferring them to mine. Luckily, a couple guys with Green Mountain Energy had a booth set up outside my grocery store recently (they also hang out at the flea market) and explained their mission. As a consumer, you have the right to choose where your energy comes from. Most power companies in the US provide electricity made from polluting materials like coal. You can elect to receive your electricity from clean sources such at wind or hydro power. The service is the same and may only cost a few more dollars each month. I signed up on the spot, so hopefully 3F will soon be doing our part! Please see if your power company offers a similar option. Plus, Green Mountain partners with the NYC Parks Department's Million Trees campaign and planted 2 trees in our honor for making the switch! What's not to love?!