All right folks, get ready for picture day !
If you’re hanging around here I’m gonna assume you’re into decorating ( either that or you’re my mom – hi Mom !), and that means you love a good makeover !
I love getting a peek into people’s lives, whether it’s from looking at design blogs, from being invited to someone’s house for the first time, or from just plain looking into people’s windows like a weirdo!
I could say that this particular curiosity is the source of my love of design, but maybe I’m just a big ol’ peepin’ tom… Either way I thought it was time atone for my nosiness by letting everyone peep into my home for a change.
I’ve always had pretty good luck with apartments in Paris, but this time I gotta say, I think I hit the jackpot !
I was very lucky to have time to browse and visit a few places to rent before I found the one, but when I stepped into this place, boom, love at first sight. It’s a smallish (355 sq. ft.) but well-designed studio located on the 8th floor, with an awesome view of the Sacré-Coeur during the day, which becomes even awesomer at night when it’s all lit up!
I always choose higher floors for multiple reasons, 1/ my love for New-York and its dizzying heights, 2/ I’m super paranoid and I can’t stand to live on the first floor (…moving on…), and 3/ I’m all about the view. The sunrises, the sunsets, the pigeons starting a home on your window sill… Hey, I never said life up there was perfect, guys.
So get ready, and have a look at my Ultra Brite-sponsored new home!
(I’m not kidding, these pictures were taken when it was overcast … )
Please put on your protective glasses now.
Behind the front door, there’s this cute little entryway. I really like this small space, it’s a great noise buffer between the building’s hallway and the living room, and having the front door not lead directly to my bedroom is a big bonus. And of course, it’s another space to decorate! I’ve already got a few ideas for a makeover, it’s so much easier to go bold with your decor in smaller spaces like this because it has a bigger impact. So watch out entryway, things are about to get weird.
On the side of the entryway, a door leads to this cute and pretty big bathroom by studio standards.
I’m not crazy about the floors (every one is except me) but at least it’s clean.
Unfortunately, like every single Paris apartment I’ve ever visited, there’s one unwelcomed element … the god-damn bidet.
I haaaaate bidets. This one’s not even cool, it’s rusting, it’s white and takes up a lot of space. At least gimme like a black musical bidet. If it played a Tom Jones song and a disco lights filled the room when I turned it on, maybe we could be friends.
Dammit, I went on a bidet tangent again.
Anyway, I begged, I cried, and tried to rip it off the floor myself (I was desperate) but it’s a no-go from the landlord. So I figure I have two options, 1/ distract every guest that comes in with a shiny object, or 2/ hide it through the magic of decorating.
I haven’t decided yet.
Onto happier topics, the pièce de resistance, the living room/bedroom space. It’s big, bright and beautiful !
There’s a lot of light coming through this big, cool window, which is great, but my main love here is the bookshelf. I’m a big book lover and I love styling with them so I can’t wait to fill this space up. And then curse it because it’s not big enough. Finally, I’m sure the pressure of styling it perfectly will becomes too much and I’ll lose sleep and cry a lot over while it just sits there, taunting me.
Can’t wait !
The open doorway to the kitchen is a fantastic feature, not only does it make the space bigger and brighter, but I love to chat when I cook so this feels like it’ll be a cool extension of the living room for entertaining.
And what’s that on the opposite wall ? Do my eyes deceive me ? No, it’s storage ! Glorious storage !
And hold on to your hats because those three panels in the middle are actually a murphy bed ! Whaaaat ?
I don’t have a picture to share yet because it’s being a little stubborn right now. But rest assured I shall not be denied an awesome murphy bed, so stay tuned to find out if I manage to finally open it and more importantly, if I find a skeleton in there.
I’ve lived in a few studios and it’s definitely a challenge to have your bed out in the open. There’s plenty of creative solutions for it (we’ll definitely talk more about that later on) but in the end I think you just have to accept that people are gonna see it. So having the option to actually make it disappear like some awesome decor magician and gaining precious entertaining space is making me super happy !
And last but not least is the kitchen, which needs a loooot of work. The cabinets are coated in god-knows-what, the burners aren’t glued (which seems super unsafe), the fridge is way too small for the amount of food I eat daily. And the counter tops, well … in what world are those legally called counter tops ? So, spoiler alert, this is gonna be #1 on the to-do list.
I do like the back-splash though, it’s unexpectedly clean and modern, and subway tile-y.
Let’s end on a high note ! Not only is it pretty rare to get extra space in the kitchen in such a small space, but I’ve always been obsessed with breakfast nooks, so it feels like it was meant to be. I might actually become one of those grown-ups I keep hearing about. Ah! Just kidding, it’ll probably end up as a games and cocktails area, which is better anyway.
So there you have it ! The place was completely renovated a month ago so it’s all clean, white, pretty and perfect. The “clean and white” part is already making me feel anxious, like I can’t spill alcohol or marinara sauce in here, but I do both, a lot.
So say hello – and immediately goodbye – to all this whiteness because things are about to get a whole lot funkier in here !
Is there going to be a disco ball ? Yes.
A whole bunch of furry accessories? Of course.
Bright colors everywhere ? You betcha.
A big bear head with oversized sunglasses ? Already set up. Are you sure about that one? Oh, yes.
I’ve got a boatload of ideas for this place, so check back in on Monday to see what I’ll tackle first.
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook so you don’t miss an update, and don’t hesitate to join in by commenting on my ideas and sharing yours along the way. I’m probably gonna need you guys to stop me from putting glitter in my paint because I have no boundaries.
You guys have a great weekend, I’m gonna go and freak out about the amount of moving-in I have to do over the next few days.
Turns out I own a lot of crap !
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