Travis and I finally feel settled in our new home, and today I’m so excited to give you a (virtual) tour of our NYC apartment. We moved to New York City from Santa Monica, CA at the end of October, but as you may remember, it took over one month for us to receive our belongings from the cross-country movers. By the time we unpacked and found the right pieces of furniture for our new apartment, it was already the middle of the holiday season. We hosted a housewarming party at the beginning of January, during which many of my friends urged me to write a post about our apartment. I was flattered because, to be honest, I never considered myself much of an interior decorator, but I have loved putting this apartment together.
Travis and I were inspired by the Danish concept of “Hygge” (pronounced hue-guh), which essentially means “cozy”. We first learned of hygge when we were in Copenhagen last March, and since then I’ve seen various articles about it pop up in the United States. Clearly the concept is catching on! We wanted to embrace hygge to the fullest and make our home feel open and inviting to our friends, and also be a place where we would immediately feel relaxed at the end of the day.
Travis and I knew that we were going to miss the abundant amount of nature that surrounded us in Santa Monica, so we tried to bring as much living “green” into our apartment as possible. As you’ll see in many of the photos below, we have a wide variety of indoor plants and succulents in our apartment, and I’ve been working on my green thumb. Having live plants (and fresh flowers on occasion) really does help bring a small apartment to life.
I made sure to link to all of the items in our home in case any are of interest to you. I am a big bargain shopper and should note that I purchased much of what is shown below during holiday sales, with coupons, or using wedding registry credit. I also took full advantage of living near a TJ Maxx and Home Goods and snagged some fantastic steals on decorative accents. All of that is to say that you absolutely can decorate a beautiful home on a budget — you just have to be savvy about it.
Okay, here we go! Welcome to our home.
Our Dining Area
Dining Table: West Elm Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Table (from our LA apartment)// Dining Chairs: Old, purchased in LA at Urban Home // Mirror: Crate & Barrel Colby Bronze Wall Mirror
Placemats: Crate & Barrel Cassablanca Square // Wine Glasses: Crate & Barrel Oregon Red // Dinner Plates: West Elm Textured Dot Plates // Flatware: Crate & Barrel Twist // Linen Napkins: Crate & Barrel Helena Ivory Linen // Wooden Napkin Rings: Amazon // Votives: Crate & Barrel Spin Tealight
Sideboard: Wayfair Easmor in White // Bowl: Spencer Peterman in Black (wedding gift) // Wooden Wine Rack: Discontinued, similar here
Floor Lamp: Wayfair Wade Logan // Succulent Wall: Mounted Planter + Hanging Planter + Canvas Print
Our Living Room
Sofa: West Elm Henry 2-Piece Chaise Sectional in Twill Gravel // Throw Pillows: TJ Maxx // Floor Lamp: Bowery Arc Lamp in Steel // Print: Spring in the Park by Ken Figurski // Frame: Michael’s White Belmont by Studio Decor
Throw Blanket: Berkshire Blanket from TJ Maxx (similar here) // Coffee Table: Wayfair Celinda Coffee Table with Storage // Rug: West Elm Distressed Foliage // White Planter: Amazon
Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree + White Planter // Woven Basket: Home Goods, similar
Bookcase: Target Carson Narrow in White // Media Stand: Amazon
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I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our NYC apartment. Next up I’ll give you a peek into our ultra-cozy (hygge) bedroom!
Liz
This was so fun to read! You’ve done such a beautiful job decorating your cozy NYC space 🙂 I totally understand how difficult that can be, but it looks like such a comforting place to come home to each day!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Aww thank you so much, Liz! I’m sure you know what it’s like with all of the moves you’ve done over the last 5 years!
Miri
Oh, it’ great, a cozy refuge in a bustling city. Can’t wait to see it!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
I can’t wait for you to visit! XOXO
Erica
Your home is almost as perfect as you are <3!!!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
I love you so, so much!
Kelly
Hello, I came across your blog while searched for reviews on the West Elm distressed foliage rug. You have a beautiful apartment! How have you liked the rug so far? Is the shedding terrible and how well does it clean if something is spilled on it?
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! We love this rug, but unfortunately it does shed a lot, unfortunately. We notice it most if we walk on it with wool socks, as the fuzz attaches to your socks. In terms of cleaning, I would say it cleans as easily as any other wool rug. I’d look for something gentle, made specifically for wool rugs. I hope that helps!
Sheri
How is your table holding up? Does it splinter or stain?
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
It is holding up beautifully! No splinters or stains at all. We’ve had it for about 7 years now, and it’s as good as new.