When needs shift to wants
I spent the first two weeks living in New York furnishing my apartment. I’d brought withe me a mattress, box spring and frame, and a tiny, three-drawer dresser.
So I planned out my limited space and found the right pieces to make the most of it, which really turned out to be a bunch of shelving in various shapes and sizes. Miraculously, all my stuff fit, too. Well, what mattered fit; everything else went to Goodwill.
Now that I’m a few months into my space, I’ve learned my way around – which sounds silly, I know, in such a small space. But you learn, even in one tiny room, how to turn, where to reach for certain things, which hook your purse goes on and which one is for your keys. And I think it’s safe to say I’ve got all the basics covered.
Which leaves me room to dream about the next phase of settling in: the personal touches. I’m shifting from the needs to the wants, the small luxuries that’ll help my 200 square feet feel more like mine. Budget allowing, my goal is to add one of these little pleasures to my life each month. And I’m listing them here both to fill up some space on this blog, but also because if I don’t list it out, I’ll never get around to any of them!
The perfect shoulder strap bag – something big enough for lunch, a hardcover book, even a small purse I can take out as I need it. I’ve only been doing it a couple months, but I am over lugging a purse, a lunch bag, an umbrella and whatever else I’ve got all separately. I see great bags on the train every day. Time to find one of my own!
A record player – Yes, this is the most hipster little luxury I could desire, and I’m OK with it. I’ve got the obligatory box of records from my childhood (including Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth) – and besides, how adorable is this one?
A fancy new water dish for Audrey – This one isn’t exactly a luxury for me, but that cat’s been through a lot the last year. The least I can do is get her a fresh, flowing water source so she stops drinking out of the toilet.
A typewriter – OK, maybe this is the most hipster thing I could want. Over it. I don’t even think I’d ever have to use it. But just having some cool old thing on a shelf, just wondering about all the letters Ginny wrote on it – that’d be enough for me.
A mini salad spinner – because I’m sick of eating soggy lettuce. It’s perfect!
Luxe bath towels – I haven’t bought new towels in years. Actually, the last time I got new towels, my mom bought them for me as a housewarming when I moved into a new place. Five years ago. Those lovely things sadly are now fraying at the edges and wearing through with holes. I’m not
A corner shower caddy – Sticking with the bathroom theme, I’d love one of those tall corner caddies for your shower to get my shampoo and whatnot off the edge of the bathtub. I had every intention of snagging one while I furnished my apartment, but necessities like chairs came first. It’s a goofy thing to consider a luxury, I suppose, but who doesn’t love an organized shower?
A small rolling weekender – traveling abroad for three weeks makes an average carryon bag seem small. A weekend trip down the coast and even I can’t come up with all the wardrobe outfits to fill it. Where a shoulder bag would typically suffice for such a trip, when you’re carrying that bag from home to the subway to work to the airport/train station, even a small duffel gets heavy quickly. Thus small and wheels make the perfect set up for these weekends away.
An upgraded phone – I realize this isn’t exactly an apartment thing but bear with me. Since I got my first iPhone almost 4 years ago, I’ve skipped generations on my upgrades. My 4s is showing its age, no doubt, with scratches and beat-up edges. When I do upgrade, it’ll be for one with more storage, too. Too many pictures, not enough space for all the train-worthy podcasts I wanna put in my ears, the music I wanna stream into the my space (see how I tied it back in there?).
