Domesticity
I’m starting to get excited about the new apartment. I snuck a peek at the floor plan today, something I hadn’t let myself do since all the bureaucracy of trying to secure it started. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that the flat is actually 1900 square feet, not 1200. Also, I had forgotten that it has three full bathrooms and walk-in closets. I’ve become too accustomed to teensy British housing to be able to believe this yet.
So: I ‘move in’ next Saturday. Antoine has to work, so I’ll be making this trip solo, though I’ll have family and friends on hand to help out. Thing is…I’m not going to move much in, I don’t think. It’s not worth shipping a bunch of stuff that could be cheaply replaced with brand new stuff in the US. I do need to buy a bunch of basics, and I have some ideas of what they will be, but I wish there was a wiki or some other resource that lists the common things that most households need (bath mats, hand soap, dish draining board, etc). Because my lazy brain could use that kind of shortcut.
Also, if you have any house/decorating tips/art that you think I just must know about before I get started on making the new place nicer, please let me know in the comments. I’m grateful for your suggestions!
What sort of tips are you looking for?
Ask me specific questions and I might be able to ease your burden.
(Cough) I know this might seem obvious at this stage, but you are going to need 3 sets of bathroom stuff for starters. (And you could make each one different - say, a trad British male bathroom in one, with carbolic soap, a loofah and a sandpaper towel).
About the only housekeeping/decorating advice I am qualified to give is to look for energy-saving compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescents. They use less energy and last much longer. And you can buy some of these at heavily subsidized rates, courtesy of your local utility.
Best wishes in your new abode!
Hi Jackie,
Have you ever read Apartment Therapy?
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
It’s got lots of great ideas, particularly their contests like the Colors contest or the Small Spaces contest, where you get to look at lots of people’s apartments.
cheers,
Pat
For some reason I thought Antoine was coming too? I don’t know why I thought that. Well, at least you can just leave all the crap you don’t want with him. Maybe I could have phrased that better. Anyhow, welcome home!
Tatyana: Nothing specific, I was just inviting people to share their favourite tips, links to shops or pieces of art or furniture they like, etc. I’m interested in what people are enthusiastic about in home decorating!
James: Fab idea! Antoine will get his own bathroom, which I will try not to even look at and the cleanliness of which I will try not to even think about. I’ll have to have two bathrooms for all my stuff, though.
Pat: I’ve actually met the guy who started Apartment Therapy, but haven’t looked at the site. Thanks for reminding me about it! My biggest concern right now is not going with anything that will look too dated too soon, even though this may not be a longterm home. (A lot of the stuff I like right now in decor is, I suspect, going to look very 2006/2007 in a couple of years.)
Jim: Antoine will be there as much as he can be, but March and April are particularly busy months for him work-wise - he’s deputy editor and will have to put the magazine out himself a couple of times, go to some conferences, etc. But I can’t think about that very much, or I’ll cry. Damn you!
FYI, if anyone’s wondering, I like Anthropologie-esque home decor - classic French with a modern twist - but I’m thinking this space may require something more strongly modern.
Then I’ll give you this tip: it’s nice to collect opinions of others, but ultimately it’s your home, a place where you as unique person, will feel relaxed, pleased and protected. So it’ll make sense to start some sort of scrapbook. I wrote recently a bit more on a subject, bringing ‘bathroom’ as an example, but it’s applicable to everything else: furniture, floor and wall coverings, etc.
Congratulations on the new place - I can’t imagine what you’ll do with three bathrooms though - maybe you could turn one into a podcasting studio? Nice acoustics and all. . . :grin: