Bathroom

The bathroom was our biggest challenge. Between the toilet breaking, the mirror that we couldn’t get off the wall, and not being able to move the location of the light fixture, there were definitely times we wanted to just give up. But, the final product is a very warm and beautiful oasis. The medicine cabinet is definitely the focal point.

Before (From Inside)

During (From Inside)

After (From Inside)

Before (From Doorway)

During (From Doorway)

After (From Doorway)

Living/Bedroom Area

The night we bought the place, we sold the Murphy Bed for a rather pretty penny (I already had a buyer lined up). Our bedroom furniture has never looked more amazing, as I’ve always wanted to display it against walls with some color on them, neutral as it may be.

Before

During

After

Before

After

We went shopping this weekend and picked up this Mercury glass apothecary jar on top of the dresser and the topiary in the window.

Dining Area

We swapped out the half-table for a real table and the other half-table for the media cabinet. Since we don’t have a VCR anymore the tapes got the old heave-ho. We now use the media cabinet as a catch-all for our things. The television is awesome because it swivels, so we can see it from almost anywhere in the apartment.

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During

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TV / Media Cabinet

Hallway

Do you know that I painted 180 panels on the doors (6 panels on each side of five doors, three times)?! Not that I was counting. One thing that we really love is the shoe cabinet, because we’ve never had a designated spot for our shoes other than a particular place on the floor. It’s one of our best buys, for sure.

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After

We finally have somewhere to hang our awesome map of Spain/Portugal. This thing makes a fantastic statement when you walk in the door--and hides some folding chairs we've stored behind it. Every inch counts in this small space!

Closets

Clothes

While the original closet organizer was pretty, it did not suit the needs of two people’s wardrobe. We fixed it though, and now it is perfect for us!

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During

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General Storage

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During

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Laundry

We weren’t planning on replacing the washer and dryer until January. But, when I attempted to do my first load of laundry, the tub dropped down six inches in the washing machine and wires were exposed right next to a full tub of water. Luckily I was keeping an eye on it. I’m guessing that was the “as-is” part of the deal!

Anyway, getting a new washer and dryer delivered from Home Depot was a NIGHTMARE that took three weeks. It is a special order because it is a space saver and takes forever to get in. So, on the first delivery attempt, the washer door was hanging off so I refused the entire delivery because I didn’t have anywhere to store the dryer while waiting for the new, new washer. So, the next delivery attempt they brought me a perfectly fine washer, but forgot to bring a dryer. So then, the final delivery attempt they managed to bring along the dryer and all the necessary accessories. However, the idiot did not reverse the dryer door properly, and Matt had to make a dryer repair on our brand new dryer when he got home that evening.

The final result is that we now have a functioning, brand new washer and dryer. Rock on.

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After

I was very happy to have found a place for Sunny Suzy in the laundry area. I just love this antique toy as a decoration!

We're In!

Wow, what an eventful weekend. We moved out of one place and into another by ourselves. I can't believe how amazing it is at the Nelson and how everything has fallen into place here. It is turning out beautiful. I am going to wait to post pictures until things look a little nicer, but it is shaping up to be fantastic!

Friday -- Moving Day: It was a very stressful move. Even though Matt woke up early on Tuesday to go to the police station for an "Emergency No Parking" sign to reserve a spot for our moving truck, of course people still parked in our spot. So, we lost a lot of time waiting around for them to either 1) move or 2) be towed. Lucky for them, their car was simply dropped off at a new location in the neighborhood rather than taken to an impound lot.

While Matt was driving around the block so as not to block traffic while waiting for our spot to open up, he clipped a side mirror on a van with the Budget truck. He very generously left an apologetic note with our contact information. I think the people who parked in our spot should have to pay for it. No damage to the Budget truck, just the other van. Narrow city streets and big moving trucks just don't mix well.

Saturday -- Unpacking / Boston House: Saturday I spent half the day unpacking at the Nelson and the other half cleaning the old apartment. We had to rent a Zipcar to move our dining room table, because we didn't have the right tools with us on Friday to take it apart to get it through the door. Also, I had committed the cardinal sin of moving, I didn't take every last bit with us while we had the moving truck, so we had several boxes left to bring too.

Sunday -- Sorting / More Boston House: All the boxes are unpacked as of Sunday, and things are in general order. I was able to find someone to pick up a whole bunch of little stuff that we weren't able to sell. I also cleaned the Boston House some more. For one last hoorah at the Boston House, Matt and I had a lovely dinner from Thaiphoon on the roof.

At the Nelson, we still have plenty of stuff to do, but I am in awe of how beautiful it is turning out. My vision is becoming a reality, and I can't wait to show you...

Where There's A Hole...

...there's an aluminum foil/saran wrap/paper towel holder to cover it up! Yes, there is yet another hole in the kitchen wall to cover, this time from a hideous fluorescent light that was under the cabinet at the sink. We're so tired of conduit wires--they're everywhere we don't want them and nowhere we do.

Anyway, I thought this was a great solution which will really save us drawer space (since we only have two):
The trick was finding one that was front loading. It should be arriving soon.

Oh, and a special thanks goes out to Cheryl at the Boston House for letting me know that I left my pink laundry bag in the laundry room last night. I appreciate its return! We will greatly miss the Boston House and all the wonderful people who run it.