Hiya friends. I've had a few people ask for more pictures of our new apartment, and I'm happy to say that they're finally in! Let me start by saying that we miss our apartment in boise horribly. We had the loveliest place; it was about 650 sq ft (small, but just enough for the two of us), had a stackable washer/dryer, was only $545 a month (not including utilities), and was really just the perfect little home for us to start out in. When we started looking for apartments in Utah, I really really hoped we could find a sweet deal just like our first apartment.
I wanted:
at least 600 square feet and something close to campus;
I absolutely needed a washer and a dryer,
and I wasn't crazy about the idea of paying more than $600 a month.
Those were my requirements. And they were pretty much non negotiable.
Those of you who know anything about
living in Salt Lake are probably thinking to yourselves,
"Alyssa, you're such an idiot."
And I am.
Well, I was.
No, no- I am
(at least I can admit it).
You know that commercial about the couple who are looking for a new apartment, turn their nose up to the first one, looks all over town, and end up going back?
I always laugh when I see it, because its exactly what happened to us. Gid and I started our apartment search by looking at the University housing, and immediately thought we could do better. Sure they were close and cheap, but they were much too small (only 480 square feet...), too old, and frankly, too ugly. (Cinderblock walls and tacky commercial tile from the 70s ugly)
OH. And one more thing. No washer or dryer in the apartment. That wasn't happening. I was determined to find something better. Something closer, and awesome, and fully loaded with clothes washing appliances. (Oh, Alyssa. You idiot.)
We looked at apartment housing listed on craigslist, ksl, hotpads, and anything else we could find.
We looked at basement apartments of really nice houses.
We looked at actual apartment complexes. We even looked at a nursing home.
(Okay- that was an accident. But we actually walked in. Gid didn't even notice the multitude of old people; I had to drag him out, embarrassed, while he was saying, "...but we didn't even look at a model apartment!" We laugh about it now.)
My point is, there was nothing that was in the price range we were looking at that was close to campus. And it sure seemed like the closer we got to campus the more expensive it was (and the more crappy). So, with a heavy heart, and our tails between our legs, we returned to the university village to take another look at the tiny tiny place we were sure we'd never consider.
Can I just say something? People can change.
Can I say one more thing? I just friggin love my apartment. All 480 square feet of it.
We pay less than we did in boise (all utilities including internet and cable are included), and there is a free shuttle that goes directly to my dance building every 15 minutes). Its safe, sweet, and after a little home renovation, it's the cutest apartment I've ever lived in. In my life.
May I Present:
Our Humble Abode
Our living room- this is what you see when you very first walk in.
Living room again- this is the view you have when seated on the couch.
Note the adorable clearance accent chairs that gid surprised me with.
It's just so cheerful; I don't even notice the cinderblock walls anymore.
This table is also new, for the first two years we were married we used an old card table that belonged to gid's family. It was getting to the point that the legs were going farther and farther out. It was time. And I couldn't be happier with our new table.
...Come over for dinner, would you?
oh- and note the pseudo wood floors. If you could only see the tile that used to be there.
Actually, if you click on
this link, you can see it sort of.
Oh hello little tiny oven and stove.
And the shot of my kitchen with the my three favorite kitchen things in it.
(Those matryoshka dolls are measuring cups.)
And seriously, I love my tea cups. Haven't used 'em, But I'm Crazy for them.
One of the biggest things I was worried about was the bathroom. (I say "
one of the biggest", because I was the
most worried about our bedroom. More to come.) Take me seriously when I tell you that I can touch the faucet to the sink with one hand and the faucet to the tub with one foot while sitting on the toilet. It's small, but I think it turned out beautifully. If you look carefully you can see our lovely shower curtain in the mirror. We have black and while parisian photographs on the walls, and because the sink (if you can't tell) has zero counter space, we found this little under the sink storage cabinet at ikea.
Bless you, ikea.
As mentioned previously, I was the most concerned about our bedroom. It's tiny. We actually can't fit both of our night stands and the bed (glad we didn't buy a california king when we got married), so gid just has a tv tray sitting longways by his side of the bed.
I wanted to create a relaxing but chic color scheme, and I've noticed gray and yellow being fashionable lately (at least for weddings...).
What do you think? I like it.
We love you, sweet house. Thanks for letting us live in you.
Have a sweet Sunday, friends.
pss- we're in the market for a washer if anyone is trying to get rid of one...
