Kate Makes: A 15ft Wall Unit (ok... Paul Makes it)

Well, Monday came and went and now my Kate Makes post is LATE. Oy. But hopefully this makes up for it... 

While most 20-somethings who are out to furnish their first apartments flock to big box stores like Ikea, Target and West Elm, I head... well, home. To my sweet and talented Daddy. 

Below is a sketch I drew out in one of my moleskin journals back in early June. Because our apartment is lacking in square footage, I knew I needed a work horse of a wall unit. It had to function not only as a bookshelf, but also as kitchen and office storage and as two clothing wardrobes. And it had to fit EXACTLY along our living room wall. No one but my Dad could build it. Everyday I wake up and smile as I walk by and see the stacks of music books and nicknacks that now live on this massive piece of furniture made with LO and VE by none other than Pauly C. :)

Two months and an incredible number of hours of hard work later by my incredible daddy (with assistant from Jake and my mom) - here is what we got!

Some details of our living room below...  our favorite chair from Aunt Hortie and my Jonathan Adler pillow (from the back and front) a peek into Jake's wardrobe, my favorite moment framed, my new clutch from Roberta Freyman, my sacred Domino Magazine collection, my children's book selection and the Ampersand Jake gave me a few years ago, a few of my favorite owls, and Rufus (our Rhino's profile!) ....

Our first place...

APARTMENT 6E 

Is teeny... approximately 400 square feet. Back in April when we started our apartment hunt we had quite the "must-have" list... it included finding a building with an elevator and laundry, with an on-site super, a dishwasher, good closet space, a true one-bedroom - not a studio, not a junior... on our desired block on the UWS oh - and all within the strict price range we had set for ourselves.

It. Was. Not. Easy. But then we found this place that was literally across the street from our old place. 

And this apartment checked all of our boxes, every single one. It just happened to arrive in a tinier package than earlier anticipated by moi. 

This floor plan is deceiving. It looks giant! I can assure - it's not. But, oddly enough once we started putting our furniture in, it started to look bigger rather than smaller. It remained open and airy wand yet became cozy. The natural light is incredible. Windows in every room flood the space with sunshine all day long. There are three closets, which means... I got a linen closet! Woo! I have to say, I really don't mind sharing this space with my room mate because he's pretty amazing. And the open floor plan allows said room mate to cook up incredible meals while watching TV. He's pumped. 

We've been living here for 2 months. And a lot has been accomplished. I can't wait to share our little love nest with you over the next few weeks. 

Apartment Tour: Sneak Peak

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting the floor plan and photos of our new teeny-tiny NYC apartment. There is still a lot of reorganizing, reconfiguring, rethinking and re-imagining going on over here, but for now enjoy a few pics I shot last friday while waiting for the pancakes to bubble and turn golden brown.