New Apartment Inspiration

We're moving, and I cannot wait.

Over the last five years, I’ve moved six times. In August of 2020, I moved out of my parents’ house and into a studio apartment in St. Paul, MN. It was one of the best things I ever did, and I think about that time of my life nearly everyday. During those months, Jonah and I were working hard to figure out a longterm solution to be together in-person after being in a long-distance relationship for a year, so I only signed a six-month lease. After it ended, we felt (sort of) hopeful that the border closure between the US & Canada would end soon, so I moved back to my parents’ in February of 2021 in case it was resolved and I could move to wherever Jonah was on a moment’s notice.

It did, in fact, not end in a timely manner, and remained closed until August of 2021. The day the announced it would end, I booked a flight and moved to Moncton, New Brunswick on August 10th. If you have spent any amount of time with us, you know the wretched state of the apartment we first lived in New Brunswick. Bed bugs, mice, characters (to put it kindly). It was horrific and we pursued moving out ASAP. We were finally able to move out of that apartment and into a brand new townhouse in November of 2021. It was wonderful, but plain, and when I think back to it now, we truly never furnished it or made it our own in hopes that we wouldn’t live in Moncton for long.

In March of 2022, Jonah’s job let him know that he had the opportunity to relocate to Halifax or Toronto, and although we love Halifax so much, Toronto was much closer to both of our families + friends, and cheaper to travel in and out of, so we ultimately decided on Toronto. We moved to another brand-new-build. Since we were moving without time to visit apartments in-person, it put us at ease knowing this was a clean unit, and that we would be the first tenants to live in it.

After living in that unit for a year, we moved to our current apartment in April of 2023. It is a larger unit right downtown, and we have loved nearly everything about living here. This apartment lead us to meeting some of our dearest friends, and has provided a sense of community because of its location. It was another brand-new-build, which was nice for a time, but as the scaries from our first apartment in New Brunswick have worn off, we’ve craved more character, more space, and easier access to nature.

Long story…long, we’ve found a beautiful unit in the West End of Toronto and are moving at the end of this month. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of living in an older complex with fewer units and lots of character. In Minneapolis, there are gorgeous brick builds around the chain of lakes that I have wanted to live in since I was little, and this unit is exactly like one of those. It is a two-bedroom, has all of the original wood floors, has a bit of outdoor space, and is close to a park. The only box it doesn’t tick for us is in-unit laundry, but we’ll live! This is the first apartment I have been able to envision us living in for a bit longer, and I’m excited to make it our own.

Here’s a sneak peek.

Naturally, the decor is all I can think about, so I wanted to share some of the things I’m eyeing, the inspiration I’m collecting, and the overall vibe I’m hoping for. Because it is bigger, it’ll take time to fill, but that’s part of the journey I’m learning to accept (as someone who wants to move in and be fully unpacked before bed on the same day).

So, this is some of my inspo…

Our bedroom will be large enough for a king bed, which feels so adult and fun. I am working with Silk & Snow, so we were so graciously gifted a new bed + mattress (both on sale right now) and I am GRATEFUL! I want the room to feel cozy, lived-in, and vintage. Our current bedroom only has room for our queen bed, so I’m excited to add in some accessories, sconces, maybe even a chair.

I’m not sure if anyone else cares about storage, but I very much enjoy an organized linen closet, so our linen closet will hopefully look something like this. I also love going into my mom’s linen closet when visiting home to see what sort of fun things I might find, and hope to achieve a similar closet of goodies. I’m hoping to thrift a bunch of wicker baskets to contain the messes in cute ways.

Each of these photos has elements of things I’d like to bring into our space. I am hoping to get a new slip cover for our couch, which has been so horrifyingly ruined over the last two years, and I think I’d like to go with somewhat of a statement fabric. I also want to add in a variety of textures, colors, materials, etc. all throughout the room. I have been scouring Facebook Marketplace any chance I get in hopes of finding unique, affordable pieces for our space. I do not want to break the bank on decor!

I’m also ecstatic to have a separate area for my desk (the guest room), and to make the corner a little cuter than what I have now. I don’t like a desk area to feel too office-y, so I’m hopefully going to find a way to make it as inconspicuous as possible. I love these two photos and have been referencing them a lot when thinking about how to achieve that.

I’ve been saving all of my inspiration to this board on Pinterest, and adding dream purchases to this folder on ShopMy. I cannot wait to share more along the way, as making a house (apartment) a home is something that brings me great joy!

Chat soon xx

Greta