Welcome to my Home

Tricky it was to pare down my possessions after living in a three bedroom apartment. My new apartment, affectionately referred to on Flickr as la Petite Apartement on Grand, is the smallest space I’ve ever inhabited. It is one bedroom with a teeny tiny living room and the smallest bedroom I have ever experienced. I was nervous at first. I once moved from a one bedroom apartment to one bedroom in a five bedroom house; I nearly went crazy. The transition into this space was a lot easier. Before leaving for Ireland I had ‘purged’ a substantial amount of items… craft supplies to be more specific… which eliminated a lot of boxes. I sold some things in a yard sale, I gave a lot away, and spread the remainder of larger items that would not fit here throughout the basements of friends’ homes.

I’ve been settled in for some months now, and much like every other space I’ve had, this will always be a work in progress. But even though it’s not complete, I love it. Marie asked for some photos, so here they are.

Here is the bedroom. When I decided to rent the apartment, the bedroom had a nasty (and I mean DISGUSTING) carpet down. The type that is in an office, except FILLED with dirt, stained, burned/seared, and a bit smelly. Kristi helped me tear it up, along with the padding beneath (also stinky), and then I pulled out the staples. I was going to refinish the floor, but it was in terrible shape. There was no chance it would be salvagable, so instead I painted it this deep chocolate shade. One coat of primer and two coats of paint and now the floor is smooth enough to walk on without splinters and looks MUCH better, although the dust sticks to the floor a bit. I painted the walls a light aqua shade – the same as my bedroom in the last apartment – because I love this colour. This room isn’t finished yet because there are three large holes in the wall behind my bed, and I have to paint two and a half walls, as well as the dresser, then hang the paintings, mirror, and other odds and bobs that I’ve collected.

The bathroom has not been photographed because it looks the same as before, except that I have torn up a few floor tiles. We’re putting in a new floor, but it isn’t in yet.

Here is the kitchen. I painted the cupboards during the Winter/Early Spring, and am pretty much done with this room. I have to find some chrome bull-dog clips to hang the prints, and decide which art to put on the wall above the stove. After that, done I will be. Except the floor. Oh and I have to paint the dresser that I scooped from Grams when she moved into the trailer. It fits perfectly under the large awkward cabinet in the bathroom, but the blue and yellow doesn’t work well. This photo really captures how the floor does not match the rest of the room. I’d like to put in a laminate floor that matches the living room.

The photos above show the Living Room/Office space. I have my couch on an angle which allows me to tuck my computer desk in to a little nook. Then I am always in the main area of the house when I’m working on creative endeavours, and I can shift my computer off in case I want to sew something. Which I haven’t done yet. The second photo is an alternate view into my kitchen. And look, there is my cat – Bernie!

Final photo – the tv. I painted the table but it looks a bit small for the tv. I have been eyeing a certain Ikea PS Cabinet for years, and now is my chance to purchase it! Here are a few rooms that have used it. I think it’s really going to streamline the space – make it look less cluttered. I have to figure out where to put the little table, etc. The painting is by me, the green photo is Ikea, and the little table was originally black and it belonged to Gramps. I snagged that when he moved out of his house into Marie’s. And Bernie loves sleeping on the couch.

More photos to come as I progress in this space!