JenniferNYC's Profile

My first NYC apartment was similar to this - terrible building, sketchy neighborhood, cheap rent, pretty new apartment. After 2 years of living there I was robbed, my gas was turned off for almost 3 months because the LL installed an illegal pipe that was syphoning gas from another building, the roof of my bathroom collapsed (after months of water damage from leaking pipes upstairs), and during the winter the steam heat almost NEVER came on. But I could afford the rent so whatever, and sometimes those are the breaks. But honestly, I don't think I would ever take the experience back, (and when it comes to pests, some of the nicest building in NYC have roaches & bedbugs). I think you really have to assess what you can and can't take. Dirty floors, crappy old paint jobs, (in my current case, a neighbor whose apartment's urine smells permeate the common hallways) might be OK for you if you can deal with it. My apartment is HUGE, near a good subway, but across from a ton of public housing and has less than great common areas. And I'm cool with it!

The fact that the average American doesn't spend a lot on furniture doesn't really shock me at all. Considering the average American makes about 50K or so a year, why would you spend a lot of money on furniture. Most people I know from the Midwest, South, and South-West get their furniture from Target and Walmart (not Restoration Hardware and Crate&Barrel), get hand me downs from parents, or grandparents and get a lot of items from Wedding and Baby Registries.

We live in a Brooklyn Railroad where we don't really NEED a lot of furniture and don't make enough to warrant spending 1K on a mattress.

Bed: $50 (we had to get rid of the bed recently because of bedbuggers so we're most likely going to get a new one from Ikea which will cost about $500 total)

Dresser: Free, no space for nightstand!

Mirror: Ikea on sale for $50

Coffee Tables $50 ( for all 3, 2 salvaged from Ohio, 1 from a NYC Goodwill)

Kitchen Table $200 ( We built it ourselves for about $75 in wood and paint, plus 4 Chairs from Ikea and a free mini chesterfield chaise)

Sofas: $350 (1 was $350 vintage craigslist pick, the other was Free from craigslist because it was a pain in the ass to get out of the girl's apartment)

MISC:

Vintage Club Chair - $50
2 Wooden Ikea Kitchen Islands - $150 (1 from Craigslist, the other new)
Bookcases - Free as they were already in the apartment when we moved in, and spruced them up for $10.

I will say we DO have very well made pieces just not expensive, and not a lot of very modern styles (which helps with costs and lets us go salvage).

You can have well built furniture and spend a lot of money. You can have well built furniture and not spend a lot of money. You can buy replacement furniture every 2 years or so as well, it's just what's important to you at the time.

Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with the pasta, not just the cheese sauce. If you notice, the blue-box mac is really thin, long, gets soft in no time. It's such a specific texture that's hard to copy.

"I will be your one more time if you will be my one last chance"

"Love is the province of the brave"

both great lyrics by TV on the Radio! Can't wait to do this DIY!

I'm beyond nervous! I'm baking my mother's apple pie for my boyfriend's family but my mom is 3000 miles away so I don't know if I have enough sugar, the right kind of apples, will the filling be too thin! That, plus the 8 hour drive from NYC to Ohio!

I love it! It's a very interesting way to add light and space to a very beautiful home. If the original facade looked anything like the one next door then it's a good thing they did it! It's a very respectful way to modernize the building. Awesome!