My mother is a Domestic Goddess if I ever saw one.
Growing up, our house was always in perfect order, and we had a delicious and homemade dinner every night. My mom has a way of decorating that makes a room instantly homey, elegant but interesting, and welcoming that is impossible to replicate. Between her DG skills and my dad’s home-improvement talent, our home is beautiful. My hope is that this is a trait of hers that I’ve inherited and that I’ll be half as good of a DG as she is someday!
Fast-forward three months, and I was walking through the door for my first big-girl apartment. Yes, I’d had a darling little place all to myself the previous year, but this wasn’t college; this was my own apartment, one that I’d be living in without a roommate, be paying for on my own, without loans, in ITALY!
Here are a few pictures from right after I moved in:
I wrote a post shortly after moving in that you can check out here! For the rest of the post, pictures show what my apartment looks like as of January 2015. Hopefully it’ll continue growing to look more like me!
For the past five years I had moved into a new dorm or apartment each year. My parents had helped me out each time, making the trek down to Alfred with the pickup truck overflowing with all of my hand-me-down furniture and florescent pillows. This time, I arrived alone with just my suitcases. The rest of my belongings would come a few months later after traveling by boat across the Atlantic. I have to say, finally having my shipment arrive and moving myself in was an incredible feeling.
As I’ve created my home, my main challenge has been where to find what I need. At home, if I ever needed anything I could take a quick drive to Target, TJ Maxx, or Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Here, I have absolutely no clue where to do that. Sure, I’ve been able to get to IKEA twice, and I’m sure there are home stores around, but I have no idea where they are, how to get to them, and how to transport everything I’d like to get! For example, I can’t find picture frames. The same is true for large Tupperware, a Swiffer, and a shower-rod. On the other hand, being in Europe has allowed me to create the kind of home I’ve always wanted. No matter where I look, there are little touches of the world; the dish of glass candy from Venice on my coffee table, a hanging curtain from Barcelona between my living room and bedroom, a small painting from Rome in the kitchen, a little silver sugar dish from Granada holding all of my bobby-pins on my dresser.
The apartment looks amazing! I'm impressed you were able to embrace that hideous sofa. It's comfy! You're doing it justice!