I moved into my “new” apartment five months ago…but I’m just finally getting around to sharing it with you. To be honest, it took me a long time to get it exactly how I wanted it—from waiting on backordered items to moments of indecision and pure laziness, this apartment was certainly not built in a day.
I’m only two blocks and less than one avenue from my last apartment. So, why bother moving, you ask? First of all, COVID has the real estate market in NYC at the lowest it’s been in years, so I knew I would likely be able to score a nicer and/or bigger unit for the same price as my studio. Secondly, my fifth-floor walkup with old, rickety stairs and dark hallways was getting old. And lastly, my management company kind of sucked. (I know…don’t they all?)
After quite a bit of searching, I found a recently renovated, one bedroom apartment on the second floor in the neighborhood I’ve come to know and love the past 2.5 years: the Upper East Side. I’m in the eighties, which is full of restaurants, bars, shops, cafes, cute puppies, and so much more. Sometimes I feel like a walking advertisement because of how often I talk and post about it.
In true Haley fashion, I ran into several issues when I first moved. Oddly enough, the move itself went smoothly despite me being alone due to COVID restrictions and my parents being in another state. I hired a moving company, which several people questioned—I thought that was super strange. I don’t know about you, but I am 10000% certain that I am not capable of moving furniture and all of my belongings down five flights and a few blocks. And, of course, there happened to be a huge rainstorm that day.
After the move, though, I had trouble with my keys, with my washer/dryer (a washer/dryer in New York! Can you believe it?!), my heat, my internet, missing packages…the whole nine yards.
All of that has been resolved…except one major issue that I haven’t mentioned yet. My upstairs neighbor thinks he’s a musician. I say “thinks” because if we’re being frank, we probably have the same amount of talent and I don’t even know how to read music. He plays the piano, has a drum set, and sings alllllll day long. Yes, a piano and a drum set in a New York apartment. Gah. After a few notes passed back and forth and some amicable text exchanges, he agreed to stop playing at 10/10:30 pm, but he sings and/or plays every minute before that. I’m just considering it part of my Sex and the City-esque story to laugh about to my future kids.
Now, back to the important stuff: the decor. I posted a super quick apartment tour on Tiktok if you’re into that, and a longer version here.
Next, I searched for links for almost every single item in my apartment to share with you guys. You could say I’m a saint like that. Full disclosure: I’ve lived alone in an apartment for six years, and I have kept several of my items since then. For the items that were no longer available online, I found similar products instead. If you have any questions about where something came from specifically or whether it’s the exact one in my videos, feel free to comment or reach out.
Hope you enjoy my little slice of Manhattan!
Colorfully Yours,
Haley
BEFORE
KITCHEN
BATHROOM
LIVING ROOM
BEDROOM
