The Pursuit of Happiness in Manhattan
Back in January I wrote a post (Embracing Black and the End of Mediocrity) in which I declared war on the status of mediocrity in a mini manifesto of sorts. I declared that I was going to embrace my true self and express my individuality (with my husband Yoav’s blessing) and basically not give a sh*t what people think about our home and how we have it decorated.
Hi folks! I am still here! Yoav and I just got back from a much-needed vacation in Arizona (my first time traveling more than 100 miles from NYC in 19 months!). Now that we are back, we are getting full swing into working on the apartment. Each weekend is devoted to projects, sometimes one big one, sometimes lots of small ones. We have much to write about and reveal, but all in due time as much of what we are working on is still in progress. But I promise some super amazing stuff soon…. In the meantime, here is an update on one of my favorite spaces in our apartment, our center hall.
I would like to say that I am not materialistic, but that would be a lie, and I am not a good liar. And while I may not have any want for status objects desired most by others (fancy cars, jewelry, designer clothes, etc…) I do have a strong sense of aesthetics and a strong opinion that end user experience is of utmost importance. Form should follow function and sometimes that function is to just look beautiful.
So from time to time, I plan to do a post about a material object that I have obtained (or lusted after) and this is my first post about a material object.
My Manifesto:
I hereby declare that I will no longer appease the utter blandness of the majority of the world when it comes to my home, and I vow that I will make my home how I want it* regardless of what others think. There will be no mediocrity allowed in my home. (*With the support and approval of my husband.)
This post is likely to be somewhat pivotal in the history of my blog as I am declaring war on the status-quo. Why? Because all of my life I have been, for various reasons, required to comply with the interests, likes, and dislikes of others. Or, at the very least, my own perception of what others thought about me and my sense of style.
Well…. With the exception of input from my husband…. No More!
We are only days away from finally taking possession of the keys to our new home (I promise a video walk-through) and I’ve been dreaming about all the amazing things I can do with our 785 square feet. I am relishing the idea that I will actually get to decorate more than just the living room and bathroom of my prior 294 square foot studio. While our new home may only be a one bedroom apartment, I count six spaces to design and decorate.
One of the more exciting features of our new home is our delightfully long entry hall (floor plan here) which we have begun to call the gallery. At 4.5′ wide and 22′ long, it is 100 square feet of amazing and makes for one hell of a grand entrance to our home. Our primary reason for loving this space is that along with the ability to use the long walls to create a true gallery space for our art and photography collection as well as add some storage down one side with a “fauxdenza“.
[Photo: This is a beautiful room, although I think it could use a tad bit more red. Source – House and Garden UK, November 2012]
I am not an interior designer. But I do have my own distinctive sense of style. I know what I do like and what I don’t like. (I am also very fortunate and grateful to have a supportive husband who appreciates my sense of style, and lets me do almost anything when it comes to our home’s interior design.)
Hi, my name is Devyn. This was my blog about the adventures of finding, buying, renovating, fixing up, restoring, DIY'ing, and decorating a part of New York housing legacy. We have left NYC for a new life in Philadelphia. Visit my new blog Our Philly Row and read all about our "fixer-upper-ing" an 1852 rowhouse
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