Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hi Made By Girl readers! This is Alison - a graphic designer living & working in Raleigh, NC. I have a blog called Alison Citron & a stationery shop but I also love Interiors! Today I'm here to share my rental experience with you! 

The GOOD
 

Living in an apartment means limited space - which means you are forced to curate your belongings. This means that you need to get rid of the clutter that can drag you and your space down, and you end up surrounded by the stuff you really like and use. You also aren't tied down to the space - if your needs change, you can just move, easy as that. 
 

The BAD

You are living in close quarters with other people. As an example: we can hear our neighbors talking sometimes, which of course makes us aware that other people may be listening in to us. 


Sometimes our upstairs neighbor walking around has woken us up - and even worse, we have heard neighbors’, ahem, ‘intimate’ activities, which is obviously NOT ideal.

The UGLY

If your neighbors aren’t responsible for their space, you can be the one who ends up dealing with the consequences. Where I live, some people own their individual units in the complex. My upstairs neighbor owns his unit, and hadn’t kept up with maintenance. 


One day we had water coming through our bathroom ceiling. We ended up having a big hole in the ceiling for a month before they finally took care of it, and we could see upstairs through it! It really gave us a whole new appreciation for privacy (and taking care of our space).

Are you renting??

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental here on MadeByGirl blog, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above!

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly....

Hello, my name is Sarah, I'm an artist currently living in an apartment in Mobile with my husband and two dachshunds. I'm also the creator of the blog and website Sworley Thoughts. Below is my rental experience...

The GOOD

The good about renting an apartment is that it gave my husband and I a chance to figure out our style as a couple. We are newly married and this is our first place together. Living in an apartment has given us the time to adjust to living together, combine our things, and to think about what kind of house would fit into what we both are looking for.

It has also forced us to be clean and organized. Space is limited so I have to be creative in how we store our things. We don't have room for junk, so we had to purge through our things and get rid of everything but what we really truly needed. We don't have anything in our apartment that doesn't have significant value to us. Life is so much better once it's de-cluttered.

The BAD

The bad part of renting is the obvious lack of privacy, paper thin walls that you can hear everything through, and no free space for our dogs to run around in. There's no creative freedom as far as flooring, light fixtures, cabinets etc. As mentioned before, space is limited. The cabinets are small, the closets are small, it's all small. We've only lived here a few months and it already feels like we've outgrown this space. We also had to give up our tradition of grilling on the weekends since our apartment does not allow grills or fire pits of any kind to be used on the property.

The UGLY

The ugly portion renting, for us, has been the horrendous parking situation. The parking lot is way to small for this property and there aren't enough spaces for the amount of cars that park here every night. It's a daily battle for a parking space, and since Mobile doesn't have any kind of reliable public transportation set up, it's a necessity to have a car.

Despite the bad and the ugly of renting, I think we made a good decision in renting before we go and jump into buying a house together. Us living here doesn't have to be permanent and we have the option of leaving whenever we feel the time is right.

Are you renting?

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The GOOD

Renting certainly has its perks, including calling the landlord to fix broken appliances, and no strings attached freedom to move to a new apartment at the end of the lease.  Renting also gives you an opportunity to declutter with each move.  From a design perspective, moving to a new apartment gives you the opportunity to start over! With craigslist and ebay, you can sell your rugs and lamps and go in an entirely new design direction.  Even if you keep everything, your stuff will look different in each apartment which is very cool.  


Many rental apartments are large, white boxes so you get to exercise your design muscle to make the rental apartment a home.  I would never make structural changes to a rental apartment, but paint is an easy and harmless solution.  Just paint over when you leave.  Renting is a fantastic option if you find yourself living in a less than permanent location.  


My husband and I are from the North Carolina and Alabama, and there is a good chance we could leave NY one day.  Renting allows us to pick up and leave when the time feels right without worrying about selling or carrying an apartment in another state.  

The BAD


Finding a balance between doing enough to make your apartment feel like home and resisting the urge to do more can be incredibly difficult.  I would love to own a home, cultivate a design plan and obsess over the state of every corner.  Pinterest does not help the situation.  When you rent you have to really evaluate your design choices or you could end up spending lots of money between moves.  


You have to decide whether or not to hang a TV if you only plan to stay a year.  You have to decide if you want to buy a 5x7 area rug to use now even though you would likely replace it with an 8x10 rug in a larger space in the future (I sold my watermelon colored madeline weinrib rug on ebay last year and have not replaced the rug for this reason).  You have to decide on your bedding.  Decide if you want neutrals that could work in your current bedroom and a color scheme you select for your future bedroom, or if you want to go bold (I like white bedding.  Brought in colorful accessories and painted the walls).


Should you monogram the cheap euro shams to make your bedroom look more complete, or just replace them in the future? Do you want to buy a headboard or bed now or wait?  I am holding off buying a headboard/bed because my only option in NY would be a headboard (need space under the bed for storage, would never ever do a footboard in a NY apartment-no room), and I might rather have a full blown bed in the future.   


 So the solution I've found is to use paint for cheap but high impact fixes (painted bedside tables and kitchen table/chairs) rather than buying something now that might need to be replaced in 2 years.  And if you must buy something new, try to buy something that could work in a future space.  We recently bought a new sofa-clean lines, gray linen upholstery-should work anywhere.
   

The UGLY


Rent tends to increase.  Not so grand entrance: I am dying to have a front door (with an amazing antique knocker) that I can decorate with plants, trees and pumpkins according to the season.  My cable box is sitting on a shelf in the living room.  Cords are everywhere, and I draped a canvas drop cloth over the shelf to try to disguise them.  It's pretty hideous but more economical than having the wires hidden in the wall or buying a temporary piece of furniture.  I started blogging recently .   




 Best, Coby Kutcher from Orange Cashmere blog! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I'm Alethea from Like What Ever blog! Long time follower of MadeByGirl! I'm here this Tuesday to share my rental experience with all of you! Here we go! 

The GOOD

I live in a great neighbourhood in a great part of the city (Toronto).  Supermarket, library, dry cleaners are close at hand.  I love that it's all within walking distance and that I don't live in the suburbs where you have to drive to your mailbox. Yikes!  On the weekends, restaurants are a plenty. 

Great dinning options and night life are all nearby. Love it! My space itself is great. I really lucked out! Unlike most condos in the city, the living space and bedroom are huge. I've recently started to entertain and my friends always say how comfy they are which makes me super happy.

The BAD

Nothing would make me happier than to have my own laundry area.  I wish, wish, wish I had by own washer and dryer. Especially because my apartment is on the top level of a four floor walk-up.  No elevators here! The good thing about condos is each unit has their own en-suite laundry. And elevators.  


In addition to no laundry, I can't exactly break down walls in my apartment rental - but if I could, I would definitely break down the wall in my bedroom to open up the closet.  How amazing would a closet with french doors be. I wish! The bathroom is great but the separate faucets for hot and cold water are so not charming.

The UGLY

You haven't seen ugly until you've taken a look at my kitchen counter top.  Now that's ugly! You'd think since it's white it shouldn't be that bad, but it is.  It absorbs everything.  Wine, soy sauce, beet juice... everything.  So maybe it was originally white but now it's just a hodge podge of different stains. Don't even get me started on the kitchen floor which extends to the dinning room.  


Again - it's white.  And even though it's fairly easy to clean, it's 10x easier to get dirty.  Plus with a shedding cat.. forget about it.  I thank god for Swifter Wet Wipes.  Also, I don't mind watching TV every now and then.  I love me some Glee just like the next person - but do I really have to listen to my neighbour's TV too?  Since I live in an apartment rental, the answer is yes! Paper thin walls just can't be helped.

So that's it.  My good, bad & ugly of renting.  For the most part I do like my place a lot and will probably stay here until I purchase a cute little fixer upper to really get my creative design juices going. In the meantime, I've learned to live with all the not-so-good stuff because the really good stuff is far more.  I'm comfortable, the location is great, it's close to work, church, friends and family.  I don't have to shovel snow in the winter and every summer a nice garden suddenly appears in the front yard.  So what's not to love?!  Trekking up and down the stairs for laundry is good exercise for my thighs any ways. 


Glass half full.

Are you renting??
 
If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello All! Whitney here from Whitney Kaye Styles sharing my thoughts on apartment living.

THE GOOD

 
Temporary living is great when you are living a life that is changing every few months or couple of years. It's nice to save money on a one bedroom apartment for just you and your spouse and then move to a two bedroom when you feel the need for extra space for an office or your first child. With your career still developing you could be looking at relocating for summer internships or a new job and being able to pick up and move when and wherever is a nice option. It is also a nice way to test out neighborhoods. The decision between city living or suburbs isn't so stressful when renting allows you a type of "trial period" to acclimate to your surroundings and see what you like. 

This temporary living also works in favor of finding your own style. With changing lives comes changing needs and comforts and it is so easy to change out pillows, reupholster chairs, paint furniture or swap out accessories in different colors when everything you own is portable. Most people would probably say their style is constantly evolving and being able to change a room in a weekend or with a few small projects is easy and non-committal. Big projects like painting walls or building a wall here or there isn't an option when the walls aren't yours. 

THE BAD
You do have very close neighbors who you sometimes feel might actually live in your apartment with you. You have the American Idol wanna be belting Kelly Clarkson every morning at 7am just on the other side of your bedroom wall, the pot smokers across the hall and the upstairs neighbors who are doing who knows what and sending the foulest smells through the air vent into your apartment which requires layers of paper and tape over your air vent.

Let us not forget that having common areas to share isn't always an added perk. Having to wash your clothes in the ten washers and dryers that are shared with the ninety nine other tenants doesn't always make you feel like you got your clothes the cleanest or many times you doubt the quality of the appliances. And the study downstairs where anyone can hold social gatherings. That furniture has been down there for 30+ years, and it smells like it, and who knows if any of those couches, tables or chairs have even been cleaned or wiped down in their lifetime.

THE UGLY
For me it is the literal "uglies" of fixtures and finishes. Cleanliness always wins out over looks, which means I will pass on the old dirty charm and take the newly renovated apartment. Let's clarify, newly renovated on a graduate student budget means low pile navy office carpet, disabled support handles on every wall of the bathroom, creamish-brown bathroom tiles and random columns smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. You know your apartment was renovated to withstand many different tenants for many years to come, but you wish that someone would have gotten one more opinion before deciding to forgo the bottom cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom limiting your storage space and leaving you with ugly dust collecting areas.

Make sure you know what you will and will not compromise on. With renting, you can almost never get your perfect apartment, but having a good idea of what you can and can not live without will most often leave you with a satisfying renting experience.

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hi everyone! This is Taylor from Taylor Morgan, here to share with you my experience with renting. 
 

The GOOD
 

The biggest plus to renting is not having the responsibility of fixing things when they break or go wrong. I love being able to pick up my phone, make a simple phone call and have someone come to fix everything that day without a bill to pay! Stress free! There is an excitement to being able to live in lots of fun places as well. I have lived in LA, Austin, and now NYC and have loved every where I have rented (NYC being the favorite though!). And in NYC more people rent than own so it's just kind of the norm. I love it.

The greatest part about renting in NYC compared to other cities I've lived in is that they let you do more to your apartment (as long as you keep it nice) because they know most people are renters but still want to feel at home. Our building is great with letting you paint & such so I don't feel to restricted even though I am a renter. I painted stripes and mounted our t.v. so I'm a happy camper!

The BAD

Space. There isn't a lot of it in an apartment. Especially an apartment in NYC. Husband and I live in a 500 square foot studio apartment in downtown Manhattan. I was really skeptical about a studio at first, but surprisingly I don't feel to cramped. Our apartment seems to be the perfect size for the two of us. The depressing part is that we pay more in rent for our 500 square foot apartment than most of our friends' house mortgages in other states. But then I remember I just said friend's in other states and I actually feel bad for them that they don't also live in NYC. So it evens out.

The UGLY

Neighbors that are to close for comfort. The smaller the apartments are, the closer your neighbors are. I don't actually hear my neighbors to often but I feel like they must hear us. I feel like we are loud but who knows?! It's more the smells that get to me. Like when they are cooking something that I think stinks or even worse, smoking something that really stinks! Be considerate people. We live so close we obviously have to share the same air! Biggest pet peeve.


Overall though, I feel like renting appeals more to me at this stage in my life. I am not ready to commit to one place, it scares me more than committing to marriage to tell you the truth. Makes me feel to tied down. Although I'm sure I won't find it scary to commit to when we are buying our dream penthouse in the city one day. Until then, I am a happy renter!

Check out this VIDEO we made.  It's our cheesy version of MTV cribs.

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment!

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hi MadeByGirl readers! This is Dorkys from Dry As Toast here to share the good, the bad, and the ugly sides to renting in New York City

The GOOD

Aside from the obvious perks of saying you live in NYC, renting an apartment here gives you the freedom to try out different neighborhoods with relative ease. Once your lease is up, you can move to another borough and get to know a whole new ethnic enclave.

While it'd be great to have a home to call my own, I'm glad I don't have to deal with a mortgage or maintenance and that if something falls apart, I can always run downstairs to ask my super to fix it. I think of renting as a test drive to maintaining a home before buying a house someday and a blank slate that challenges you to truly make it your own.

The BAD

One of the biggest downsides to renting in NYC is the price tag on location. If you want to live in Manhattan, expect to fork over a pretty penny for the zip code. Those who don't mind a slightly longer subway ride can find better deals - and much more space - in the outer boroughs.

Other cons include limitations on what you can do with your apartment's layout, architectural features, and, most importantly, your neighbors (mine has delusions of channeling Mariah Carey whenever she sings) and the noise levels around you.

The UGLY

There are so many details I would change if I could. The exposed radiators painted in metallic grey, the ugly gate to secure the window to the fire escape, the lack of space in the kitchen area, and the fact that all my windows face another wall of windows limiting the amount of sunlight that gets in each day. 


But I've compensated on some of those drawbacks by draping sheer curtains over my windows to let in light while shielding the view, having an extra cabinet installed in the kitchen, and using a pantry cart as a movable island for food preparation. It's all about the little things you can do to make this into a comfy home.

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello! I'm Anna from A Newfound Treasure Blog, and today, I'm sharing my current rental experience on Jen's fabulous blog.

Not too long ago, we happily moved from Florida to South Carolina, but we had difficulty trying to sell our home. This forced us to find renters for our FL home, as well as, search for a SC rental to move into. Now, we're on both ends of renting, which has caused me to be extra mindful of our landlord's property while still trying to create a home reflective of who we are. South Carolina is where we want to be, so we can suck it up to be in our "happy place," right?

The GOOD

Renting allows you to be flexible. Last minute moves or job changes, that perhaps cause you to move from one end of the country to the other, can (hopefully) be less stressful. (ie. Vegas to NYC) ;-) You can have a "no strings attached" approach to where you are, which can be freeing in and of itself. A rental is the perfect option for an ultra spontaneous person that could up and move at the drop of a hat.

It is also great if you're moving to an unfamiliar place, because you can really shop around for your perfect part of town without committing to an area right off the bat. The great thing about our rental is that we have an abundance of space, being that we're in a house, not an apartment. 

Also, when things need to be fixed, it doesn't come at our expense -- major perk! All of those little things add up, and it's so nice to know that if something goes wrong, our landlords are just a call away.

The BAD

There are plenty of things that aren't ideal when living in a rental. Most of what the house is probably isn't your first choice. Wall colors and light fixtures can sometimes be total eyesores, but you must remind yourself that the time and money investment to change out chandeliers and repaint the walls aren't always worth it.

Instead of focusing on the actual home, try to incorporate art, fabric, and furniture that draw your eye away from the things you dislike the most about your home. I chose to use bright colored furniture and fabric that hopefully distract you from noticing the pukey-beige walls that coat the entire downstairs of our home.

The UGLY

Gracious, I have a list of things that I would do differently if we owned this home. Why the tacky carpets? I wish more than anything that linoleum wasn't a word in my vocabulary, but it is all over this place. The kitchen, the bathrooms, the laundry room… it's hideous. Rugs have been a lifesaver for me. 

With 2 little boys running around, rugs are essential in preserving the carpet. More importantly, rugs do a great job of grounding a space while hiding that ugly carpet or linoleum!

 
If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The bad, The Ugly

Hello everyone! This is Jackie from York Avenue blog, I'm here today on MadeByGirl talking about my rental experience! 

Renting in a city like New York has a ton of ups and downs. There are many challenges that come with living in, and decorating, a rented (and tiny!) space, but I think the happiness to be gained by living in a city you love far outweighs the downsides of being a renter!

The GOOD

Living in a rented apartment forces you to find creative solutions to the dilemmas that come with your space. If you can't paint, you have to bring in color in different ways. If you can't put down carpet, you have to use interesting area rugs in varying configurations. And on and on. It really opens up your creativity and forces you to think outside the box! Another thing I actually enjoy about renting is not being responsible for every single thing that happens. When something breaks, I can call my building maintenance staff, instead of needing to find a repair person on my own. Of course, this varies depending on your situation, but when I think about owning I just think of so many things that I would be solely responsible for, and forced to deal with all on my own, and then I feel happy about being a renter! One more upside: if I lived in my own space, I would feel a lot of pressure to make it perfect and renovate every inch. As a renter, if something is ugly and there's nothing I can do about it, I just learn to live with it. It actually turns out to be a good thing-I've learned to be flexible and not demand absolute perfection from my space. I've learned to do what I can (which is a ton), and be happy with the less-than-perfect bits of the rental. These things give it personality, I say! 

The BAD

Of course, the big downside to being a renter is that you are stuck with those less-than-ideal features of your rental. I have an odd window situation and not very much light in my apartment-it's not what I would have ideally chosen, were I buying, but again, you find ways to manage. Another downside of renting a small space is the urge to decorate every inch of it! It's so easy to go overboard and want more, more, more, but I've found that in a tiny space, keeping things simple and airy is a MUST.

The UGLY

Then there are the really ugly things in a rental that you simply can't do anything about. For me, this would be the unattractive, dated kitchen cabinets. No chance of a total kitchen renovation when you're renting! But as I mentioned in "the good," I've learned to live with this imperfection and embrace it. As Deborah Needleman points out in her book The Perfectly Imperfect Home, (which is the best design book I've ever read, by the way), every home needs a little bit of ugly!

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hi Everyone!! I'm Kim, and I write a blog called Design Thoughts and am so excited to share my Apartment living, Highs and Lows with you today!!!!


The Good

I left my home in MI (yep, that we own!!) to move to NY, into an apartment, 8 yrs ago!! Can you imagine?! To be honest, it took me many years of apt living, to find the good! (Sad, right?) But now that I have embraced it, there are so many great things about apt living!

The first, although, not glamorous at all, is that if something breaks (i.e. Dishwasher, washing machine, and furnace) you don’t have to pay for it to be fixed!!  Not having that stress is a BIGGIE for me.

Second, you can LEAVE whenever you want!!  It is SO great, knowing that if we are no longer happy living where we are, we can move, just like that, no strings attached!!

And Third, This won’t be everyone’s story, but for us, we have been VERY lucky that our landlord ROCKS!! We have been able to rip up carpet to expose hardwood, paint walls, and hang artwork, so we have been able to make this our HOME even though it’s an apartment.  It took me a very long time to accept our apartment as our home, but the minute, we left the hospital with our baby boy, everything changed.  I want to make this apartment special for him, not just a place we rent. So...that’s what we are doing, little by little, knowing that one day, we won’t be here anymore, but the time we spent here, we enjoyed, by surrounding  ourselves, with things we love!

The Bad

I’m an Interior Designer. SO, it’s very difficult, not being able to “renovate” a space, that may not be my style or preference. ( I’m talking, moving walls and re-locating plumbing) When we moved in, our bathroom had pink tiles and pink walls, and not super cool, hip, see it on the pages of Domino(yikes, old reference)  Pink, but like, no one cared EVER, pink. We had to wait, until the upstairs apartment flooded (um... 5 yrs AFTER we moved in) for our landlords to remodel the bathroom.  Our Washing Machine is in our kitchen...Lucky to have a washing machine, yes, but to have it RIGHT next to our clean dishes…Not so great. That has been BAD. So many things I would change or remodel if this was a home we owned, BUT, along with the freedom of picking up and going anytime you want, also comes the fact that you are TIED to whatever awful design elements are there.

The Ugly

Ohhh the ugly...sigh...Okay, I am going to state the obvious here, because truly, it’s the worst thing.  Other people, not your family, literally are living one wall, or floor, away from you.  Even the coolest neighbors, whom we have had, are so close, you can hear everything that’s happening, which means, of course, they also, can HEAR everything that’s happening in your home!  It’s not cool, but, you learn to live with it! The other very obvious, you are paying someone else, every single month, for a place, that’s not yours...ouch! It stings, I’m not gonna lie. I hate sending that check, BUT see the “Good” above...it evens out ;)

I have to say; even though I can’t wait until the day we OWN again, living the “apartment life” has been great! Especially in New York…EVERYONE lives in apartments, so it’s the norm!! The key is making it your HOME, not just a place you rent!

Thank you!
Kim from Design Thoughts blog

Resources: 

1st picture, this living room use to have grey, commercial carpet and bright yellow walls, so ugly!
2nd picture,( real life in the Salter House) , my son Liam, enjoying hot chocolate in our "home"
3rd Missoni picture wall

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above! 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hi everyone! I'm Stephanie from Stephanie LeeAnn blog! Apartment living is great for those who love the flexibility to move around or who aren't ready to commit long term to being a home owner, but can we all agree that turning a rental in to a home has some benefits and some challenges? 

THE GOOD 

Apartment owners generally try to include features and amenities that enhance residents' lifestyles. Like upscale interior details, amazing views, or spacious (relatively speaking) floor plan designs. You can expect additional amenities such as certain utilities included in your rental payment, a health club or pool on site, a doorman, or a lounge area. While I love to keep my place neat and tidy, I don't love lawn care and general maintenance. So it's a WIN-WIN. Sometimes searching for the right apartment can be exhausting but once you find the one it sure does have it's perks. 

THE BAD

Since living in an apartment offers a lot of flexibility, typically where you are really limited is on space - closets, useable wall space, and cabinetry to name a few - so more things tend to go on display. That means keeping organized and being creative with the space you do have so that a room is used to it's fullest potential. That goes for hanging items too. You're forced to evaluate what you should and should not hold on to. Maybe that's a good thing, but for some people, like myself, it may mean offsite storage or selling favored items. Such a bummer, that is.

THE UGLY 

You definitely do not have the privacy that you have in a single-family home. That means at any time - literally all hours - you may hear your neighbors . You know when they are showering, what movie they're watching, how late they stay up at night. The list goes on! On the flip side, you also have to be mindful of your own noise levels. Especially when it comes to music and entertaining. Your neighbors may ask for you to quiet down. Or worse, pay backs at the most inopportune times. Ever have THAT neighbor? 

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello there! This is apartment living by Erin at The Sparkle.

The GOOD

In this day and age, who likes an ironclad commitment?  (Unless you’re a woman rapidly approaching her mid thirties… but that’s another article for another time). Choosing to live in an apartment equals “freedom”.  For example: the neighborhood takes a drastic downturn and stilettos are now more of a weapon than a fashion must this season?  The warehouses next to the cannery have been converted into opulent concrete lofts and that’s where you’d like to relocate?  


Simply pack up stakes and step… that easy!  And hey, if your fridge breaks simply speed-dial the super and your problem of warm white wine is someone else’s problem. You won’t even have to break a perfectly manicured nail opening a toolbox!

 
The BAD

Picture this scenario: you’re about to leave the apartment at 8am and running late… your chatty/nosy neighbor is locking up the same time and is ready for a chat. That’s right – living in an apartment means a lack of privacy. They can hear you, and worst of all – you can hear them, and their bad taste in music (is Nickelback at 11pm really necessary?) 


Someone is always ready for a chat;  don’t let network TV fool you, it’s usually not a handsome French artist or an interesting and glamorous flight attendant next door.  My advice? keep your neighbors at arms length or before you know it, they’re standing at your door with a cup of coffee, a rash they want your opinion on and the latest building goss.

 

The UGLY

You have an invisible roommate - your landlord, and he has more say about what happens in the apartment as you do, so cozy up!  Maybe you’d like to spruce up your space with a fresh coat of paint in this year’s pantone pick?  Check with your invisible  roommate.  He may say yes, but the stipulation? You must paint it back before you leave, or there goes your damage deposit.  Maybe your dishwasher model is closer to what the Flintstones’ originally used? 


Getting it replaced will most often be a struggle. The best advice: do whatever it takes to stay the landlord’s favorite tenant above everybody else in that building.  That’s right, we’re talking birthday presents, Christmas presents, plenty of “please’s” and “thank you’s” and even accompanying their visiting mother-in-law to her eye-appointment. No one said getting what you want was going to be easy.

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment! Pls use the same format as above!

Read More

Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello everyone! I'm still on the road & boy am I EXHAUSTED. I'm literally trying to force my eyes open while I write this next post....

About a week ago I asked on my Twitter if there were any bloggers who wanted to share their rental experience with MadeByGirl readers. 

Since I will now be RENTING, I'm curious to know your thoughts on 'the GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY' of apartment living! I chose a few of the posts that were submitted to me last week. Below is the first one....I'll share more of the submissions soon! Enjoy!

Hello MadeByGirl readers, I'm Julia from Tartan & Sequins. Sharing my apartment living experience!

The GOOD
Let’s face it, developing a sense of style when it comes to your home is even harder than developing your personal style. Of course there are people who just get it from the start. But, for the rest of us, it usually takes some time to figure out what you like and don’t like when it comes to decorating and then gather all the parts and pieces to make the design work. 

Being able to test-drive design ideas and styles is one of the great benefits of apartment living. You can focus on developing your style while not having to worry about too many extra design elements like paint, wallpaper, construction, etc. It’s less risky to make changes when you’re living in an apartment, as a throw pillow is easier to change out than a horrible fireplace. 

The BAD
Now onto the bad. Once you have developed your design sense, it can be frustrating not having control over those extra design elements mentioned above. It may even get to a point where you just have to bite the bullet on the repainting fee and go crazy with painting the place. Other changes can include replacing hardware like the towel bars in the bathroom, door/cabinet knobs, or installing curtain rods at your own expense.

The bad part about living in an apartment is that that those types of changes usually require someone else’s approval. No I don’t mean your significant other - that’s challenging enough. I mean the person who actually owns the place, the landlord.

The UGLY
Now, we all have things we can live with and cannot live without when it comes to apartment living. You may be able to live with a small cramped kitchen, but not having a walk-in closet to house your large collection of shoes simply will not do. Living in an apartment requires all types of tradeoffs, it’s what you do with the bad scenario that makes all the difference. I, myself, have two bay windows in my living room. 

Not a problem you say? Well, they are covered in old beige blinds and each take up an entire wall. So in an effort to inject color, establish a theme for the room and hide the blinds, I put up light olive green and white Moroccan print curtains. The bay windows are now my favorite part of the room!

If you'd like to share, the good, the bad, the ugly of living in a rental, email me your submission with 3-4 pictures of your apartment!

Read More