3 small apartment space hacks

If you've been following along on SnapChat lately, you know January has been a big home revamp month for me. I've been scouring a lot of the furniture shops in the city, new and antique, hunting down pieces at flea markets and upstate estate sales (Hudson Valley has a great weekend market that I need to visit again soon) and generally streamlining my space as much as possible (which means a lot of furniture rearranging, much to Elvis' dismay). 

That said, I still think my biggest obstacle (as most New Yorkers can probably attest to), is space layout, or perhaps more fitting, the lack thereof. 

Don't get me wrong. I love my West Village studio -- it's decent size for a one room space, just enough for Elvis and I (although I'm still waiting for the day that he pitches in for rent) and I can't beat the natural daylight I get at most hours of the day.

But there's only one closet. 

Insert gasp here.

If you recall either of my San Francisco apartments, you know I was pretty fortunate to have not only several of them, but sizeable to boot (remember this closet? -- ah, how I miss that little alcove!). Needless to say, downsizing to only one closet has meant a bursting at the seams rolling rack had to step in, and thereby, the real estate space in my apartment alone had to be completely reconfigured. 

It's still very much a work in progress, one I hope to complete and share soon, but in the meantime, here are three small apartment hacks that I think would make MacGyver proud. 

1. Curtain dividers: My studio is relatively long and narrow, with two sunny windows at the rear, facing the street. My bed is currently situated next to the windows (as I love being able to crack a window at night and have fresh air come in), meaning the living space takes up the front half of the apartment. I wanted to find a way to separate the two spaces, without blocking the light, and ideally, conceal my overloaded rolling rack. I first played around with the idea of an Ikea shelving unit as a room divider, but got nervous that if it wasn't anchored properly, Elvis might knock it over and hurt himself. 

That's when someone suggested a curtain divider. I was hesitant at first (would it feel like a hospital room?) but after scouring the internet for a few ideas, I love how light and airy it can make the space, while still giving just enough privacy. 

2. Mirror gallery wall: When it comes to gallery walls, this ain't my first rodeo. This time around though, I intend to focus just on mirrors, old and new, to place next to my windows and hopefully bounce and reflect more light around the space. I especially love the idea of layering a few smaller mirrors on top of larger ones for added dimension.

3. Custom shelving with a TV cubby: As someone with has a lot of books, magazines and knick knacks from travels (my goal is to really have my space remind me of places I've been fortunate enough to visit in the world), I require a lot of storage space, that doubles as a showcase. I love floor to ceiling shelving units and have the perfect wall for it, opposite my couch. This time around though, I'm putting on my big girl shoes, and ponying up for a TV (I haven't had a TV in my apartment since Gossip Girl was still on). I generally, don't like how TVs dominate a wall space, but I love the idea of it seamlessly tucked into a beautiful shelving unit, surrounded by my favorite things. 

All these photos (and more) can be found via my home Pinterest board here.

studio escape {with bluebellgray}

Duvet, pillows here, here and here, sheet set and coverlet all thanks to Bluebellgray

It's been a hot minute since we've talked about how my apartment decorating is coming along and that's probably because, well...I haven't made much progress. 

I know, I know.

Between work and traveling lately, I'm starting to see why a lot of New Yorkers see their apartments as glorified closets and places to sleep at night. Because you're always out and about with something new to see around every corner.

Which, don't get me wrong, I love that about New York. But with winter almost here, I'm starting to realize how much I miss seeing my apartment as a refuge to come back to,  my little escape from the hustle and bustle of the city (and let's face it, soon to be freezing temps).

That said, over the next few months, I'm refocusing on my apartment, hunting around at different antique and estate sales for accent pieces and the ever elusive perfect sized couch. But my first order of business? Updating my bedroom. Of course, when you live in a studio like I do, it's hard to draw the line between where you sleep and where everything else goes -- that's just the nature of living in less than 500 square feet. I've found though, that when my bed is made with all the right things to make me feel a sense of ease all within reaching distance (candles, books, a cuddly dog who I share the bed with and my favorite hand cream by Aesop), I feel much more comfortable and secluded in my "sleeping space." 

As for this bedding? While I'm admittedly much more of a white linens gal, I love how this set by Bluebellgray adds the right amount of color, with a moody deep blue as a neutral setting. And in a weird way, for all my Sex and the City fans out there, it remind me of Carrie's bedding, which is always a win in my book. Granted, my little abode is very much a work in progress (still trying to figure out exactly what I want to put on all those blank walls), but little by little, it's already starting to feel more like me every day. 

Oh, and I think Elvis approves of the new bedding, which is always the true test. 

If you're looking to update your bedding, you can snag some Bluebellgray for yourself via Macy's Friends and Family sale for 25% off -- simply enter the code FRIENDS at checkout.

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

This post was in collaboration with Bluebellgray. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!

sanctuary {apartment inspiration}

For those of you who have followed This Time Tomorrow for a little while now, and perhaps saw my last few apartments captured in a variety of home tours, you know that I love a good clean, white room, with black and gold accents. And at this point, if you unpacked my boxes with me this weekend (speaking of, anyone wanna help?), you'd find I've accumulated more than my fair share of trinkets, statuettes, frames and general oddities in some gold or crisp black finish. Guilty as charged.

While I still have an affinity for that somewhat eclectic glam approach, I've been craving to mix things up lately and start fresh. Before leaving San Francisco, I purged a lot of furniture and home decor items that I found I just wasn't in love with anymore. Items that just didn't make me smile as much as they used to or pieces of furniture that felt like it was more of an obligation to bring and not a-can't-live-without sensation. 

So what's on the clean slate, you ask? Lately, I've been drawn to more moody spaces: accent walls in deep blues and greys, rustic, unfinished wood furniture, rich leather chairs that you can sink into and even considering venturing into wallpaper territory (the oversized, art-like kind, of course).

Here are a few pins I've been going back to lately for inspiration. I'm excited to dig into the local flea market scene here in New York and slowly craft and build out my little nook here in the West Village. 

Images via 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 

adored {winter is coming}

Upon moving to the Bay Area, there were a lot of things I immediately fell in love with. Unbeatable proximity to wine country? Check. An amazing baseball team? Got it. An incredible restaurant scene? Yeah, all over it. And while I normally don't complain about the weather here (because it's hard to beat 65 degree weather year round), I have to admit, there's something about having seasons that I miss a lot these days, particularly the transition from fall to winter. 

Occasionally though, we have these amazing stints of rainy days that let up for brief sporadic sun breaks, only to start pouring again soon after. It's on days like that, I love to curl up in bed with a few good books, several magazines and the newspaper and simply listen to the rain fall outside. Of course, the only uniform suitable for said activity involves a slew of ever rotating oversized sweaters (the kind that slouch perfectly off your shoulder) and barely there delicate undergarments (because who doesn't love the idea of something sexy hiding under layers upon layers of blankets and knits?).

For this year's rotation, I was recently introduced to the brand Adore Me and was immediately drawn to their selection of bralettes (a personal weakness of mine). This ice blue set has been on repeat lately and I love how I can layer it with different pieces for a subtly sexy peek-a-boo effect. If you're looking to stock up your rotation of sweet nothings, the folks at Adore Me are offering one reader a set of their choosing. Simply enter your email address and favorite set below for a chance to win!

This post was in collaboration with Adore Me. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!