Have a look inside my NYC apartment living room!
Hey, it’s me, Malena, the creator of this blog about apartment decor and small spaces.
I moved into my New York 1 bedroom almost a year ago, and I’m officially the slowest decorator ever.
This is the first time I have furnished an apartment all by myself from scratch, and it’s taught me a lot about what I like (and what I don’t!)
Small NYC Apartment Living Room
West Elm Marin Sofa (alabaster) | Rejuvenation lamp | Pottery Barn rug (natural)
For New York standards, my apartment living room isn’t actually that small. However, compared to pretty much anywhere else in the US, it’s definitely small haha!
I placed the couch against the longest wall, and I really like how this seating area turned out.
The two accent chairs, rug, and wooden coffee table pull everything together.
Adding curtains
I liked how the apartment looks without curtains, but curtains do add warmth!
My apartment also gets a LOT of light, so curtains are necessary to curb the light a little during the day.
And yes, I should obviously address what else is different: art above the couch!
One thing I learned about myself is I dislike visual clutter.
Even though I adore gallery walls in other spaces of my apartment, I wanted to keep the space above the couch really simple.
…or I don’t know if “simple” is the word, since the art piece I went for is ginormous LOL.
Art above the couch
This textile art piece is from St Frank, and I absolutely adore it.
In my opinion, having 1 large art piece over the couch is better than several pieces in a small space.
I feel like it makes the space feel bigger because your eye is just drawn to one piece, and not to 5 different art pieces.
Desk In Living Room
I work from home, so a desk is necessary. Although I have to admit I work from the couch most of the time haha.
During the pandemic, I got into this routine of changing up my working spot a lot.
I basically rotated the couch, dining room table, and my bed as my workstation.
And you know what, it works for me. I work for myself, so I make my own rules, and I LOVE it.
Writing this blog post from my bed as we speak (shocking).
Sofia Coppola book | AD book | Ribbed vase
OK back to the desk area. I kept it very simple but carefully picked the desk and chair.
The desk is from CB2, and the chair is from Safavieh, which is SO stylish and comfy.
I haven’t decorated the wall above my desk yet. So if you have any ideas, let me know.
Decorating living room corner
Spine bookshelf | Arched floor mirror
The brick wall in my living room has some funky nooks and edges!!
This was the perfect nook for a large mirror and spine book shelf. The mirror is from Home Depot (but similar here on Amazon)
The hardest part was finding a mirror that was large enough for the space!! The one I have is 32″.
The spine bookshelf is from Design within Reach, and I have the tall white one.
Small kitchen island
West Elm Alden counter stools | Breville barista touch espresso machine
Excuse the clutter. I have been postponing this blog post FOREVER, and the fact that I only had a picture of my kitchen counter where it looks cluttered, isn’t going to stop me.
I stalked Facebook marketplace for AGES to track down these amazing, simple counter stools from West Elm.
For some reason, it’s hard to find the Alden stools in white metal.
OK that was it for my little apartment tour!! Next up (hopefully) is the bedroom and bathroom.
One thing I promise: I will be back with BETTER non iPhone pictures next time.
I hope you enjoyed this tour of my small New York apartment living room!!
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