feels like home

a loft is not easy to furnish, especially when we moved from a space approximately 1/3 of the size and 2/3 of the height. i think one of the hardest parts is not having walls/boundaries between the different areas - it requires you to do a whole lot more measuring and imagining. 

when we moved in on october 31, 2014, we had +80 boxes of our belongings, but no furniture for the living room. even though we have heaps of boxes in every room, the space felt massively empty. after a few months of unpacking, donating, and scrupulously shopping at the rate of one piece per month (we are slow lol), we've finally acquired a few pieces which make the loft feel like home.

most recently we picked up this black walnut and rosewood sideboard and placed it behind our living room sectional. it feels like an anchor piece, and has helped to separate the living and dining space so our furniture doesn't look like it's just floating around anymore. then kevin spent THREE evenings this week polishing it, as well as every other piece of walnut furniture in the apartment, with orange-glo. i grew up with a father who was very involved in the daily household chores, and i was lucky to marry a man who helps out too :) the wood looks really nice after it's been polished, the colors are richer, and a little bonus is that everything smells like oranges afterwards!

kevin and i both grew up in the suburbs: me in holmdel new jersey surrounded by small, local farms, and kevin in stockton california in the heart of the central valley agriculture. we both love the outdoors and miss the greenery, so we are trying to bring some of the outdoors indoors. i repotted our snake plant aka sansevieria trifasciata (also known as the "mother-in-law's tongue"), but i'm not sure if this exact location will be his home quite yet. we'll see how the light works out.

well, my friend liz asked to see a recent photo of the place, so here it is! it's the only one i can show you because there are boxes everywhere else still. and because i am the queen of collecting knick knacks and magazine hoarding, this is probably the least cluttered you will ever see our place. bookshelves are expected to arrive in march, and hopefully we'll get our bikes mounted up on the walls as well. yay!

best: korean body scrubs on a chilly evening after a long day at work.

worst: how walking by dirty water dog street vendors at a brisk pace for even a quick minute makes your hair smell like smoke and grease for the rest of the day. bleh :p

smile: the title of this post is coincidentally the title of the chantal kreviazuk song that we danced to at our wedding at the boathouse :) it's one of my favorite songs from "how to lose a guy in ten days".