Empty Apartment Tour Seattle: Our New Space + How We Plan to Decorate!
Join me for an empty apartment tour of our new place here in Seattle! I don't know about you, but I LOVE looking at empty apartments. There's just something about a clean slate and all that potential for creating a dream apartment that I find totally enthralling. So I'm very excited to bring you along for this apartment tour!
While 800 sq ft is definitely more space than the 500 sq ft studio apartment we're moving out of, it still comes with plenty small apartment design challenges; not a lot of closet space, an odd apartment layout, and a serious need for some creative small space storage hacks. So on this tour, I'll be sharing my plans for overcoming these issues!
If you're looking for small apartment interior design inspiration, small apartment decorating tips, and some ideas for furnishing an apartment, come along for my apartment tour!
Video Transcript ↓
Well, we are officially habitants of this brand new empty apartment!
There's something about being in an empty apartment that just feels so exciting and fresh and echoey…
If you watched this video, which is where I showed you the three different apartments that we toured and considered in our apartment search, then you’ve already seen a bit of this apartment already.
But I thought I would take the opportunity while this place is empty to take you on a more in-depth tour of our new home!
So in this video I'm going to show you around a bit and tell you what my ideas are for styling this place. Because I already have it all planned out. 😎
And then, of course, stay tuned for the videos to come because I'm going to bring you along for this entire process. So you're going to see how we take this empty apartment and make it into a beautiful, lush retreat.
And before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that you can now watch my free workshop, "Decorate Your Dream Apartment Without Spending Money on the Wrong Decor For You" whenever you want!
In this FREE, 1-hour workshop, I’ll teach you how to…
Discover your personal style so you can decorate a space that feels like YOU
Create mood boards to help you visualize what your apartment could look like before buying things
Shop for decor in a way that will save you money and allow you to buy things that actually fit your space and your personality
If all that sounds like exactly what you need to create the dreamy apartment you’ve been yearning for, click here to watch the workshop!
All right, let me show you around the new place!
So this is going to sound dramatic, but I’ll say it anyway: walking into this apartment is like getting injected with a dose of pure, unadulterated joy.
The vibes in here are just so good, and it’s really because of the windows. Those bigass, beautiful windows! I’ve never lived in an apartment this high up and with this kind of view, so it’s kind of a shock to the system - in the best way possible.
Here’s the floorplan of the apartment, which as you can see, has a bit of an odd, triangular shape:
The leasing agent who gave us the tour of this space actually told us most people don’t usually want this particular layout because they don’t know how to arrange the furniture in here. And I was like, “Oh I got this!”
The apartment is also very open concept, which is very in my wheelhouse after spending 5 years in a studio apartment.
Here’s how we’re planning on arranging the living room:
And this is a classic case of “you don’t have to put your couch against a wall” - instead you can treat it like an architectural element that divides the open space. In this case, our couch will divide the living room area from the kitchen area.
And then we have another jaw dropping perk of this apartment, which is the balcony. I mean, look at that view!
We’re planning on getting this little outdoor table and chairs set from Ikea. I think it’ll be perfect for this small balcony!
And then we’ll be able to come out here with our coffee and take in the view of this lovely chunk of Seattle of ours. 🥰
Now onto the kitchen!
This kitchen feels absolutely palatial after living with our tiny, 42 sq ft kitchen in the studio.
The fridge alone in this new apartment is revolutionary for us because it’s almost twice the size of the other fridge we had - which, after Kobee moved in with me a few months ago, was constantly bursting at the seams. I don’t think that fridge was ever meant for two people.
And then we have so much more cabinet and counter space here too!
Overall, I love this kitchen. And what I love most of all about it is this beautiful blessing: the dishwasher.
Not having a dishwasher in the studio was pretty much the main reason why I wanted to move, and now we have one! The love I feel for this magical appliance knows no bounds. I can’t wait to put things inside her. 🙃
We also have a garbage disposal now, which is another miraculous addition to our lives that we didn’t have in the studio. Ah, just listen to her purr…
And yes, I’m aware that I’m referring to kitchen appliances as “her”... Listen, if you had just gone through 5 years of not having a dishwasher or garbage disposal, you’d personify them too.
Now onto the bedroom!
I still can’t get over the novelty of having a separate space for a bedroom, complete with a door that can be closed. I’m telling you, living in a studio for years changes your brain and makes perfectly normal things feel like the height of luxury.
So here’s what we’re planning on doing in here:
And the most exciting thing about our plans for the bedroom is what we’re planning on doing with the wall behind the bed. It’s top secret for now because I want it to be a surprise, but let’s just say it’s going to quite the statement!
And then we have our little baby closets, which are the only drawback of this apartment.
They’re just little babies, so we’re having to get a little more creative with our clothing storage situation.
If you watched this video of our Ikea shopping trip, you know we picked out this wardrobe to give us more closet space. That will definitely help!
We’re also planning on getting these drawers for under the bed for even more storage, so we’re finding ways to compensate for the lack of closet space!
And finally, we have the bathroom!
We’ll be bringing over this same boho style rug from our old bathroom, and we ordered this shower curtain to give a bit of a moody, dark decor vibe in here, which you know I’m all about.
So I think once we start adding some styling details in here, this bathroom will begin to feel like a cozy, boho retreat!
So there you have it! That was our brand new empty apartment. 🥰
Like I said earlier, stick with me, because I'm going to show you every step of how I decorate this place and make it into a lovely, cozy home.
Remember: just because you rent your space doesn't mean you can't own your style, and I'm going to prove it to you in this space!
Let me know in the comments below: do you have any questions for me about how I’m going to approach decorating this empty apartment? Let me know in the comments below!
And if you’re still not sure how to create your dream apartment and you're wondering things like:
“How do I discover my personal style so that I can make these good choices for my decorating?”
“How do I become more confident in my interior styling choices?”
“How do I mix styles?”
“How do I actually arrange things in my apartment?”
Then I got you covered…
If you're wanting to dive deeper into learning about how to style your apartment step by step, that's where my online course Small Apartment Styling School comes in!
Small Apartment Styling School basically holds your hand through your styling process and tells you exactly what to do step-by-step, so by the end of the course you feel like you know your style, you know what to buy, and you know how to place it in your apartment with confidence.
Imagine living in an apartment that actually boosts your mood everyday and makes you feel welcome, and makes you feel a sense of belonging and being at home.
Just because you rent your space doesn't mean you can't own your style, and Small Apartment Styling School helps you do that!
My current students have been a raving about how helpful the course was for decorating their apartments and I am so proud of what they've achieved after enrolling in the course!
Small Apartment Styling School will help you decorate your apartment step by step, including:
Figuring out your personal style
Choosing a color palette
Mixing different interior styles
Learning about the different interior styles that are out there and which ones might be a good fit for you
Arranging and accessorizing your apartment room by room - living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom.
All of this and more is in Small Apartment Styling School, so if you want to learn more and join the waitlist for the next time it opens for enrollment, click here!
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.