If I told you that we technically lived in a one bedroom, would you believe me? If I told you that we created a bedroom for said one bedroom and turned it into a two bedroom within a day, then would you believe me?
One spring night we came into this apartment after deciding that we had grown tired of searching, and simply wanted to stay in our coveted neighborhood. We opted for a backyard in lieu of a two-bedroom on the fifth floor, and as you would have it, it has been one of our better decisions. There are difficulties, but the moments in which the birds are singing and everything feels just right occur more often than not. Believe me, I say this with hesitation, because unlike our old apartment where we swore we would grow old, we are simply taking it day by day with this one. I have realized the heartache when things don’t go according to plan, and for right now I’m choosing to settle on simply being settled.
When faced with a large one bedroom, and a living room that couldn’t comfortably fit a bedroom, dining room, and living room (something Erin beautifully mastered) within it, we chose to break the insanely large bedroom into two with the help of Manhatten Pressurized Walls. In theory, the size of our once actual two-bedroom apartment happens to be the same size of our created two-bedroom apartment. And this current room comes with additional perks; a sliding door, wood floors, crown molding, and walk-in closet turned playroom/closet.
MPW created a cool room that feels private for all of us, but one that is also incredibly well designed and well-made. They left a large window of space that wraps around the room for natural light and of course, circulation. And as far as noise goes, it’s the best it can get. Thankfully, we have two of the best sleepers on this side of the coast so all is going well in that department. The room feels jut like what it is– a room.
The dividing wall on our side of the room.
I am in no way a design expert, but maybe my love of Brooklyn and our neighborhood, and being one of five and always needing to simply make it work, made me feel confident on making this work. And there is the reality that children, especially my children, need very little. Overall, I want to encourage you (and often myself) that not everything, (often very few things) arrive pre-paackaged as we would like. There will always be something we leave at the wayside, and something we give up for something else. Right now, our living priorities are location, ground floor (boy do we have some heavy walkers), and a space to just go out and play as we wish whenever we wish. I’m sure it will change sooner than later, and being open to the change is key.
We live in a small apartment in Europe and I find this idea fascinating. I’m not sure if it exists here. But I would love more info… I can’t really understand exactly what you did. Like what size is your apartment? What was the original floor plan? Which room did you divide? Were you able to incorporate a window into the newly created space? How effective are the temporary walls in terms of sound insulation, etc… So many questions!
I love the simplicity that comes along with living in NYC because of the small space. Also love the colors you use in your home that keep the space bright and airy. How was it finding an apartment in brooklyn that works for you and family? I'm looking to make a big move from Cali to NYC next summer as a school psychologist at a school. Would appreciate any tips!
This is totally ridiculous, but I see that the bridge is missing from the Ukulele! We have more at the store if yours has gone missing. 🙂
We live in a small apartment in Europe and I find this idea fascinating. I’m not sure if it exists here. But I would love more info… I can’t really understand exactly what you did. Like what size is your apartment? What was the original floor plan? Which room did you divide? Were you able to incorporate a window into the newly created space? How effective are the temporary walls in terms of sound insulation, etc… So many questions!
I love the simplicity that comes along with living in NYC because of the small space. Also love the colors you use in your home that keep the space bright and airy. How was it finding an apartment in brooklyn that works for you and family? I'm looking to make a big move from Cali to NYC next summer as a school psychologist at a school. Would appreciate any tips!
Allie